Volume 46, Issue 7

July 2015

Sverdrup 4-107

Bismarck, ND Sverdrup Nyheter

From the President July Calendar of Events

01 Needlework - 1:30 p.m. at the home

of Arlene Olson, 2630 Gateway Ave

#203, Bismarck

08- Brown Bag in the S/N Park with

Cultural Activity noon. Bring your

own lunch and share the noontime

learning something about the notable

North Dakota Governors who were

born in Norway

15 Needlework - 1:30 p.m. at the home

of Marilyn Kristensen, 209 Stuttgart

Drive, Bismarck

23 Business Meeting - 1st Luth 7 p.m.

29 St. Olaf potluck picnic at Solbakken

Farm. Eat at about 6 p.m.

Solbakken Farm (north of Bismarck)

9 miles north on 83#- Start counting by

Menards stoplight. You will go just past

mile marker 98

Get into the left lane and you will turn Left

(West) onto 149th Ave NW – it’s a

paved road.

Proceed 1 mile and then turn Right

onto 15th Street NW (gravel road heading

North)

Proceed 1 more mile and turn Left

onto 162nd Ave NW

Proceed ¼ mile and you will come up the

driveway on the left. This is the first big

black mailbox and driveway on the left once

you are on 162nd Ave.

Hopefully a Norwegian flag will be at the

mailbox.

1919 162nd Ave NW if you have GPS

guidance.

Sverdrup Nyheter

Summer is officially here, but being from North

Dakota, I needn’t tell you that! The weather is

always “the talk of the town”. By now you have

gotten your yards cleaned up from the last summer

storm, but isn’t the rain wonderful? Our state is

showing off its natural blessings, from east to west

and north to south. Our activity lists seem to grow

each year and we wonder where does the time go?

Trollfjorden Camp was in early June. Our family has been involved for

7 years now. It’s a unique experience for families of 2, 3, or 4

generations to experience Scandinavian culture and heritage, great

food and fellowship with others from around our Sons of Norway

District #4. Add it to your bucket list in 2016.

I attended the first Brown Bag in the Park and listened to a wonderful

real-life story told by Kathy Robinson. Her notable North Dakotan

was Fingal Enger. This month she is preparing to tell us about John

Moses and Rangvold Nestos, both Norwegian immigrants and ND

Governors. Note that date on your calendar and stop in around noon

with your sack lunch and be prepared to learn.

Did you make time to hear the Tronder Boys this past Sunday? I

heard it was a fun afternoon. I had to wait and meet them Sunday

night when we returned. But after our short visit, I know you had a

good time. They hope to be invited to the Høstfest in 2016 and

entertain more. They arrived in Bismarck early and ended up in

Almont and stayed at the Sunflower Inn on Saturday night. They are

adventurous and go with the flow in their trip. They are surely

Vikings! We were celebrating in Dilworth, MN with all my family to

mark my mom’s upcoming 80th birthday. It was a fun filled weekend all

around.

On Wednesday night, July 29th, you are all invited to our farm

(Solbakken) to learn about St Olaf, patron Saint of Norway and a

celebrated King from over 1100 years ago. Bring a dish to share; either

cold salad, dessert, baked beans and chips go over well. The lodge will

be serving hot dogs and brats and will provide plates and utensils and

lemonade and coffee. Call someone who doesn’t drive anymore and

invite them along. Bring a lawn chair if it’s convenient, but we do have

quite a few here. We’ll plan to eat around 6 p.m.

Hadde bra og takk for meg -

Jerry Saude - grammas@bekel.com

Page 2 Sverdrup Nyheter

St. Olav's Day July 29th marks Olsok, or St. Olaf ’s Day in Norway and coincides with Olsokdagen, the

official Flag Day in Norway, but it’s roots run much deeper. Originally celebrated to

honor the King, and later Saint, Olaf, the day has more than 900 years of history behind

it. Lavish feasts and pilgrimages have celebrated his name, but who was Olaf II of

Norway and why are we celebrating him today?

Much of what we know about King Olaf comes from the sagas, first from an Icelandic

writer who penned the Glælognskviða, written in the late twelfth century, about a century

after the king’s death. Early Christian monks also contributed greatly to his story,

compiling tales in the late twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Although it’s difficult to

separate the man from the legend, much of what we celebrate comes from the

Heimskringla. Written almost two centuries after Olaf ’s death, these sagas recount the

tales of many of Norway’s early Kings.

It’s said that King Olaf was born sometime around 995 near what is now Ringerike. He

was the great-great-grandson of Harald Fairhair, the first king of Norway. Olaf himself

would take the throne in 1015 at about the age of 20. Within a few short years, Olaf was

able to consolidate his power by eliminating rivals to the throne. At the time, Norway was

made up of several petty kings who supported a central ruler. The wealthy men in

Norway grew discontent with King Olaf ’s strong-handed ruling and supported Canute

the Great’s invasion of Norway in 1026. After a series of battles, King Olaf would

eventually die in the Battle of Stiklestad in 1030.

During his short reign, King Olaf made several significant contributions to Norway, most

notably the spread of Christianity. Many of his policies were instrumental is spreading the

religion in the predominantly pagan Norwegian interior. His impact was so large that a

year after his death, a Bishop named Grimkell formed a cult to celebrate the king. Under

the occupation of the Danish forces, this served as a unifier for the Norwegians. The early

celebration of King Olaf, coupled with his support for Christianity, led the King to be

made a Saint and named the Patron Saint of Norway soon after.

Today, St. Olaf continues to be a major influence in Norwegian culture. Olav has been a

popular name amongst Norwegian males for centuries. The St. Olav medal is the highest

decoration the Norwegian crown awards. Even King Haralad V proudly celebrates his

own lineage through one of St. Olaf ’s many children. This year Olsok will be celebrated

with festivals and feasts across Norway, to mark the official day of Rex Perpetuus

Norvegiae, Norway’s eternal king

The Sverdrup Nyheter is published once a month by Sverdrup

#107 Sons of Norway Lodge, P.O. Box 1912, Bismarck, ND 58502.

There is no charge for the newsletter. The newsletter is available

on our website. For address changes or questions contact:

asolheim@bis.midco.net; Website: www.sofnbismarck.com

Editor Audrey Solheim 223-7891

President Jerry Saude 224--0963

Vice President Dick Hanson 663-8850

Secretary Claudia Berg, 222-8238

Financial Secretary Eunice Wolf 224-1786

Co- Financial Secretary Addie Thiede 224-8392

Treasurer Wayne Granfor 734-6370

Sunshine Lady - Cards Julie Roe 223-4196

Financial Benefits Counselor Ann Krause 852-5508

Reservations Nanc Skaret 258-4703

July Birthdays

Gratulerer Med Dagen

{Congratulations on Your Day}

Norwegian Proverb

Betty Sprynczynatyk 3

Linda Maddalena 4

Korliss L Turner 4

Nanc H Skaret 6

Donald Louis Schmid 7

Margaret I Loritz 7

Sharon T Jans 9

Timmy L Holdahl 9

Sandra L Johnson 9

Mark D Swartz 11

Larry M Olson 12

Donna M Hamar 14

John Sakariassen 14

Andy Anderson 15

Beverly I Mundell 15

Morris W Roningen 16

Emily Robinson 17

Karen J Oby 17

Robert O Wefald 18

Deborah S Wilson 19

Pamela J Vukelic 19

Donald G Walz 20

Herman Eggers 21

Loren G Eikanas 21

Jerry M Saude 23

Gary L Tibke 23

Debra S Tschosik 26

Roger Anderson 26

Jeannette E Radig 26

Annette Caldwell 28

Ingvald Eide 29

Valborg C Zander 31

Beint fram er stuttast, men ikkje

alltid lettast

Straight ahead is shortest, but

not always easiest.

Page 3 Volume 46, Issue 7 July 2015

assembly presented the new flag. He added a blue cross

to the Danish flag to symbolize liberty. The red, white

and blue colors were inspired by the flags of countries

which he believed exemplified freedom: the UK, the

Netherlands and the US.

Norwegian ships were obligated to fly the Swedish flag

so as to avoid capture by pirates. In 1844 the Swedish

King introduced a new flag to signify Scandinavian

unity. Norway could keep their flag but in order to

identify with their Swedish leaders a badge was added to

the upper left corner. This badge is often referred to as

“the herring salad” because of its various shapes and

colors. “When the union badge was introduced to the

national flag, this was actually welcomed as a sign of

Norwegian equality with the Swedes and was initially

quite popular,” says Engene. “In the last quarter of the

19th century, however, the union with Sweden grew

ever more unpopular and the union badge became

contested.” Tensions grew in Norway.

The Norwegian romantic nationalist movement was on

the rise and a need for a national identity was at an all-

time high. Finally in 1899 a vote was passed to override

the king and the badge was removed from civilian flags

That momentum soon led Norwegians to their victory

for independence. In 1905 the badge was removed from

all military flags and the Norwegians could welcome

back their flag. Today the official symbol of Norway

waves proudly from government buildings, homes,

businesses, sporting venues, and military vessels.

Norwegians share a strong national pride which is most

evident on Norway’s national day, Syttende Mai. The

complicated story behind the flag has ultimately given

the Norwegian people a shared sense of pride in their

country and heritage.

(Excerpted from SON mini-presentations resource.)

CULTURAL CORNER: HISTORY OF NORWEGIAN FLAGS

A national flag is a symbol that represents a country and

its people. Every flag has a meaning and a story. The

Norwegian flag is a symbol of honesty, peace, justice and

strength. These principles resonate with the beliefs of the

Norwegian people and their culture

It is only just recently that Norway has been flying their

flag so prominently and proudly. Due to political

circumstances the Norwegian flag has only been in

existence since 1821.

Norway’s oldest known flag is a banner of a lion standing

on its hind legs and carrying an ax in its forepaws. This

was a royal banner that was first recorded in 1318. “It is

probable that medieval kings flew flags based on the

Norwegian coat of arms – the golden lion holding the axe

of St. Olav on a red field,” says Jan Oskar Engene, a

political scientist at the University of Bergen.

The national flag was adapted from Norway’s long 400-

year union with Denmark. Denmark turned out to be a

stronger player in the union with Norway and it was the

Danish flag that Norway adopted as their own (red flag

with white cross). The Norwegians however wanted an

end to this union and in 1814, after 400 years, Denmark

was separated from Norway and the history of the true

Norwegian flag commenced.

It wasn’t until 1821 that the pure Norwegian flag was

designed. Fredrik Meltzer, a member of the constitutional

Membership Information

Dues are currently as follows:

Primary member $43 - Spouse $36

Unge Venner $23 (unless a parent is a member, in which

case there is no fee, just an application for Ages 16-23)

New member applications are turned in to

Eunice Wolf, Financial Secretary for processing

together with a check for the appropriate

amount written to Sons of Norway. Eunice’s

Address: 2951 Arizona Dr, Bismarck, ND

58503-5369 -Total 349

July 2015

Sons of Norway - Sverdrup 4-107 1026 S 3rd #3

Bismarck, ND 58504-6398

Return Service Requested

3 Assisted Living Locations

3406 Dominion St, Bismarck 3124 Colorado Lane, Bismarck

2801 39th Ave SE, Mandan

701-751-5300

www.edgewoodseniorliving.com

Ad Space Available

Ad Space Available

Amy Pierce ROBERTS Manager and Designer Floral & Gift 210 North 8th Street

Bismarck, ND 58501

Let Us Phone 701-258-8311

Brighten Your Day FAX 701-222-0711

www.robertsfloral.com.

Fraternal Order Eagles

Bismarck Aerie #2237

Bismarck, ND 58501