After the breaking of the Kalmar Union northern Europe separated into two major powers, Sweden (then including Finland) and Denmark-Norway.

Denmark-Norway was created via a personal union in 1536 which put the two countries under the rule of one king despite having separate governments, legal codes, and currencies. Political and economic power came mainly from Copenhagen, making Denmark the more dominant member of the union.

The Kingdom of Denmark-Norway also included the then-Norwegian islands of Greenland, Iceland, the Faroes and Svalbard, as well as various Danish colonies in India, the Caribbean and Africa.

The infamous Icelandic Phallological Museum was founded in 1997 by historian and teacher Sigurður Hjartarson.

Today the museum collection includes 276 penises from 46 species, including Homo sapiens, as well as related art. The museum moved out of Reykjavik in 2004 to a smaller home in Husavik, but there are plans to reopen the Reykjavik branch in 2012.

Midgard is one of the nine words from Norse Mythology, and the real of Humans.

The term literally means “middle enclosure”, but is sometimes translated as “middle-earth” in Old English. The world is generally depicted as being in the middle of Yggdrasil and surrounded by an impenetrable ocean. It is also connected to Asgard, the world of the gods, by the rainbow bridge Bifrost. 

Map of Scandinavia by Olaus Magnus (1490-1557)

The Lady of the Mountain is the national personification of Iceland.

She was first depicted in 1752 and is considered to represent all that is genuinely and purely Icelandic, as well as the Icelanders’ wish to become an independent nation. 

Lutheranism spread into Scandinavia in the 16th century, when the monarchs of Denmark-Norway and Sweden converted. 

The Reformation of Denmark-Norway began in 1537 after Christian III, who had been openly Lutheran since hearing Martin Luther speak in 1531, ascended the throne. The first Lutheran Bible in Danish was published in 1550. In Sweden (then including Finland), the Reformation began with Olaus and Laurentius Petri, who lead King Gustav Vasa to Lutheranism. But Lutheranism was not made official in Sweden until 1593. The first Finnish New Testament was published in 1548.

Despite popular belief, not all Scandiavians were Vikings.

In Old Norse the term “viking” was a noun that referred to overseas expeditions. The phrase “fara i viking” means “to go on an expedition”, and in later texts implies piracy or raids. Therefore, a Viking (Norse vikingr) was someone who participated in these expeditions; an explorer, warrior, or pirate.

Finns were never Vikings, and in fact had little contact with Scandinavia during the Viking Age. 

Leif Erikson (Old Norse Leifr Eirikson) was born in Iceland around 970CE. He was the son of Erik the Red, an explorer from Norway who founded colonies in Greenland. 

Leif traveled widely during his life, including his famous explorations of North America. But before this he was famed for leading the first voyage from Greenland to Norway. While in Norway, Leif met and spent much time with King Olaf and converted to Christianity. He is responsible for the conversion of Iceland and Greenland. 

Sod roof houses have existed in Scandinavia since prehistory. In the Viking and Middle Ages almost every structure had an earth roof, only churches and other buildings with steeper roofs had wood or shingles.

Sod roofs are traditionally made of birch bark, with earth laid over that. The birch bark makes the roof waterproof, and the sod serves as an effective insulator against cold. The weight of the sod also compressed the beams in the walls to make them more draught-proof. 

In Norse mythology Asgard is the home of the gods ruled over by Odin and his wife Frigg. 

Asgard is one of nine worlds, and is the location of Valhalla. The world is surrounded by an incomplete wall said to have been built by one of the Hrimthurs (frost giant). It is also connected to Midgard, the human world, by Bifrost, the rainbow bridge. 

In Iceland, belief in the Huldufolk (“hidden folk”), or elves, is so strong that building plans are altered to suit them, roads are diverted around their lands, and people even build tiny houses and churches for them. Over half the population of Iceland believes in the possibility that these folk exist.

Icelandic Mjölnir pendant. 

Eyjafjallajökull, which caused so much trouble to airlines and non-Icelandic newscasters when it erupted in 2010 and covered most of Northern Europe in a blanket of ash, is actually the name of both the volcanic mountain and the glacier which sits atop it.

Interestingly, areas upwind of the eruption felt little effect.