Gail Martinsen, Cultural Director

Norse God – Forseti

Forseti is the Norse god of justice. His parents were the god of Light, and his wife . is Forseti’s home, it means shining and it has pillars of gold and silver ceilings. The bright light from Forseti’s home can be seen from miles away! Forseti is a skilled mediator, everyone who comes before his court receives reconciliation. Those who came before him with their problems went away satisfied. Seamen worshiped him. On an island between Denmark and Frisia, there was once a shrine to Forseti at the island’s spring. The island is named Fosite Island after Forseti. Forseti was one of the youngest Norse gods and the son of one of the most famous murder victims in . But, not like the other Norse gods Forseti didn’t seek revenge. He believed in fair mediation in spite of his loss. He believed that crimes were complex and had many problematic layers. They needed humane solutions through laws rather than revenge. Today, he would be a wonderful answer to help us seek peace and justice! His symbol is the axe.

“Forseti Seated in Judgment” by Carl Emil Doepler (1881)

Have a wonderful April & hopefully great

spring weather! Gail

Iceland’s Black Sand Beach An Icelandic legend tells of a husband discovering 2 trolls took his wife and froze her during the night. He made the 2 trolls promise never ever to kill anyone else! She was the love of his life and he found a home for her free spirit with the trolls, rocks and sea at Reynisfjara. Vik (Vik I Mýrdal) is the warmest place in all of Iceland with an annual temperature of 41.5 degrees. It has cold but not severe winters and short cool summers. Vik’s winters are among the warmest in all of Iceland with an average of 39 degrees. It lies on the windward side of the Gulfstream and is, also, the wettest town on Iceland’s coast with an annual rainfall of about 89 inches (3 times more than Rekykjavik). Rain on the glaciers near Vik can be up to 160 inches high which would be at least 160 feet of snow on the high altitudes. Vik is located in the southernmost part of Iceland about 110 miles southeast of Rekykjavik. Even though it is small (a population of 318, as of 2016) it is the largest settlement. Their black sand beach was noted as one of the 10 most beautiful beaches in the world!! The sand is black basalt and is one of Iceland’s wettest places. Many seabirds, including mostly puffins are found on the cliffs west of the beach. During nesting season the puffins burrow in the beach’s shallow soil. Stacks of basalt rock are found off shore, plus, remnants of an extensive cliff line named Reynisfjall, which had been battered by the waves. Between here and the Antarctica there is no land so the Atlantic Ocean can attack full force. Icelandic folklore says the Atlantic waves are former trolls who tried to drag their boats out to the sea and were caught by the rising sun. The sea around the beach is wild and stormy, so, visitors to the beach aren’t surprised to find a monument in the memory of drowned sailors on the Black Sand Beach.

“Spring Remains” by Mons Kallentoft Spring is arriving in Linköping, Sweden after a cold winter, but, Detective Inspector Malin Fors can’t enjoy the beautiful weather after her mother’s unexpected death in Spain. Just as she is returning home from her mother’s funeral a huge explosion takes place in the Linköping town square. Two young girls were killed and their mother is fighting for her life in the local hospital. The whole town is scared to death after the tragedy! In the meantime, Malin has to find the evil killer and deal with her own family’s problems! The city is in the dark due to this unknown killer and she might be the only one who can find the killer and protect the city’s people!

Mons Kallentoft – April 15, 1968 Mons Kallentoft is one of Sweden’s best authors of Scandinavian Crime Novels. He has won one of Sweden’s highest literary prizes, the Kutapultpriset. It is the Swedish Writers’ Association’s Award for Best Debut Novel 2000. Mons was raised in a working class home in Ljungsbro outside of Linköping. He spent most of his youth playing football and ice hockey. Books were very rare in his home. But, at 14 years old due to a severe sports injury Mons was bedridden and he discovered authors, Kafka, Orwell and Earnest Hemingway. After graduating from school, he tried advertising, journalism and the shady side of Madrid. Mons wrote a few novels, travelogues and food reviews. But, he finally decided to try a Scandinavian Crime Novel and found success! Today, his crime novels can be found in 28 different languages. All his crime novels are full of suspense!

Vikings in Ireland

A sculpture of Máel Seachnaill in A burial place @ Church of King Magnus Bareleg Trim, Co. Meath by James St. Patrick in Down on Horse McKenna Island of King Magnus Bareleg The first recorded attack on Ireland was in 795 AD with an attack on Raithlin Island’s monastery. Ireland hadn’t been attacked by any adversaries for over 8 centuries prior to the Viking’s landing. The Vikings only made 1 or 2 attacks a year in Ireland for the next 30 to 40 years. In 811 the Irish killed the Vikings trying to raid Ulster. But, the Vikings returned in 823 and pillaged Bangor. In the beginning the Vikings settled only about 20 miles from Ireland’s coastline attacking the monasteries. In 840 AD they made some permanent settlements at Lough Neah. After that they settled in Dublin, Cork and Waterford in 841 AD. The Danish Vikings joined the Norse Vikings from 849 to 852. The Norse Vikings named the Danes the ‘fair foreigners” and battled them in the Irish Sea and Strangford Lough. From 860 to 892 AD Irish kings and their men in Waterford, Limerick, Wexford and St. Mullins slaughtered Vikings. During the next 10 years the Vikings attacked the rest of Europe, not returning to Ireland until 914 AD with a much larger force including Vikings from Britain! In 924 AD over 32 Viking ships came to Lough Foyle and Lough Eine and set up their fleets again enslaving Ireland with their power. The Irish monasteries didn’t have proper defenses from the attacks by the Vikings, so, they started to construct round towers built with stone. The towers were found to be strong in defense since they only had 1 entrance and were at least 10 feet up, so, you needed a ladder to enter. You can still find the towers throughout Ireland’s countryside today. The Irish fought the Vikings over the years and in 1002, Brian Boru slaughtered the Vikings in Dublin and became the High King. One of the reasons the Vikings failed was because they became involved in Ireland’s affairs and joined forces with the clan of Leciester to try to defeat Brian Boru. They asked for forces from all over the Viking kingdom. On Good Friday 1014 the Vikings were driven back to their ships (even though Brian Boru had been killed) and many Vikings were slaughtered on the Coast of Clontart. That is where the Vikings lost power in Ireland forever. But, the Vikings helped the Irish with technology in building warships, weapons and battle tactics. Of course, many Irish cities and towns were named and built by the Vikings, such as Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Wexford and Waterford. There are all together about 21 cities or towns with Viking names in Ireland.

Norwegian Goats Goats & sheep were some of the earliest animals in domestication. The goats have been found in many archaeological sites, especially in western Asia. The Norwegian goat can be found all over Norway. They are raised for milk, cheese and meat. Norway has 2 primary breeds of goats, the norsk melkegeit (Norwegian milk goat) and kystgeit (coastal goat). But, also, you can find small herds of cashmere goats, angora goats and boer goats. The Norwegian goat husbandry affected a socio-economic impact in Norway from the earliest times to today. Goats have been traced in Norway to 5,000 years ago! History shows that back then there was a nomadic life which included hunting, fishing and cattle breeding. When they started to live in permanent settlements the moor areas along the Atlantic coast were the most populated. They cleared land, burnt heather and developed land for the cattle and goats to graze. Norway’s written records go back only to 800 to 1,000 years A.D. In these records it is found Norway was the least fertile country in Europe! So, the Norwegians raised the cattle, sheep and goats in wilderness and used the wool from their animals to make their clothing. Of course, wool from sheep was treasured! For centuries from before 930 to about 1163 woolen goods named frieze formed the most stable currency in Norway! Also, the wool from Norwegian short tailed sheep was the most popular for making sails for the ships. The Viking King Olav Trygvasson was sold when he was 3 years old for a goat in Estonia! A fine billy goat coat was valued at the same as ½ a cowhide in the 16th and 17th centuries and goat tallow was almost as valuable as butter! It was written in 1762 by a Norwegian naturalist that a productive goat could give as much milk as a “bad” cow. The human, goat and sheep populations all tripled from 1700 to 1850 causing pressure on natural resources which made living conditions worse for all 3. During this period the goats were herded by children during the daytime and guarded by adults and dogs in movable corrals in the evenings. The corrals were moved every day which helped to fertilize the hayfields and the mountain pastures. The Professional Sheep & Goat Industry in Norway didn’t speed up until Norway’s final liberation from Sweden in 1905. Scientific research, literature and registration grew until WWII. WWII put a 5 year stop to the efforts. The Norwegian Association of Sheep & Goat Breeders was founded in 1947.

Erik Andreas Rotheim Birth – 9/19/1898 Death – 9/18/1938 Erik Andreas Rotheim was born in Kristiana on September 19, 1898. He earned his degree in chemical engineering in a school in Switzerland. In 1925, Erik started his own company in Oslo. Erik is known best for the invention of the aerosol spray can. He submitted the patent in Norway in 1927 and the patent was granted in 1929. The U.S. Patent was approved on April 7, 1931. The aerosol spray can wasn’t a commercial success until being introduced into the United States in 1940’s. The invention was celebrated by a Norwegian stamp issued in 1998. After Erik’s death technology advanced and an airbrush was incorporated and in 1943 the spray head was improved by Americans Lyle D. Goodhue and William N. Sullivan. The U.S. Government funded their research to get a portable way for the service men in WWII to spray malaria-carrying bugs.

SOLSKINNSKRINGLE (Sunshine Kringle) Found in the Internet 1 stick margarine Vanilla Custard Filling: 1 cup almond milk 2 cups cashews, (soaked in water for 2 hours or 1 oz fresh yeast more) 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup maple syrup 1/2 tsp ground cardamom 2 tsp vanilla extract or seeds of 1/2 vanilla bean 1 tbsp ground flax seeds mixed with 3 tbsp 1/2 cup melted butter water 1/4 tsp sea salt 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Add cashews, water, maple syrup, vanilla, margarine, and sea salt to a high-speed bender. Blend until smooth and creamy. Place in the freezer to set for 2 hours. Your vanilla custard is ready for use!

3 1/2 oz. shredded marzipan Confectioner’s Glaze: 1 cup confectioner’s sugar 1 cup confectioner’s sugar 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice 1/4 cup orange marmalade Directions: Preheat the oven to 420 degrees Fahrenheit. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Heat the almond milk in a small pot until warm to the touch, around 98-99F/37C. Crumble the fresh yeast into the milk and mix until combined. In a large bowl, add the salt, sugar, cardamom and flax seed mixture. Pour in the milk-yeast mixture, and start gradually adding the all purpose flour. Combine and knead until you get a smooth dough. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside to rise for about 1 hour. Pour the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and with a rolling pin, roll out the dough to a 25 x 10 inch rectangle (60×25 cm). Using a spatula, spread the vanilla custard over the dough and sprinkle on the marzipan. Pour dollops of orange marmalade on top. From the longest side closest to you, roll up the dough like a swiss roll. Shape the dough like a kringle (or pretzel) and place onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake the kringle in the middle of the oven for 30-40 minutes until golden. Cool on a rack. While the kringle is cooling off, prepare the confectioners glaze. Whisk the confectioner’s sugar in a bowl with the added fresh lemon juice until smooth and relatively thick. If too thin, add more confectioner’s sugar. You can add the glaze to a piping bag or just drizzle the glaze over the cake with a fork.

Gammeldags Æblekage (Old-fashioned apple cake) Also, known as Bondepige med Slør (Peasant Girl in a Veil) From – “Danish Food & Cooking” by Judith H. Dern 2 ¼ Lb. tart apples ½ cup sugar 1 tsp. cinnamon ¼ tsp. ground cloves (optional) ¼ tsp. nutmeg 2 Tbsp. butter 3 cups fresh breadcrumbs Icing: 2 Tbsp. brown sugar 1 cup heavy cream 2 tsp. confectioner’s sugar 1 tsp. vanilla sugar 2 Tbsp. brown sugar Chopped nuts or grated chocolate, to decorate Use a glass bowl to show the different layers & assemble about an hour before serving so the breadcrumbs stay crisp. Serves 6. 1. Peel & core the apples & cut them into chunks, Place them in a heavy pan with 1 cup of water, the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg & cloves (if using). Cover & cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 25 minutes. Until soft but still chunky. Remove from the heat & leave to cool. 2. Melt the butter in a frying pan. Stir in the breadcrumbs & brown sugar, tossing to coat the crumbs evenly with the butter. Cook, stirring for about 4 minutes, until the crumbs are lightly browned & toasted. Remove from the heat & set aside. 3. Beat the double cream until soft peaks form & stir in the icing & vanilla sugar. Place a thin layer of breadcrumbs in the bottom of 6 serving glasses or bowls, cover the breadcrumbs with a layer of the apple, then a layer of cream. Repeat the layers, ending with cream. Chill, then decorate before serving.

Fæske Æggekage (Pork Omelet) From “Traditional Danish Recipes” – A Pretty Good Collection from Sisco & Petty 6 slices side pork 6 eggs ¼ cup milk chives Fry Pork in frying pan. Drain the fat off. Beat eggs, add milk & chopped chives & pour into frying pan with the pork. Cook over low heat until done. Serve with Danish rye.