Children in the novel are at once a blessing, a source of vulnerability and fear, and leverage to be used by one’s opponents. Ragna is excited when she learns that she is pregnant, but her thoughts quickly turn to how her children might be used against her. After Alain’s birth, Wigelm threatens to take the child from her, goading her into staying with him as his wife. Dreng kills Blod’s baby to punish her and to avoid having to provide for another person. Edgar suspects that his mother kills herself so that he and his brothers can have more to eat. At their best, children symbolize hope for the future. However, they also represent the evils which people are capable of when they use children to defeat their enemies.

Aldred and Edgar learn that Wynstan coerces Cuthbert into minting counterfeit coins. Wynstan then uses those coins for gambling. If he loses, he loses counterfeit money, but the money he wins is real. When accused of the forgery in court, Wynstan blames Cuthbert, who receives the punishment. The coins symbolize Wynstan’s moral decay, his disdain for King Ethelred’s rule, and the unreliability of the court in a system that allows Wynstan to intimidate and pay off those who would find against him.