Thank you for visiting Scandinavia Facts. I hope you find this website helpful and informative. There are three reasons I created this website:
1. Family heritage: My family ancestry includes Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, and Swedish influences. Because I don’t know a lot about the people in my family tree — and neither do my still-living relatives — I started a journey a few years ago to learn more about my Scandinavian heritage.
I know a few stories about my grandfather. He grew up the son of a Scandinavian immigrant in the American Midwest. Sadly, my grandfather died before I could ask him to tell me more about his family and mine.
Questions about my grandfather led me to questions about my great-grandfather:
- Where did he come from?
- What was his childhood like?
- What was his father’s name?
- What did he farm?
- What did he believe?
I soon discovered is that my great-grandfather was born in the Soro region of Denmark. As soon as I learned this, I wanted to know more about Denmark.
Every time I learn something new about my heritage, it makes me want to learn more, not just about the people in my family tree, but about the land, people, and culture of Scandinavia.
I have discovered that when I learn more about my heritage, I learn more about myself. I am also passing down this history to my own children, so they will better understand, in part, who they are.
2. Academic interest: I have been in higher education for about 15 years, as a professor and administrator. One of my areas of academic interest is the religious history of Europe, especially Scandinavia. This includes the pre-Christian era, which was marked by Norse paganism, as well as pre-Reformation Europe, under the influence of the medieval Latin church.
Europe at the time of the Protestant Reformation is also an interest. From its roots in Germany, France, and Switzerland, to its expansion in northern Europe, Protestantism — especially Lutheran Protestantism — is important to learn about in order to understand Scandinavia.
Additionally, I am a member of the Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Studies which has a threefold purpose:
- The promotion of Scandinavian study and instruction in America.
- The encouragement of original research in this country in the fields of Scandinavian languages, literatures, history, culture, and society and the publication of the results of such research in the quarterly journal, Scandinavian Studies.
- The fostering of closer relations between persons interested in Scandinavian studies in North America and elsewhere.
3. Respectful promotion: In my view, people all around the world today would benefit from learning more about the history, culture, and people of Scandinavia. Though I am perhaps a little biased, I believe it’s one of the most fascinating regions in the world. I hope this website helps people value the region of Scandinavia as I have learned to do in the journey to learn more about my family.
Contact me
I invite questions and comments.
Readers can email me at [email protected]
