Marvelous Mythology

If you're a fan of Marvel Comics' take on Norse mythology, you're soon in for a treat. The trailer for the movie "Thor" was released this week, and the film is scheduled for release May 6, 2011. Here's a synopsis of the film from the Marvel website:

"Thor spans the Marvel Universe from present day Earth to the realm of Asgard. At the center of the story is the mighty Thor, a powerful but arrogant warrior whose reckless actions reignite an ancient war. Thor is cast down to Earth by his father Odin and is forced to live among humans. ... It’s while here on Earth that Thor learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth."

In the meantime, if you'd like to brush up on your Norse mythology as told by a master storyteller, get one of Dag Rossman's six books on the subject, including "The Dragonseeker's Saga: New Tales of the Nine Worlds," (Skandisk, 2009) or "The Northern Path: Norse Myths and Legends Retold...And What They Reveal" (Seven Paws Press, 2005). Rossman, who got his start as a storyteller at District 5 Masse Moro language camp, is a member of Valdres 1-503 in Decorah, Iowa, and was featured in the February 2010 issue of Viking.

Amy Boxrud is editor of Viking magazine. She lives with her family in Northfield, Minn., where she’s a member of Nordmarka 1-585.

Focus on Fosse

One of the things I enjoy most about editing Viking is researching topics that we cover in the magazine. When writer Karen Hansen pitched a story on Jon Fosse, Norway's best-known contemporary playwright, I—like many Americans—knew almost nothing about him. If you haven't had a chance to read it, be sure to check out Hansen's article, "Focus on Fosse," in the current issue of Viking!

If you'd like to learn more about Fosse and his work, you can read this interview in The Brooklyn Rail published in 2004, just prior to his U.S. premier. And whether or not you understand Norwegian, you'll enjoy seeing the light-hearted side of Fosse in this video interview, produced in 2007 by the Norwegian Broadcasting Company (NRK). (Sorry, no subtitles!)



Amy Boxrud is editor of Viking magazine. She lives with her family in Northfield, Minn., where she’s a member of Nordmarka 1-585.

Don’t Feed the Bears

If you’ve ever visited a zoo or a state park, you’ve probably heard these words: “Don’t feed the bears.” However one adventurous Norwegian, named Ragnar Thorseth, threw caution to the wind and fed open-faced salmon and mayonnaise sandwiches to a polar bear—by hand. This amazing feat, filmed during a family sailing trip in Svalbard in 1987, has just become available online. Check out Thorseth’s run-in with one of Svalbard’s polar bears below.



So who is this gutsy Norwegian? Ragnar Thorseth is best known for his adventuring spirit. Often called “The Last Viking,” Thorseth completed several notable sailing expeditions, retracing the paths of both Leif Eriksson and Roald Amundsen. All the more incredible is that Thorseth set out on many of his famed journeys in replica Viking ships. Completing a 2-year trip around the world in “Saga Siglar,” a Viking merchant ship, in 1986 and a 6-month expedition from Norway to New York as part of the “Vinland Revisited” expedition sponsored in part by the Norwegian and Icelandic government in 1991. In fact, our own Viking magazine chronicled Thorseth’s journey on “Gaia,” a replica of the famous “Gokstad” ship, in the August and October 1991 issues. Thorseth also has the distinction of being the first Norwegian to reach the North Pole by land.

Despite setbacks from a serious horseback riding accident in 2000, Thorseth welcomes his newest adventures as a grandfather, hobby fisherman and golfer. He has also continued to produce films, including a recent NRK documentary with photographer and friend, Trygve Berge.

If you’d like to learn more about Ragnar Thorseth or the “Vinland Revisited” journey on “Gaia” visit http://www.gaia.no/crew/history.html. You can also reserve “Viking Voyage,” a VHS film chronicling the journey, from our media lending library by calling 800-945-8851.

Tubfrim Winner Announced!

As you may, Sons of Norway is an annual contributor to the Norwegian Tubfrim program, which raises money to help children. For the past 27 years, our members have been clipping canceled postage stamps and sending them to Tubfrim, who then turns around and sells them to dealers and collectors.

Originally the money went to assist children afflicted by tuberculosis. Today, however, the organization also works to improve the quality of life for children and youth living with a variety of handicaps. Sons of Norway members play an integral role in providing this much-needed assistance.

Here's some of fun facts about Sons of Norway's participation in Tubfrim:

•   From January 1, 2010 to January 31st 2011, Sons of Norway members contributed more than 4,000lbs (1,835 kilos)! That's nearly 2 TONS of postage stamps! 
• Sons of Norway's contribution equals nearly 50% of all stamps sent to Tubfrim in a given year!
•  Tubfrim has a Facebook page.
• Tubfrim is owned by the Norwegian Health Association (Nasjonalforeningen for folkehelsen).
  Today the profits are used to help handicapped children and youth in Norway, and to finance the efforts to eradicate tuberculosis.

While helping children is probably incentive enough for our members, Sons of Norway does something to thank those who participate by holding an annual drawing for a free plane ticket to Norway. For every pound of stamps collected, the member or lodge is entered into the drawing which is held every January.

This year’s winner was drawn during an installation ceremony held at the Sons of Norway Valhall lodge 6-025 in San Diego, California. I’m pleased to announce that the winner is Lollo Sievert, a member from Vegas Viking lodge 6-152! Congratulations, Lollo and have a great time in Norway!

If you’d like to participate in the Tubfrim contest and get the chance to win a free ticket to Norway, visit the Tubfrim page on the Sons of Norway website.

Divine Design

Viking readers already know that Oslo is a beautiful city. And the folks at Wallpaper magazine, a British journal of design and style, are in full agreement. They recently listed Oslo among five best cities worldwide in their 2011 Design Awards. They cited the city’s livability, natural beauty and great new architecture—including the newly reopened Holmenkollen ski jump, pictured here—as reasons for the recognition.

Want to learn more about the new Holmenkollen? Check out Stephen Regenold’s article, “Airborne Over Oslo,” in the current issue of Viking!

Amy Boxrud is editor of Viking magazine. She lives with her family in Northfield, Minn., where she’s a member of Nordmarka 1-585.

Image courtesy of Flickr user puzzled.

Genealogists: Have You Tried the Digitalarkivet?

Exciting news for genealogy researchers—I received an e-mail the other day from a colleague about the Norway’s National Archives. Apparently the NNA has created a free, online, searchable archive of census information dating back to 1910!

Admittedly I’m no genealogist, but after spending a little time playing around with the archive interface, I can see how it would be super-helpful to anyone researching family history in Norway. The website allows you to search by inputting as much or as little info as you have. Some of the standard search fields include name, gender, marital status, occupation, DOB and DOD. But, if you have more information, there are other fields you can add to the search, like assumed residence, habitual residence, ethnicity, language and year of emigration. Even cooler than that is that the search doesn’t stop when your ancestor left Norway—the digital archive also allows you to search by last known residence in America and occupation in America.

Also, the searchable archive allows you to narrow your search by geographic region or fylke. This would probably be helpful for people doing geological research who are unsure about the specific city or farm where their ancestors came from.

I know there's already lots of great tools our there for conducting genealogical research, but from what I hear there’s always room for more.  This reminds me, I’ll have to make sure this site gets added to the Genealogy Cultural Skills unit. If you aren’t familiar with it, its one of the many Cultural Skills units that Sons of Norway offers to members. Other units include rosemaling, hardanger embroidery, Norwegian language and folk dancing. If you’ve never taken the time to check them out, I highly recommend it!

Ok, that’s all for today, now go try out the digital archives and let me know if its helped you make any breakthroughs in your familial search!

This Winter, Too, Shall Pass

For those of us living in wintry places, January can be a long, cold month. Sometimes we need a reminder that this season, too, shall pass. Check out this video clip—you’ll enjoy seeing the changing seasons in an Oslo backyard.

Whether you like it or not, winter will be with us northerners for a while, so I recommend reading Colleen Friesen’s feature “Of Sled Dogs and Snow Crabs” in this month's issue of Viking. It’s a great reminder that winter—like the rest of the seasons—is better when you get out there and embrace it. Enjoy the rest of the winter, and remember: Spring is right around the corner!

Amy Boxrud is editor of Viking magazine. She lives with her family in Northfield, Minn., where she’s a member of Nordmarka 1-585.

Airborne Over Oslo

The Nordic World Ski Championships begin in just a few weeks in Oslo. The event, expected to attract a TV viewing audience of hundreds of millions around the globe, will give Norway the opportunity to showcase its newly redesigned Holmenkollen ski jump facilty, which reopened in March of 2010.

If you’d like to learn more about the new Holmenkollen ski facility or the Nordic Worlds, look for Stephen Regenold’s feature “Airborne Over Oslo,” in the upcoming February issue of Viking. In the meantime, to get you into the spirit of things, check out this ski jumping game that Stephen shared with me. It’s tricky! I’ve crashed every time, but maybe you’ll have better luck!

Amy Boxrud is editor of Viking magazine. She lives with her family in Northfield, Minn., where she’s a member of Nordmarka 1-585.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user aktivioslo.

Ice Music

If you are like those of us living in the Midwest, you’re probably suffering the pains of winter. You know the gusting winds, driving snowstorms and subzero temperatures? Well, one Norwegian is trying to make the best of this wintry mix by playing instruments made of ice.

That’s right, ice.

Norwegian musician, composer and percussionist Terje Isungset has been creating music for years but it wasn’t until he was commissioned to compose and play in a frozen waterfall during the 2000 Lillehammer Olympics that he first gained notoriety for creating music with ice. Then, in 2006, Isungset founded the world’s first ice music festival with instruments—harp, guitar, drums and fiddle, just to name a few—made from 600 year old glacial ice.

In talking about his musical adventures with ice, Isungset said:

“The instruments are made from top quality ice. It must be free of any air bubbles. The instruments are carved using saws and knives. So far these instruments have been created and recorded: Iceofon, Ice Harp, Ice Horn, Ice trumpet, Ice percussion, Ice bass drum carved from one block of ice. In addition, all stands, supports and tables are also made from ice. Only the bass drum pedal, fish line for suspension, and the strings on the Ice Harp are made from materials other than pure frozen water.”



This month, Isungset is bringing his talents to the Geilo Ice Music Festival. After that he plans to take his unique music on the road with an Ice Music Tour that will make stops in Germany, India, Australia, England and France with plans to visit the U.S. in 2012.

If you would like to learn more about Terje Isungset, the Geilo Ice Music Festival or the Ice Music tour, visit http://home.online.no/~isungz/, www.icefestival.no/en/ or www.icemusic.no.

Happy Founders Day!

Today marks the 116th anniversary of the Founding of Sons of Norway! Join Sons of Norway members around the globe in celebrating this awesome achievement! On behalf of everyone at the Sons of Norway HQ, I want to extend a heartfelt congratulations to all members and lodges everywhere on this momentous occasion.

In commemoration of the day, Sons of Norway members are encouraged to wear their membership pins, vests, or any other Sons of Norway clothing. So, if you see someone in your city wearing their pins of Norway regalia, be sure to congratulate them on the anniversary and ask about the lodge in your area!

If you'd like to learn more about Sons of Norway and its founding, visit the About Us section of sonsofnorway.com, or click here to read an earlier blog post about Sons of Norway's beginnings.

What To Do—and Not To Do—When Traveling in Norway

If you’re a Facebook friend of Visit Norway USA, you may already have seen the “Green Guide to Oslo” on Matador Network. If not, check it out for tips on eco-friendly choices in Norway’s capital city, including restaurants, shops, transportation and attractions.

Those planning a first trip to Norway might also find “What Not to Do in Norway,” an interesting read. While it represents just one writer’s opinion, it’s a good general reminder that getting off the tourist-worn path can sometimes result in big savings and richer, more authentic experiences. Both articles are written by Anne-Sophie Redisch, a travel writer based in Norway.

You'll find more travel tips and plenty of inspiration for your next Scandinavian sojourn in this month’s issue of Viking!

Amy Boxrud is editor of Viking magazine. She lives with her family in Northfield, Minn., where she’s a member of Nordmarka 1-585.

Flickr photo courtesy of Toby Simkin.

Founders Day

January 16th, 1895. In world news, France was wrapping up the first chapter of the Dreyfus affair and Russia was experiencing a revival of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. Otherwise it was just another Wednesday. However, far flung from these events in Minneapolis, MN, a small group of 18 Norwegian immigrants did something that would have an effect on our lives for the next century and beyond.

It was on that date Sons of Norway was founded.

Coming together out of a sense of fraternity and necessity for mutual protection, the founders based their fledgling group on the ideals of community assistance plans, which had been popular in areas of Norway. These plans required members to pay a small amount each week and in return receive free medical care for themselves and their families. The founders were proud of this new mutual assistance society and believed it reflected the moral principles of American fraternalism.

"Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson" was the name first selected for the new organization but it was soon rejected on the realistic grounds that the American people would find it quite impossible to pronounce. "Sønner av Norge" was the name settled upon and the formal inception with the 18 founders was completed on 16 January 1895.

The fledgling organization provided not only security against financial crises and a forum to celebrate their new nationalism, but it also served to preserve the many things Norwegian which were treasured by those who had left Norway: the literature, music and art which formed such a large part of their heritage.

Now, 116 years later, even though we’ve grown from 18 individuals to nearly 70,000 men, women and children, we’re still as dedicated to those same principles as we were in 1895.

So, with that, I want to encourage all our members reading this to celebrate Founders Day this Sunday, January! Wear your Sons of Norway pins, buttons, vests, jackets or hats all day, and when someone asks you what Sons of Norway is, show your pride and tell them all about the great things your lodge does in the community! Here at the HQ we’ll all be wearing our Sons of Norway member pins all week to commemorate the founding of our beloved organization!

If you or your lodge have any special plans for Founders Day, I’d love to hear all about it. Leave a comment below, tweet me at twitter.com/sonsofnorway or post something on the Sons of Norway facebook page!

More Light!

So here we find ourselves swimming in the depths of a cold, dark winter. A time for most of us who work 8-5 gigs of utter darkness. It's dark when we wake up, it's dark when we head in to work and it's dark when we go home. It's been said that this is the time of year that tests a man's soul and forces him to look within for light or else he must go without.

It's during this time of year that I am often reminded of a powerful monologue from the old TV show, Northern Exposure.

"Gothe's final words: More Light. Ever since we crawled out of that primordial slime that's been our unifying cry, more light. Sunlight, torchlight, candlelight, neon incandescent lights have banished the darkness from out caves, illuminated our roads, the insides of our refridgerators. Big floods for the night games at... Soldier's Field, little tiny flashlights for those books we read under the covers when we're supposed to be asleep. Light is more than watts and footcandles, light is a metaphor. "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet" "Rage! Rage against the dying of the light! "Lead kindly light amid the encircling gloom, lead thou me on. The night is dark and I am far from home, lead thou me on." "Arise shine for thy light has come!" Light is knowledge, light is life, light is light."

The short version is that right about now I think we all could use a little more light. To that end, I want to share a beautiful video of a sunrise over Norway with you in hopes that it will brighten your day a little bit. The video was first found by Viking Editor, Amy Boxrud and used for a blog post in 2010, but I think its ok in this case to recycle a little content--especially if it's for the good of our collective psyche. Enjoy!



Cineflex - Norwegian sunrise from Fuglefjellet on Vimeo.

More Reasons to Visit Norway

If you've picked up this month's issue of Viking, you know there are some great reasons to visit Norway. But don't take our word for it. CNN.com recently named Norway among nine top travel destinations for 2011. In addition, the travel blog Wild Junket named Spitsbergen, on the Norwegian island of Svalbard, as one of the Europe's top five adventure destinations.

Nellie Huang of Wild Junket says: "For hard-core adventurers, head to Spitsbergen, located just some 900 km south of the North Pole. The exhilaration of sighting polar bear as they roam the ice in search of food, watching the playful activities of grey seals or observing a group of walrus are just some of the highlights of the area."

Intrigued? For more inspiration, check out the current issue of Viking. Canadian travel writer Colleen Friesen's feature, "Of Sled Dogs and King Crabs," will convince you to get off out of your comfort zone and experience winter in Norway's Arctic regions.

Need some help to get your planning underway? Viking writer Fran Howard interviewed Scandinavian travel guru Linda McCormick of Borton Overseas for her article, "Next Stop: Scandinavia." Check it out to discover Linda's top five Nordic destinations in addition to expert advice and insider's tips.

Amy Boxrud is editor of Viking magazine. She lives with her family in Northfield, Minn., where she’s a member of Nordmarka 1-585.

Photo courtesy of Flikr user Nancy Carels.

At the Movies

If you've had a chance to read the January issue of Viking magazine, you probably saw that the Nordic Lights Film Festival is happening this weekend, featuring films from throughout Scandinavia. The two that are especially intriguing to me are Troubled Water, a Norwegian film and Iceland's Future of Hope.

Below are the trailer's for both films:

Troubled Water



Future of Hope


In addition, there's a curious film that's making its way around some of the other film festivals, called The Troll Hunter, which appears to be in the same genre as the Blair Witch Project, in that it portrays a fictional documentary about, you guessed it, troll hunting.


If you've seen any of these films, I'd love to hear a review! Share your thoughts and comments below.