Sweeping Changes

By the time Monday morning came around, both Ingrid and Bente had all but forgotten about their conversation about wooden carvings. That was, until Mr. Hagen started his history lesson.

“God Morgen, klasse!”

“God Morgen, Herr Hagen!”

As he did most every morning, Mr. Hagen pulled down the screen for his Europe Map. He drew down the clear plastic overlay, too. He erased the old arrows leading south out of Norway. He replaced the southbound arrows with arrows leading northward from Turkey, Germany, France, British Isles.

“On Friday, we were talking about the Vikings. The Vikings included both traders and raiders who traveled throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. This raiding, in particular, brought rise to the arrival of the Church. First off…”

Bente raised her hand. Ingrid immediately raised her hand, too.

“Yes, Bente?”

“Did the Vikings go to Church?”

“That’s an interesting question. I’ll have to answer it with a yes and a no.”

“What?”

“The first Christians in Norway were missionaries from other places, like the British Isles and France. The first Vikings weren’t Christians but Pagans. They believed in gods like Odin and Freya. This was the period called the Dark Ages.”

“Is that because it was dark outside?” asked a student.

“Hardly,” said Mr. Hagen, “the dark ages were a time of great change. The light of the Roman Empire had been snuffed out by the different tribes of people living throughout Europe, including the Vikings from Scandinavia.”

Mr. Hagen went to the front of the classroom and drew large color-coded circles all over his map of Europe.

“There were also groups like the Ottomans of Turkey, the Angles and Saxons from Northern Germany, and the Franks from France. These groups had chieftains, just like the Vikings. As the tribes got larger, they formed petty, or small, kingdoms. The Norwegians did this, too. Remember King Olav?.”

“He was Saint Olav, right?”

“King Olav didn’t become a saint until much later. By the time he became king, these tribes had been battling for territory for hundreds of years. A large kingdom needed a large army. Churches had followers. When the King accepted the church, his people not only protected their church, but the king, too.”

Ingrid raised her hand.

“How was King Olav involved with all of this?”

“When Olav ruled, parts of Norway were bitterly divided between several chieftains. Even when Olav’s great grandfather Harald Fairhair ruled as the first King of Norway, his rule wasOlav knew that Christianity would unite Norway. The missionaries came to Norway to convert the Vikings to Christianity. King Olav saw this as a good thing. Even though the conversion to Christianity took several generations, some Vikings did go to church. King Olav proclaimed Christianity as the official religion of Norway. That’s one of the reasons he was later named a Saint.”

“Who built the stave churches?” asked Bente.

“There is evidence to suggest that most churches were built by Vikings, but churches existed in Europe before they existed in Scandinavia. The common European church was built slightly different. It was called a ‘post church’.

Just like Christianity in Norway, the Stave Churches were a two-group effort. The missionaries brought Christianity, which meant they needed churches. The Vikings may have modified the old post churches to suit their own tastes. Even now, you see the fire-breathing dragons spitting out either end of the roof.”

After school, neither Bente nor Ingrid gave much thought to their argument. After all, sometimes even the best of friends disagree. The sky spat big, wet snowflakes to the ground. Bente and Ingrid hurried to the Berg house.

The old three-story house sat high on a hill at the top end of a very long drive. Unlike most Norwegian buildings, its roof was flat. The large square structure, which had always reminded Bente of an ancient coliseum, was built a century earlier, between the two great wars. Large columns stood guard outside the front door.

Inside, Mrs. Larsen was at the kitchen table, conversing with Mrs. Berg.

“Hallo, dear-hearts!” greeted Mrs. Berg.

“Hallo, Mrs. Berg. Mother, what are you doing here?”

“I brought the Rosemaling dishes to Mrs. Berg and we’re having kaffe Jetost.”

“Would you children like some?” offered Mrs. Berg.

Bente and Ingrid nodded.

Mrs. Berg grabbed several blocks of cheese out of the regrigerator and pulled the cheese slicer across the top edge of the cheese. As she did, thin slices of cheese peeled through the thin slit. She smeared a thick layer of butter across several pieces of oat bread. Then, she carefully placed pieces of Jarlsberg, Nøkkelos, and Brunost cheeses on the bread. She put the open-faced sandwiches m in the toaster oven to brown.

“Would you like some chocolate?”

Both girls nodded. Mrs. Berg filled two tall mugs with hot chocolate while the bread finished toasting. As the girls enjoyed the sandwiches and hot chocolate, it warmed them from the inside out. When they finished, Ingrid excused herself, inviting Bente along.

The four-post bed occupied most of Ingrid’s room. It had a flat wooden canopy, heavy linens, and large pillows. Like most of Ingrid’s things, the bed was an antique. The posters that decorated all four walls, however, featured famous pop singers as well as outdoor mountain scenes. Unlike Bente, who spent most of her time indoors, Ingrid loved outdoor activities. There were even several pairs of skis leaned up against one corner. Bente went over and investigated them.

“My Telemarks,” said Ingrid.

“Your what?”

“My Telemark skis. They’re made for cross-country and slalom.”

“My mother calls her dishes Telemarks.”

“That’s because of the swoops in the vines and leaves. They look like the slalom tracks Telemark skiers leave in the snow.”

“Esses and Cees in the snow,” said Bente, “that makes perfect sense.”

“They were invented by a Norwegian skier. Up to that point, ski binders held the whole foot in one place. The new Telemark binding gave skiers more turning control.”

“I’ve seen Telemark turns. They’re very elegant.”

“You should come skiing with me sometime.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that. I have terrible balance.”

“We could start off easy, maybe go cross-country skiing.”

“I’m not sure I’d like it.”

“How would you know if you’ve never tried? Plus, I’m a really good skier. I’ll make sure you won’t get hurt.”

“We’ll see,” said Bente.

The two girls played in Ingrid’s bedroom until it was time to go. On the way home, Bente talked with her mother about Ingrid’s planned adventure.

“You don’t even like that sort of stuff,” said mother.

“Ingrid told me how much fun it is to ski.”

“And the falls,” added mother, “very dangerous.”

“Ingrid would be there. The Telemark skis are some of the safest out in the snow.”

“And the physical effort it takes just to ski.”

“Mamma…” pleaded Bente.

“Alright,” said her mother, “You can go skiing with Ingrid, but only if an adult goes with you.”

“How about you and Mrs. Berg?”

“Heavens no!” exclaimed Mrs. Larsen, “Could you see Mrs. Berg on a pair of skis?”

“Ingrid says her mother goes skiing all the time.”

“Well, if she could see, so can I.”

“Then I’ll tell Ingrid we’re going skiing.”

Mrs. Larsen exhaled loudly. She wasn’t quite sure how she got herself into a ski trip or how she could ever get out. For now, she remained quiet. Hopefully, Bente would completely forget about the whole thing.

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