Norwegian Resistance in WWII: Invasion and the Birth of the Resistance Movement

The starting date of the war is generally held to be September 1939 with the German invasion of Poland and subsequent declarations of war on Germany by the United Kingdom, France and the British Dominions. From that point until early April, 1940, Norwegians regularly gathered in churches, on street corners and around their radios, discussing Nazi Germany's aggressions and the ambitions of their leader, Adolf Hitler.

Then, on April 9th, 1940, life would change for all Norwegians with the launch of Operation Weserübung, the invasion of their homeland by the Nazi's. The country was taken entirely by surprise and it was a time of chaos for many Norwegians. Consistent with Germany's Blitzkrieg doctrine, five divisions of Nazis invaded at once, Quisling was on the radio declaring himself Prime Minister and ordering all resistance to halt at once and the Norwegian military was left in a state of initial disarray due unclear mobilization orders from the government. The whole of the country was in a state of psychological shock from the Nazi invasion.

But, even in these darkest of times there was still a glimmer of light. With a speed and urgency to match Germany's Blitzkrieg tactics, Norway endeavored its own resistance movement. Greatly outnumbered and with few physical resources at hand, many Norwegian citizens banded together to do everything they could to protect their homes, their families and their cherished way of life. Check back all next week to read posts about Norway's resistance movement during World War II and some first-hand accounts from our members.

The History of Sons of Norway's Logo

Today we bring you the first blog entry from Sons of Norway's very own Cultural Advisor (Kulturrådgjevar), Colin Thomsen. In this installment Colin answers a question we get from a lot of our members regarding the history of the Sons of Norway logo. It's a very interesting topic, and we hope you enjoy it.

Sons of Norway Headquarters frequently gets questions about the Sons of Norway shield – that familiar symbol found throughout the organization on everything from stickers and patches to letterhead and websites. So we did some research, looking at history books and old copies of the Viking and here’s what we’ve found.

In 1901 Sons of Norway’s board of directors voted to approve an emblem to represent the fast-growing organization. This logo consisted of a rotund tri-color shield that looked a little like a sheriff’s badge. In the top red stripe there was a symbol representing the midnight sun, while the bottom blue stripe contained the North Star. The center white stripe was reserved for the abbreviation “S. af N.” for “Sønner af Norge” as the organization was then known.

That shield remained in use until a 1922 committee selected a new design. The new emblem, created by Martin J Grindheim (then-president of Nordkap 1-008) in many ways resembles the current one; a narrow shield with a Viking ship, and the North Star. However the Viking ship was shown from a side view and the North Star was found at the bottom of the shield, where it had been in the pervious design. Other differences include the letters “FBF” (Frihed, Broderkjærlighed, Fremskritt – Freedom, Brotherly Love, and Progress, in the Norwegian of the time) over the ship and an American eagle perched over the top of the shield.

Other versions of the shield emblem were used on documents and regalia over the years. Member Peter Gandrud (1-500) of Bemidji sent us in some photos of regalia from the now defunct Solvang lodge of Sunburg, Minnesota, to which his grandfather belonged in the 1910s. Peter’s photos show an excellent example of a version of the logo that was typical for regalia of the time.

As early as 1914, pressure had been building to include Canadian symbolism in the shield, and in 1929 another revised version of the logo was presented. The 1929 emblem was a circle, containing a shield with a forward-facing Viking ship with the midnight sun behind it. Above the shield a banner appeared, with the initials “SN” separated by a star. On the left of the shield is an American eagle; on the right, the Canadian maple leaf.

This symbol was used in the masthead of the organization’s monthly magazine until 1955. In the late 40s and early 50s simplified versions of the 1929 logo began appearing in the magazine, on songbooks and other places. Although there were many different variations on the idea, most of them dropped the eagle and maple leaf and integrated the “S*N” into the top of the shield. It seems that this version, resembling the current shield, became more popular through the 50s and was in widespread use by the time Headquarters was built in 1962.

However, our research so far has been unable to determine exactly who designed the current shield or when it was officially adopted. If anyone has any information about the origin of the modern Sons of Norway shield, we would be delighted to see it.

World War II Quiz

Since we'll be running the series on the Norwegian Resistance Movement during WWII, I've put together a short quiz for all you history buffs! I'll post the correct answers next Wednesday, so you can see how you did. Enjoy!

Norwegian Resistance in WWII

The October issue of Viking magazine ought to be arriving in members home's this week and I can promise it's going to be a great issue! The feature I'm most excited about deals with members stories and experiences with Norwegian Resistance Movement during the World War II Nazi occupation.

When we reached out to our members a few months ago, asking for their stories, we had no idea there would be so many. In fact, we received more responses than there was room for in the magazine! So, for the next week or so the blog is going to be running a multi-part series retelling members' stories about resistance movement and their WWII experiences. We'll have posts about what happened during and after the German invasion and providing other interesting bits of information about Norway's struggle for independence from the Nazis.

We hope you'll enjoy the series. If you have stories of your own about Norway during WWII or the Resistance Movement, let us know about it because we'd love to hear your story. You can either post your story in the comments section below any of these posts, or you can e-mail them to me at sonsofnorway@sofn.com and I'll be happy to post them.

Getting to Know…International President Dan Rude

Over the next couple of weeks our Membership Coordinator, Nichole Neuman, will be running a series called "Getting to Know..." that will profile some of our International Board members and give you, the reader, a chance to get to know them a little better. So, this week we are starting at the top with a short interview/profile that Nichole did with our new International President Dan Rude.

Dan is a very familiar face around Sons of Norway. He's been an active member since 1972 and most recently served as International Vice President, adding to the long list of International, District and Lodge (Normanden 4-424 in Missoula, MT) offices he's held over the years. You may already know of Dan's passion for youth programming (he even calls the Fraternal Staff his “kids”) and his co-authoring of the Barnsas Norsk Klubb, but what else motivates Dan’s commitment to Sons of Norway? Read on for a short interview and get to know your new President!

Q: Favorite Norwegian Delicacy?

A: Torsk (cod)

Q: Favorite Norwegian Cookie?

A: Jordelbakkels

Q: Ever been to Norway? What were some highlights?

A: Five times – one of them was visiting the church where my grandmother was confirmed. It was also a highlight to visit the exchange students and spend time with them and their families. I also co-chaired a square dance event, which was fun.

Oh! And sitting in the King’s chair in Parliament--though maybe I wasn’t supposed to do that... and I spoke from the podium (Does that make Dan the “king” of Sons of Norway?)

Q: What cultural skills do you practice?

A: I have all three bars for folk dancing and the mentor for that, too, and two bars for stamp collecting and one reading bar.

Q: How get involved with / learn folk dancing?

A: I’ve been instructing for over 30 years, but I went to watch a folk dance and was invited by a young couple to participate and we’ve been folk dancing ever since.

Q: What is the best part of being president?

A: Being invited to be part of all the celebrations and 100^th anniversaries and going to go to the FBCs’ vacation. (I hear he’s taking me…) The fun part is working with the people at home office and my board and getting to meet all our members. The people make it.

Q: What are some goals? / Why did you want to be president?

A: I want to see us increase our membership and participation and see what we can do to stop the voluntary leaving. I’d really like to get out and visit the different districts. It’s really quite interesting to see how the different districts handle their business. I don’t think a lot of districts take advantage of the cultural skill programming. I’d like to see more of the districts participate. As well, I’d encourage more districts to get involved with family and cultural camps.

Q: What is your favorite activity from the Barnas Norsk Klubb?

A: The Barneløpet and our Halloween Party

Dan sure has come a long way since he first joined for the travel programs 36 years ago! Over the years he's become a strong leader and a great supporter of fraternal programming. We congratulate Dan, again, on his election to the office of International President and we at the Headquarters look forward to working with him over the next two years.

Be sure to stay tuned for more profiles of your new International Board! Nichole will be back next Wednesday with another update.

Monday

Just a couple more days until Colin and Nichole are ready to debut their first blog posts. But until then, we're going to have a little trivia contest. Here's how it goes:

In preparation for next week's series on member stories about the Norwegian resistance movement during World War II, we've put together a 5 question quiz about Norway during its occupation. You can take the quiz here and then make sure to check back on Friday to see the correct answers!

Have a great Monday everyone!

What's next for the Sons of Norway blog?

The weekend is almost here, but before we all check out for a couple days of well deserved relaxation, I wanted to share some exciting pieces of news regarding the Sons of Norway blog.

First, beginning next week, the Sons of Norway blog will be welcoming two new contributors! Headquarters staff members Colin Thomsen and Nichole Neuman will enter the blogosphere with regular posts on a number of topics ranging from Norwegian culture and heritage to answers to common questions we get from the public and members.

In fact, I believe Colin is already working on something we get a lot of questions about. Our logo. Its changed little over the past century and we get a lot of questions about the meaning and symbolism behind it. So, next week make sure and check back to read all about it. From what I have seen already, the story of our logo is actually quite interesting. Personally, I'm really looking forward to reading it and I can't wait to share it with all of you.

The other exciting news is relates to the October issue of Viking magazine, which should be arriving in homes during the week of 9/22. In it, there will be a feature on members' experiences with and in the Norwegian Resistance Movement during WWII. It's sure to be a great article, because we had such a large response from members with stories about their experiences. In fact the response was so overwhelming there wasn't enough room for all of them in the magazine, so the blog will be running a series of member stories in tandem with the release of the October Viking magazine! Make sure to check them out. I've already read a few and they are great!

Well, that's it for now-I'm off to the first-ever Draxten Lodge golf outing. We'll have some new posts up on Monday so be sure to check back then. Until then, have a great weekend!

Want to learn about rosemaling?

Remember my post from a few days ago about Hannah Graves? Well, I'm not the only one singing her praises. There's a great article here about her latest accomplishment. You see, after nearly three years of efforts, she has become the youngest person in the United States to earn a Sons of Norway master’s pin in cultural skills. That's no easy task, so let's all give a hearty congratulations to Ms. Graves!

For those of you who are unfamiliar with our Cultural Skills Program, it's a fun, educational program designed to encourage active participation in traditional and contemporary Norwegian pursuits. With 14 areas of study to choose from, ranging from rosemaling to chip carving to folk dancing, there's definitely something for everyone. In each of the 14 categories, there are three different levels that can be attained. Also, there are four different tracks participants can follow:

• Specialist: One who wishes to go in depth in one area, e.g. Hardanger embroidery or genealogy, etc.
  
  
• Generalist: One who samples several skills and qualify for the basic level in each, for example: stamp collecting, crafts, and Norwegian foods.
  
  
• Mentor: One who is skilled in activities offered in the Norwegian Cultural Skills Program can do a different challenge: mentor others who need formal or informal instruction. The mentor is an extremely important person in passing on the Norwegian heritage to others.
  
  
• Master of Cultural Skills: One who has completed at least three levels of three different skills, or nine individual basic activities.

It's a great program that can be done alone, or easily adapted into a group activity. If you'd like to learn more about the Sons of Norway Cultural Skills Program, there's two ways to do so. You can either contact send an e-mail to ljonsen@sofn.com or call us at (800) 945-8851.

Th!nk: How Will it Fare Outside Norway?

Recently Aftenposten reported that "sales of new cars in the Oslo region have fallen by 5 percent during the last year. In contrast, sales of environmentally friendly cars...have risen by 74 percent in the same period." Norway and Norwegian based businesses have long been on the cutting edge of environmentalism, leading by example in environmental conservation and protection. Now, Norwegian-based Th!nk is looking to take its show on the road.

According to a Wired report, Th!nk is will bring its "Think City" model to the United States beginning in early 2009. The battery-powered Think City has a range of up to 110 miles on a single charge, with a top speed of about 65 mph, and is slated to be priced under $25,000. For the city-dwelling, eco-conscious, yet practical comsumer this could be a huge step towards independence from fossil fuels.

However, historically, U.S. consumers have been slower to warm up to cars like the Th!nk. It's a small car, which only accomodates two people, has limited range and right now there's no infrastructure to support re-charging the vehicle anywhere but at home.

These are all big changes that would take any group of people a lot of time to adjust to, if ever. Personally, when I look at it, I think it would be kind of cool--in fact my in-laws are already talking about buying one. The thing is, here in Minnesota we get pretty extreme weather all year-round and I wonder if the Th!nk is up to the task of forging through the deep snow and slick ice we get everywhere-even in the big cities?

The same could be said for a lot of North American cities, so I pose the question to you: Do you think that the "Th!nk City" will be a successful venture, here in the U.S.? You can either comment below, or vote in the poll over on the right side. I'll post the results next Monday. In the meantime, please discuss.

Some Light Reading

We're almost wrapped up with posts about this year's International Convention--there may be another post or two about it early next week. However, in the meantime I've found some interesting blogs that you might like to read over the weekend.

First up there is My Little Norway, a blog written by L-Jay, Moose and Lilu, a family living in Norway. I think it's a great blog because it's for those who love going beyond 'tourist' and discovering the real people, places, food, and culture of Norway!

Next, take a look at An American in Oslo, which is written by Patrick, an IT worker in Oslo. But don't let his profession foll you into thinking the blog is all about computer stuff. Nope, this blog talks about the good and bad things that come with living in Oslo.

Last, but not least is RennyBA's Terella, a blog about Norway and the Nordic countries; the significant four seasons, our culture, traditions, habits and sometimes some Scandinavian food.

Please remember, before you read these blogs that the opinions and statements made within them are not necessarily those of Sons of Norway. We just thought you'd like to read more about Norway or from others in Norway.

Have a great weekend everyone! We'll be back with new posts on Monday afternoon!

International Folk Art Exhibition & Competition

This year's International Folk Art Exhibition & Competition was a great event, with many beautiful entries. I had the opportunity to spend some time in the exhibition room, checking out all the great pieces of folk art and I never cease to be amazed at the talent of Sons of Norway members. The time, effort and talent that goes into many of the folk art pieces is truly inspiring (and makes me wish I wasn't devoid of artistic talent). When you look at the various entries, you can see the love of heritage pouring out from every rosemaled, woven and carved piece.

With that, it's time to congratulate District 2's own Hannah Graves for winning the Best in Show Award! Hannah's 4-inch-wide card-woven Telemark belt was chosen by the folk art judges to be the best entry in any category. Congratulations, Hannah, on your fine work and your commitment to keeping traditional Norwegian art alive!

Outstanding Service Award Presented to Ralph Peterson

Last Friday, during the convention, International President, Ted Fosberg, presented the first Sons of Norway Outstanding Service Award to District 3 President, Ralph Peterson. The award was established to recognize a member who has shown dedication and exceptional service to Sons of Norway. The recipient is selected by the International President and will be presented at each International Convention.

International President Ted Fosberg presents the Outstanding Service Award to D3 President Ralph Peterson

The award, presented to Ralph for his tireless work in Distric 3, setting up new lodges and helping increase the district's membership, was a new addition to this year's convention and will become a biennial award given at every International Convention to come. Also, with the award comes a check for $2,000, which is to be spent on a Sons of Norway activity, program or event of Ralph's choosing.

Ralph Peterson is awarded a $2,000 check to be put towards the Sons of Norway activity, program or event of his choosing.

We at the Sons of Norway Headquarters congratulate Ralph on his accomplishments and thank him for all his work. This really is proof that there's no limit to what a single member can do if they put their mind to it.

Election Results: Sons of Norway Board of Directors

One of the most exciting and important parts of any International Convention is the election of officers to the Sons of Norway International Board of Directors. This is one of the things that many delegates and staff members look forward too with great anticipation because the people elected will be the ones who help chart the course of Sons of Norway for the next two years. These officers will work with lodges and members, at all levels, to take Sons of Norway into the future and ensure its viability and relevance today, tomorrow and in the years to come.

So, with that, I humbly present to you the 2008-2010 Sons of Norway International Board of Directors!

L to R: Back Row Ernst Granley (D8); Bill Fosmoe (D2); Sherrill Swenson (D6); Erik Brochmann (D7); Middle Row Jostein Bakken (D5); Elaine Nelson (D4); Barbara Berntsen (D3); Jon Tehven (D1); Front Row Marit Kristiansen (International Vice President); Dan Rude (International President); Audun Gythfeldt (International Secretary); Gene Brandvold (International Treasurer)

The newly elected officers for the 2008-2010 biennium are as follows:
Dan Rude-International President
Marit Kristiansen-International Vice President
Audun Gythfeldt-International Secretary
Jon Tehven-International Director (D1)
Barbara Berntsen-International Director (D3)

Reelected officers for the 2008-2010 biennium are as follows:
Gene Brandvold-International Treasurer
Bill Fosmoe-International Director (D2)
Elaine Nelson-International Director (D4)

We Have a New President!

On Saturday the delegates voted and elected a new Sons of Norway International President! It is with great pleasure that I can announce the Sons of Norway International President for the 2008-2010 biennium is Dan Rude!

New International President, Dan Rude

Past International President, Ted Fosberg, passing the gavel to new International President Dan Rude.

Please join me in congratulating Dan on his great accomplishment! I'm sure I speak for everyone at the Sons of Norway Headquarters when I say that we look forward to working together towards a bright future for our beloved organization!

Sons of Norway Unveils New Mission Statement

As many of you may know, one of the hotly debated issues at this year's International Convention was our Mission Statement. In fact, there were two separate resolutions this year that hoped to adjust the mission statement. Proponents of both resolutions felt that the current mission statement was not in line with our current members backgrounds and that it was too exclusive. The proponents felt that because many of our lodges are located in areas with a large Nordic community we needed to be more inclusive in our mission.

After much debate on both resolutions, the end result was a hybrid compromise that the delegates felt better represented our members and the work we do. So, without further adieu, the new Sons of Norway Mission Statement is:

The mission of Sons of Norway is to promote and to preserve the heritage and culture of Norway, to celebrate our relationship with other Nordic Countries, and provide quality insurance and financial products to our members.