CoScan Magazine 2015/2 The Magazine for the Confederation of Scandinavian Societies Published twice yearly (June & December) Confederation of Scandinavian Societies of Great Britain and Ireland Contents: CoScan, News and Societies 1 Chairman’s message 2 Cand theol Anna Sophie Strandli: Vice President Peter Wright 3 Peter Addyman awarded prestigious medal 3 Changes to the Editorial Board 4 Reprieve for Danish church in Hull 5 Honour for President of ONFA 6 The Anglo-Swedish Society gala opening: Alexander Malmaeus 7 Finn Guild, background history: Arna Davis 10 First Finnish Bake Off: Anna Brear 12 Stockholm choir for Lucia in York Minster Language and culture 13 Anglo-Scandinavian culture at St Gregory’s: S. A. J. Bradley 16 Viking Navigation part 2: Anthony W. Robards 19 Ingrid Bergman: Brita Green 22 Sauna, a part of the Finnish psyche: Helena Halme 24 From the bookshelf 27 Anna Sophie’s kitchen: Anna Sophie Strandli Travel award reports 28 Internship in Aarhus: Beatrice Carrigan-Maile 29 A month exploring Superkilen: Annelise Andersen 31 Hammerfest: Medicine at 70° North: Emma Hirons 35 Polar bears and glaciers: Alistair Walker Contact details 38 Member Societies 2015 39 Executive Committee 40 CoScan Trust Fund, Editorial Board Back inside cover: CoScan Patrons Front cover: Northern Lights at Tromsø, courtesy of ScanAdventures & FG Travel, www.scanadventures.co.uk Chairman’s message Our next conference is soon coming Eva Robards up: 22-25 April 2016 in Aarhus in Mission completed: our website Jutland, Denmark. www.coscan.org.uk has now been Information about reconstructed and gone live! This it has gone out to was a lot later than we had envisaged, member societies but I can assure you that everybody and individual members, and can be involved has put in seriously found on our website. The Executive dedicated work to get it off the ground, Committee of CoScan and members in particular Tony Bray. We now of SKOL (Scandinavian Klubb of hope that you will find the website Lincolnshire) have collaborated valuable for finding information and on finding the best possible for marketing yourselves. It will, accommodation and programme for however, only be useful with your the stay. If you haven’t yet signed up help to make it so – therefore please (deadline is actually passed by now) feed us, mainly via Louise Sørensen you may be able to secure a place if you ([email protected]), with your talk sweetly to our Treasurer Manja views, programmes etc. Ronne (contact details at the back of In the process of developing the the Magazine) – but don’t delay this! new website, we have also updated Aarhus is preparing itself for being the CoScan logo. Here we are out on the European Capital of Culture thin ice as logos evoke emotions. Not in 2017. Among Aarhus treasures even within the Executive Committee are the Moesgaard Museum with could we all agree on a single one of Grauballemanden (the bog man dating the designs on offer, provided by a from the late 3rd century BC, who was design agency. After some reasoning so well preserved that his fingerprints it was agreed to maintain a Viking could be taken), the magnificent ship as the icon, since it is an easily Aarhus Cathedral, a Viking museum recognisable symbol for ‘our’ part of with interactive exhibits (close to our the world. Further, the ship should hotel), the art museum ARoS Aarhus travel in the right direction and not Kunstmuseum, and restaurants such as be a complicated (‘busy’) image. Nordisk Spisehus (a luxurious gourmet The design with the most votes is restaurant with exquisite Nordic now being used, but can be changed dishes). You may well need more than if somebody would come up with a the three days for Aarhus. Looking superior proposal. forward to seeing you there! 1 News Cand. theol. Anna Sophie Strandli by Peter Wright Vice President, O.B.E. J.P. Anna Sophie Strandli Photo: Helena Schmidt CoScan owes a great deal to Anna was greatly appreciated by the large Sophie for the ten intensely creative congregation. – the peace and dignity years she spent as the Editor of the reached all. There is no doubt that Anna CoScan Magazine. Now I have further Sophie has found her true vocation. news for you! She graduated this spring at the On our summer visit to Norway University of Oslo as Candidata where my wife Kari and I always have Theologiae (cand. theol.); the degree the pleasure to spend two months, we is both professional and academic and went to church on a Sunday in July. There required years of dedicated study. we had the magnificent experience of I am very proud to see our former observing our great friend Anna Sophie Editor and member of the Executive conducting the Service in her new role Committee in this new role and we as a Minister. It was conducted with must all wish her every success in the great style, warmth and clarity, and future. 2 News Peter Addyman awarded prestigious medal Dr Peter Addyman receives the British Academy President's Award Photo: The British Academy from Professor Lord Nicholas Stern (left) It gives us great pleasure to announce that Professor Nicholas Stern (Lord Stern of Dr Peter V Addyman CBE, a member Brentford). of our Editorial Board, was presented Peter was awarded the President’s with the prestigious President’s Medal Medal for his significant efforts in of the British Academy at a ceremony making archaeology and historic in London on 29 September 2015 by heritage publicly accessible. the current President of the Academy, Changes to the Editorial Board Due to other commitments, Iain for some years attached to the Centre Robertson has decided to step down for Grundtvig Studies, University of from the Editorial Board. We thank him Aarhus, Denmark. He has published for his dedicated work over a number numerous articles on Grundtvig and the of years. book N.F.S. Grundtvig: A Life Recalled. Professor Sid Bradley, Emeritus He has also written on Anglo-Saxon Professor of Anglo-Saxon, University literature, the Danish Mandeville, of York, has joined us on the Board. English medieval art and literature, and We welcome him warmly. Sid was 18th-century bawdy songs. 3 News Reprieve for Danish Church in Hull The Danish Seamen’s Church in Hull, has now undertaken to pay the salaries Skt Nicolaj, is the only Seamen’s of a Danish pastor and a housekeeper Church in the UK providing valuable for two more years: 2017 and 2018. pastoral, cultural and emergency However, the rates of pay will be support to Danish ships and their crew substantially lower than hitherto. In coming to UK ports. It also serves the spring of 2016, the position of as a religious and cultural centre for seaman’s pastor will be discontinued, all Scandinavians in the northeast of and after that it is expected that a England. retired Danish pastor will be employed As many of us have been aware for by the church. some time, its future is in jeopardy. At the end of 2018 the position The governing body of the Danish will be reviewed. It would be a Church Abroad (Danske Sømands- og huge loss to us all if Skt Nicolaj Udlandskirker: DSUK) decided to were to close in our time. Continued withdraw its funding due to the low support is therefore essential. membership figure, but largely thanks (Email [email protected] for more to a campaign to increase this, DSUK details). 4 Societies Orkney Norwegian Friendship Association/ONFA Honour for President Connie Grieve, Honorary President of both individually and with groups such ONFA, has been decorated by the King as choirs and other musicians, history of Norway for her work over many years societies and school classes. She has in strengthening links between Orkney travelled widely in Norway and has and Norway. used her contacts and friendships to The Medal of St Olav was presented introduce hundreds of Orcadians to by Eva M Vincent, Minister Counsellor Norway and vice versa. Norwegian at the Norwegian Embassy in London, students, yachtsmen, archaeologists at a ceremony at the Pier Arts Centre in and authors among others have been Stromness. welcomed to the home of Connie and One of the founding members of her husband Alan, and have received ONFA in 1978, Connie has served in a wide range of help, information, different capacities over the years: introductions to folklore and, above all, principally as the person responsible for hospitality. liaison between Orkney and Norway, She has also been a first-class and dedicated teacher of the Norwegian language, encouraging pupils to learn about the culture, music and literature of Norway, and she is still giving language classes. She has organised singing sessions and taught Norwegian carols as well as songs for 17 May. She is also encouraging many young people to form friendships across the North Sea to ensure that these bonds will continue into the future. From the website of the Royal Norwegian Embassy in London (edited). Eva Vincent (left) and Connie Grieve Photo: Antonis Marinis 5 Societies The Anglo-Swedish Society Gala opening of Abolition of Slavery Conference by Alexander Malmaeus, Chairman of the Anglo-Swedish Society The Anglo-Swedish Society was proud and was invited to speak before the to host the opening night of the 2015 House of Commons three times. New International Carl Bernhard Wadström research about his life and work formed Conference for Human Rights and the the starting point of a conference which Abolition of Slavery at the Mansion covered topics stretching to the present House in the City of London.