Vikings and Christianity

Scandinavia was the last place in Europe to receive Christianity. For this reason, Norse folklore and mythology remained in the forefront of the culture until the 900's. Even after this, the folklore continued, as the Vikings maintained their culture of self-reliance, modesty, and egalitarianism. According to some historians, these values explain why they embraced the Protestant reformation so eagerly. In Norway, the Vikings built hundreds of stavkirker, or old wooden churches surrounded by cemeteries, only a few dozen of which survive. When I arrived in Norway, I rented a car and visited a few.


Even in the present day, I could feel the influence of Norse folklore as a kind of "indigenous presence" that has stood resilient throughout the ages. Norway boasts its fondness for trolls, mythology, and the outdoors. The image of bees in a hive represents the sense of egalitarian community that still permeates Scandinavian countries today.

Skudeneshavn

One goal I had in Norway was to connect with the land and sea just as my ancestors had done. I visited Skudneshavn, a fishing village on Karmøy island, where my great-great-grandfather Valentine Olsen was born. It is quite possible that I am related to some of the people I met here.
I had planned to camp on the island, but it rained quite hard, so I stayed in an Airbnb instead. My host explained that each year, more young adults are moving away from Skudneshavn in order to seek out greater opportunities elsewhere. Indeed, I could sense the feeling of desertedness and isolation they probably felt. I also imagined that a similar lack of opportunity must have inspired Valentine Olsen to want to seek a new life in the United States more than 100 years ago. The demeanor of the town was a little depressing, so I did not stay long.

Ancestral Voices

After leaving Karmøy, I drove out into the wilderness and set up camp near a river. Along the way, I passed through fjords, tunnels, and rocky hills. The artwork shown below comes from Oslo's Rådhus (town hall), which depicts Norse mythology and scenes throughout history as a kind of secular "temple" to Norway's history and folklore.
As I stopped amidst the hills, I got out of the car to walk around. Rain and mist greeted my face as I stood out in the cold, listening. The wind was strong. My ancestors' voices were calling. I listened to the wind and to the frigid waves crashing upon the shore. I looked up at the rocky terrain and thought of Norse myths about trolls and goblins that lived among the hills. I thought of the mythical hyldre, a kind of woodsy siren that sings to men who lose their way. I thought about the Norse gods, about the bards and singers and mouth-harpists who filled the land with music, and about Yggdrasil, the tree of life.
I thought about Danish hygge, which actually comes from a Norwegian root word meaning "to hug" or "to embrace." And I imagined that this kind of warm embrace is exactly what my ancestors needed to survive the rain and cold. I listened even more intently to the wind and the waves. As I camped in my tent, I listened to the sound of the river and smelled the summer blooms. I felt the buzz of the insects and smelled the hearth of outdoor barbecues nearby. The whole experience was an awakening into a kind of nature of the past, the nature of my ancestral soul.

As I experienced this, I wondered: what would the ancient Norse have thought about as they listened to the wind? Would they have thought it to be the sound of a monster, a god, or maybe the voice of their own ancestors? I closed my eyes again and waited for an answer.
But the answer I got was not what I expected. The voice I heard was ancient beyond ancient, and yet it felt near and dear. It was the presence of a collective soul that transcended my ancestors' lineage and spoke to our civilization as a whole. It was the voice of a unifying power and intelligence that has shaped not only Nordic culture but the culture of the entire hemisphere.

This calling represented a return to a source of spirituality and culture that was greater than that of my own ancestors. As a response, in 2017, I decided to travel to a place that would connect me and my ancestors with that source...