Nordic Drifter

Mímir, or Mim, is a Norse god associated with wisdom. At the end...

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 13:43:00 -0700

Mímir, or Mim, is a Norse god associated with wisdom.

At the end of the Æsir-Vanir War Mímir was beheaded. Odin preserved his head and carried it with him in order to hear Mímir’s wisdom and counsel.

[Picture: Odin approaching Mímir beneath Yggdrasil.]

The Greater Wrath (“Isoviha” in Finnish) is a term...

Sat, 06 Apr 2013 10:11:06 -0700

The Greater Wrath (“Isoviha” in Finnish) is a term used to refer to the Russian invasion and occupation of Finland from 1714-1721; a part of the Great Northern War (1700-21).

During the period of occupation Finland was governed by military authority. Resistance movements cropped up in the form of partisan warfare, but in response Russian authorities forced Finnish peasants to pay heavy reparations to the occupying forces. The period is marked by plundering, looting, and forced deportation. Potentially tens of thousands of Finns were taken for slave labor in Russia, few of which returned. Most of Finland’s clergy and nobility fled to Sweden, leaving peasants to fend for themselves.

An estimated 60,000 Finns were killed or forced into slavery.

The occupation was finally ended with the Treaty of Nystad in 1721, which handed over Swedish Estonia, Livonia, and a portion of Southeastern Finland to Russia.

[Picture: Finnish painter Albert Edelfelt’s “Isoviha”.]

Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenberg (1511-71) was the wife of Christian...

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 20:22:50 -0700

Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenberg (1511-71) was the wife of Christian III of Denmark. She was a woman of very strong opinion and considerable influence.

In 1540, Dorothea assisted in freeing Birgitte Gøye from her forced engagement, which lead to a law banning arranged marriages for minors. She is said to have helped negotiate the Treaty of Speyer between Denmark and the Holy Roman Empire in 1544.

After Christian III’s death, she repeatedly criticized his successor, her son, Frederik II, and plotted an arranged marriage between her younger son and a princess of Sweden. For this Frederik labeled her a traitor and had her exiled to Sønderborg Castle, where she remained until her death.

Pictured here is the only known 3D representation of a Valkyrie,...

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 11:51:20 -0700

Pictured here is the only known 3D representation of a Valkyrie, discovered by an amateur metal detectorist near Hårby, Denmark in December.

The figurine is described as “thumb-size”, made from gilded silver with black niello inlay. It is believed to date to 800CE. Previously, small flat images of women believed to be Valkyries have been discovered at Viking age sites, but this figurine is completely unique.

In 1803 Denmark-Norway became the first European country to ban...

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 06:00:41 -0800

In 1803 Denmark-Norway became the first European country to ban the slave trade.

Frederik VI decreed, in the name of his father King Christian VII, a ban on the trade, but not the ownership, of slaves in 1792 which came into full effect in 1803. Slavery itself was not abolished until 1848.

At this time Iceland was a part of Denmark-Norway. Slavery had been banned in Iceland in 1117 and the practice never resumed despite its legality while a part of Denmark-Norway. France was the first European country to abolish slavery in 1794, but Napoleon made it legal again in 1802.

[Image: Drawing of Fort Christianborg, now called Osu Castle, in Ghana, a center of the Danish slave trade.]

It is well known that Viking explorers used the sun and stars to...

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 10:12:33 -0800

It is well known that Viking explorers used the sun and stars to navigate across open seas, but what did they do when the sun and stars weren’t visible? For centuries legends have told of various tools that Vikings used to help navigate, among them the fabled Sunstone. Now, researchers believe they have finally found one of these stones.

Until recently, nothing was found among Viking artifacts that matched descriptions from the sagas. However, researchers now believe the mythical sunstone was a calcite-like crystal known as Iceland spar. After extensive tests, researchers now believe that this crystal can be used as an incredibly accurate navigational aid.

Fragments of Iceland spar were first found, or first recognized, in Icelandic Viking settlements only last year.

Measuring 7 meters high and 45 in diameter, the Håga burial...

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 13:06:21 -0800

Measuring 7 meters high and 45 in diameter, the Håga burial mound in Uppsala, Sweden is the largest built by Nordic Bronze Age cultures.

Built in 1000 BCE, the mound was constructed above a wooden chamber containing an oaken coffin with the cremated remains of a man. Also within the coffin were found several well-preserved Bronze Age artifacts, including a sword, razor, and buttons. The site was excavated in 1902-03 and the findings stored at the Swedish Museum of National Antiquities.

On 3 September 1967 Sweden officially switched from driving on...

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 10:00:48 -0800

On 3 September 1967 Sweden officially switched from driving on the left- to the right-hand side of the road.

This day is usually referred to as Högertrafikomläggningen (“The right-hand traffic diversion”), or H Day. Prior to this day Swedes drove on the left-hand side of the road, just like modern day England, but all of their immediate neighbors drove on the right-hand side. This caused numerous traffic accidents each year, particularly along the Norwegian-Swedish border.

On this day all non-essential traffic was banned from 1-6:00 AM, with all vehicles brought to a stop at 4:50 and carefully switched from the left to right sides of the road. In major cities such as Stockholm and Malmo the ban lasted longer to allow work crews to adjust major intersections.

Ja, Vi Elsker Dette Landet (“Yes, we love this...

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 10:00:00 -0800

Ja, Vi Elsker Dette Landet (“Yes, we love this land”) is currently considered Norway’s de facto national anthem.

The lyrics were written by Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, and the melody by his cousin Rikard Nordraak some time in the 1860s. The song was first performed on 17 May 1864, the 50th anniversary of Norway’s constitution.

The song holds no official standing as a national anthem, and for a long time was used alongside Sønner av Norge at official functions. However, the 1994 song Mitt Lille Land by Ole Paus has been gaining popularity since 2011, with some calling it a “new national anthem”.

Lalli is a figure out of Finnish history and legend. He appeared...

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 10:01:05 -0800

Lalli is a figure out of Finnish history and legend. He appeared around the time of the Swedish crusades that eventually lead to Finland coming under Swedish rule.

According to the legend, Lalli is responsible for the murder and martyrdom of Bishop Henrik of Uppsala. When Lalli returned home one day and learned from his wife that the bishop had been there and left without paying for his food or drink he became enraged. Furious, he followed the bishop and attacked him. Lalli decapitated Henrik with an axe and stole his hat and ring. However, when he put them on, the hat and ring became fused to Lalli’s skin, and when he tried to remove them tore off his scalp and finger. He then drowned in lake Köyliönjärvi.

According to the bishop’s wishes, Lalli’s remains were gathered and loaded onto oxen, where the oxen stopped is said to be the site of the first church in Finland.

Bishop Henrik has never been officially canonized, but he is widely recognized as a saint regardless; the first Finnish saint.

Stave churches were built throughout Scandinavia in the middle...

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 10:00:47 -0800

Stave churches were built throughout Scandinavia in the middle ages. Stave churches are unique for being constructed entirely of wood. So far, 1300 stave churches have been indexed, but only about thirty remain today, all but one in Norway.

Of the few remaining, Urnes Stave Church is considered one of the finest examples. Built in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, this church was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979.

On 18 January 1997 Norwegian explorer Børge Ousland became the...

Wed, 19 Dec 2012 08:16:00 -0800

On 18 January 1997 Norwegian explorer Børge Ousland became the first person to cross the Antarctic alone and unaided. He has ventured to both the South and North poles in 2007 and 2008, and completed the first circumnavigation of the North Pole without an icebreaker in 2010 aboard the ship “The Northern Passage”.

In 2012 Ousland had “20 or 30 people” helicoptered in to the North Pole for his wedding.

You can learn more about Ousland and his expeditions at his website ousland.no

Tapio is a figure that appears in the Kalevala as a spirit or...

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 10:20:11 -0800

Tapio is a figure that appears in the Kalevala as a spirit or god of the forest. Tapio is lord of all the creatures of the forest, and hunters prayed to him before a hunt. Because all animals were his animals, offerings were left to appease the god and spirits after a hunt.

It has been said that Tapio wears a cloak of moss and has a beard of lichen. Depictions of Tapio fit the Green Man archetype seen in other pagan mythologies.

[Picture: Artist’s interpretation of Tapio, source.]

Vikings made some of the most impressive sea voyages of their...

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 06:00:25 -0800

Vikings made some of the most impressive sea voyages of their era, and all without the aid of compasses, charts, maps or any other navigational tool. Instead, Viking explorers used landmarks, stars, sea animals and their own memories to navigate.

Vikings were incredibly familiar with weather patterns and the migration paths of various animals, such as sea birds and whales. Explorers sometimes waited weeks for the perfect weather to set out on an expedition. For all their skills, however, Viking navigation was far from accurate, and several discoveries were made entirely on accident. The discovery of North America, for example.

Archaeologists at Baffin Island, Canada believe they have...

Wed, 21 Nov 2012 10:00:00 -0800

Archaeologists at Baffin Island, Canada believe they have located the new world’s first Viking outpost discovered in 50 years.

While excavating a structure, archaeologists uncovered whetstones, tools used to sharpen blades, with traces of copper, bronze, and iron. These materials were used by Viking explorers, but were unknown to the local peoples. Further evidence that this site was used by Vikings include the discovery of yarn spun with typical Viking techniques and other tools similar to those used by Viking settlers in Greenland.

At Horsens Fjord, Denmark, Archaeologists have two uncovered...

Mon, 19 Nov 2012 10:00:00 -0800

At Horsens Fjord, Denmark, Archaeologists have two uncovered wooden paddles dating back to the Stone Age.

The paddles have been Carbon-14 dated to 4700-4540BCE and identified as being from the Ertebølle culture.

Damage on the paddle not from the environment suggests that they may have served more than one purpose. But most surprisingly, traces of paint still remain on both. Decorated paddles from this same period have been discovered before, but they are quite rare.

Bouvet Island is considered the most remote island in the world,...

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 09:06:07 -0700

Bouvet Island is considered the most remote island in the world, lying at the southern end of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. A dependency of Norway, the island is only 49 square kilometers (19 square miles) and 93% is covered by glacier.

The island was first discovered in 1739 by Jean-Baptiste Charles Bouvet de Lozier, who recorded the wrong coordinates, so the island remained unseen again until 1809. The first Norwegian expedition and landing was in 1927, and it became a Norwegian dependency in 1930. It was later named a nature reserve in 1971, and hosts a small weather station.

[Picture: 1898 photograph of Bouvet Island, hand colored.]

During the Winter War Finland perfected the design and use of...

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 13:57:00 -0700

During the Winter War Finland perfected the design and use of the Molotov Cocktail, which also received it’s common name during this conflict.

The name itself was a response to the “Molotov bread basket”, which were Soviet cluster bombs. Soviet propaganda claimed that they were not bombing the Finns, but delivering food to the starving people.

During the Winter War Molotov cocktails were mass-produced by the Alko company, an alcoholic beverage producer. Over 400,000 were produced during the course of the war. These were a mixture of ethanol, tar, and gasoline in a sealed bottle with two storm matches taped to the sides. Storm matches are designed so they won’t go out in strong wind, therefore will stay lit while the bottle is airborne and ignite the incendiary only when the bottle breaks on impact.

The Norns of Norse Mythology are female spirits that dictate the...

Fri, 28 Sep 2012 16:46:20 -0700

The Norns of Norse Mythology are female spirits that dictate the fate of men and gods alike.

Three chief norns are listed in the sagas, Urd, Verdandi, and Skuld, who dwell in Asgard close to Yggdrasil. However, the sagas also describe that additional norns come to each child when it is born and shape their future. The norns are described at least once as weaving “the web of fate”, and it is believed by some that the name “norn” comes from the verb “to twine”.

The idea of three women who weave fate is paralleled in Greek, Roman, and Slavic mythologies.

[Picture: Three norns seated beneath Yggdrasil. Ludwig Burger, 1882]

500 followers! You guys are awesome.

Thu, 27 Sep 2012 18:14:45 -0700

500 followers! You guys are awesome.