The Devil's Star (Harry Hole, #5)

by Jo Nesbø

Nygård fidgeted with his cup. ‘Did you find what you were looking for?’ ‘You could say that. I found a pentagram. I suppose that since you deal with the interiors of churches you’ll know what that is.’ ‘You mean a five-pointed star?’ ‘Yes, drawn with one continuous line. Do you have any idea what a sign like that might symbolise?’ Harry’s head was bent over the table, but he was furtively studying Nygård’s face. ‘Quite a lot,’ Nygård said. ‘Five is the most important figure in black magic. Did it have one or two points sticking upwards?’ ‘One.’ ‘So it’s not the sign of evil then. The sign you’re describing might symbolise both vitality and passion. Where did you find it?’ ‘On a beam above her bed.’ ‘Oh, I see,’ Nygård said. ‘That’s a simple one then.’ ‘Oh?’ ‘It’s what we call a mare cross, or a devil’s star.’ ‘A mare cross?’ ‘A pagan symbol. They used to carve it over beds or doorways to keep away the mare.’ ‘The mare?’ ‘The mare, yes. As in night-mare. A female demon who sits on the chest of a sleeping person and rides him so that he has bad dreams. The pagans thought she was a spirit. Not that strange since “mare” is derived from the Indo-Germanic “mer”.’ ‘Have to confess that my Indo-Germanic is not up to much.’ ‘It means “death”.’ Nygård stared down into his cup of coffee. ‘Or to be more precise, “murder”.’