Character guide

Hulda Hansen

major

Also known as Hulda, V Hulda, pretty little Hulda, poor Hulda, little Hulda, Poor Hulda, Sandgoist Hulda

A Norwegian innkeeper's daughter whose sailor betrothed sends her a lottery ticket from a sinking ship, making her the quiet center of a town's wildest hopes.

Sylvius Hogg

major

Also known as IX Sylvius Hogg, Mr. Sylvius, Mister Sylvius, Mr. Sylvius Hogg, Sylvius, Mr. Hogg, Sylvius Hogg—but, Professor Sylvius Hogg, XV Sylvius Hogg, Monsieur Sylvius, Monsieur Hogg

A celebrated Norwegian professor and deputy whose impulsive mountain walk nearly kills him, until a brother and sister pull him back from the Rjukanfos.

Joel Hansen

major

Also known as Joel, Dal, Joel Hansen, Even Joel, Mister Joel, XI Joel, Madame Joel Hansen of Dal

A proud mountain guide from Dal who guards his sister's interests with a temper he barely keeps leashed when opportunists come calling for her ticket.

Dame Hansen

supporting

Also known as good Dame Hansen, the Hansen, Dame Hansen—I

The Hansen family's stern, black-clad matriarch, who keeps her worries about failing crops and family finances locked behind a reserve her children cannot breach.

Ole Kamp

supporting

Also known as Ole, IV Ole Kamp, poor Ole, Ole Kamp, Poor Ole

A young Bergen mate raised on fjords and seabird nests, who courts his cousin Hulda with plainspoken warmth between voyages on the Viking.

Monsieur Sandgoist

supporting

Also known as Sandgoist, Mr. Sandgoist

A Drammen businessman who arrives at the Hansen inn determined to buy Hulda's lottery ticket, treating superstition as a market he intends to corner.

Mr. Benett

supporting

Also known as Benett, friend Benett, Monsieur Benett

Mr. Benett is a friend and confidant whose well-appointed carriages are recalled enviously when Sylvius Hogg and his young companions must endure the jolting national karjol over Telemark's roads. He moves in the same comfortable, respectable orbit as the professor, part of the network of acquaintances that gives the story its warm social texture. His presence helps establish the ordinary, settled world against which the drama of Ole Kamp's disappearance and the lottery ticket plays out.

Siegfrid Helmboe

supporting

Also known as Siegfrid, mademoiselle, Mademoiselle Siegfrid Helmboe, the charming Siegfrid, Siegfrid of Bamble

Siegfrid Helmboe is the pretty, warm-hearted daughter of Farmer Helmboe of Bamble, betrothed to Joel Hansen and the closest friend of Hulda. When Hulda is consumed by despair over Ole's disappearance, Siegfrid refuses to abandon hope, insisting the search for the Viking will succeed and pressing her weeping friend to her heart. Her loyalty and cheerfulness anchor the story's emotional middle, and her eventual marriage to Joel closes the circle of happiness the professor has helped to restore.

The Stranger

supporting

Also known as the stranger, The stranger

The stranger is an enigmatic presence in the crowd at the great Schools Lottery drawing, a solemn-looking man whose deep voice and restless attention to the numbers suggest he has much riding on the outcome. His identity and motives remain deliberately obscured, making him a quiet source of unease amid the public spectacle. He matters because his presence sharpens the tension of the drawing itself, reminding the reader that not everyone in the hall is there merely as a spectator.

Junior

minor

Also known as Help, Help , Junior

A minor character associated with the Help family business.

The Viking

minor

Also known as Viking, the missing Viking

A legendary or symbolic figure referenced in the narrative.

The Skydskarl

minor

Also known as skydskarl

A driver or postilion who appears in travel scenes.

Help Bros.

minor

Also known as Help

A business entity or family name mentioned in the story.

Mother

minor

A maternal figure referenced in dialogue or narration.

Captain Mosselman

minor

Also known as This Captain Mosselman

A sea captain mentioned in the narrative.

Pastor Andersen

minor

A local clergyman who appears in community scenes.

Farmer Helmboe

minor

A farmer and likely father of Siegfrid Helmboe.

Harald Hansen

minor

Also known as Harald

A member of the Hansen family with limited appearances.

Madame Hogg

minor

A relative or associate of Sylvius Hogg.

Saint Olaf

minor

A historical saint referenced in the story.

Lengling

minor

Also known as foreman Lengling, Foreman Lengling

A foreman who appears in work-related scenes.

The Storthing

minor

Also known as Storthing

The Norwegian parliament, referenced as an institution.

The Maristien

minor

A location or path name mentioned in the book.

Fink

minor

Also known as faithful Fink, old Fink

A loyal servant or animal companion in the story.