Fårking Vikings: a rant, written in the middle of the night and not read through.
I'm so very tired that the main - if not the only - part of the Scandinavian histories (yes, plurals; why is a discussion for another day) non-Nordic people know about Scandinavia is the Viking period. And normally people don't even really know anything about it - they just believe they do. I get it, I really do. The image of 'the Viking' is very... striking. You got the dragon ships, the wild warrior, the blood and the fighting, and the songs and literature. And it's simple - or rather, it's a story that is easy to simplify.
But I have no doubt that the reason to why this part of our histories is the know history is 'cause it is a part of the history of the British Isles, and especially of England - and even maybe an important part of it. In the beginning the Viking raids on the British Isles has probably been quite traumatic - at least according to the British literature we have about it -, and then Scandinavian art and style was incorporated into pretty much all of the societies and communities on the British Isles.
The thing is that from a Scandinavian point of view the Viking period isn't really a very important part of the Scandinavian histories; it's not a part of the histories which have really affected the Scandinavian societies today - the start of the construction of our countries can be seen there (though the concept of the 'nation state' is way later), but our norms, traditions, etc. isn't rooted in the Viking period; some are older and some are younger, but pretty much none originated in this period -, it's definitely not the part of our history where we were the most influential, the riches and/or the most powerful, and while it's actually a very creative part of our histories, somehow... that's not something people knows about.
Yet somehow the Viking period has become the part of our histories that non-Nordic people knows about us - because it mattered to another, today more influential region. And the thing is, because this is part of our histories that other people knows about and find interesting and fascinating, this is the part that we today are taking a pride in. And okay, I'm not going to deny that there's a certain pleasure in knowing that your possible forefathers (I don't know my family's roots further back than my grandparent's parents - and by that I mean that with the exception of one of my great grandmothers it has never been mentioned where they are from, so I just assume they are from here) - or at least the forefathers of some of your countrymen - managed to... bother the British, but there's just so much more to our histories than that.
Histories which I have experienced fellow countrymen not knowing anything about. Like absolutely nothing. Denmark has a history as a colonial power - we are still a colonial power. Denmark-Norway used to be one of the most important countries - hell, maybe even the most important country - in the North Sea. Denmark and Sweden are two of the nations who have fought the most wars between each other in European history. Denmark supported Napoleon - and when he lost, the British burned down our fleet and gave Norway and Bornholm to Sweden. We have had border disputes with both the Germans and the Swedes since day fucking one - and that's why we have a German minority. And so on*.
But people - and here I mean Danes - don't know that. They know we hate the Swedes and semi-like the Norwegians - but not why. They know we understand our selves as a 'little' country - but not why. And they know Greenland and the Faeroe Islands are a part of the Danish kingdom** - but not why. They know about the occupation during WWII, about the Cold War - and about the fucking Vikings.
I'm not an historian. I think it's important that people are familiar with the histories of their country and their family and their people(s) - and especially about the construction that the concept of history actually is. But I am not an historian and I understand if people find history boring (I do to. Shh!). I don't expect people to know in depth about historical episodes and periods - but when people know nothing about Denmark as a colonial power, about Denmark-Norway, about the why we have a German minority, but know shitloads about the Vikings I find it genuinely problematic.
And when I run into non-Nordic people, who goes "oh Vikings!" when I mention where I'm from, it, yes, it pisses me off. Because it support my fellow countrymen in the belief that this is the part of our histories that are interesting, fascinating, that is important, as, well, yes, what other people - especially the anglos - think about us matters to us. And almost only because, oh my god, this is a part of the British-Scandinavian history that was emotionally special for the British and which caught their imagination. The contact between the British Isles and Scandinavia has actually been really important and defining for us - but not because of the Vikings, but because the Napoleon War, where, as mentioned, Denmark supported Napoleon and Sweden England - and where, when Napoleon lost, England took Norway (and Bornholm) and gave it to Sweden. This was a very defining moment for these three countries - Denmark was suddenly not the most powerful nation in the North Sea, but equal with Sweden, and Norway was suddenly under the control of a different country. This moment still affects to us today (especially us Danes) - but because it wasn't such an important or emotional moment in the histories of the English, hey, it can't possible be worth knowing about!
I'm going to be honest - I would rather have that non-Nordic people know nothing about Scandinavia, or at least Denmark, than only knowing about (the imagined version of) the Vikings - and yes, imagined, as what most people seem to "know" about the Vikings are inspired by the early British descriptions of the Viking raids. Trust me, there's more to the Vikings than that...
...and sometimes when people go "oh, Vikings!" when I mention my home country I feel like going, "OH YOU WANNA SEE A VIKING? I CAN SHOW YOU A FUCKING VIKING, EXCUSE ME WHILE I GO INTO BERSERKER MODE AND PUNCH YOU IN THE FUCKING FACE". Yeah. I am really tired of hearing about the Vikings.
Add:
*I can't believe I forgot Queen Margrete I and the Kalmar Union! Embarrassing, so embarrassing!
**Iceland also used to be a part of the kingdom, but Danes in general seem to be completely ignorant about that too.
But I have no doubt that the reason to why this part of our histories is the know history is 'cause it is a part of the history of the British Isles, and especially of England - and even maybe an important part of it. In the beginning the Viking raids on the British Isles has probably been quite traumatic - at least according to the British literature we have about it -, and then Scandinavian art and style was incorporated into pretty much all of the societies and communities on the British Isles.
The thing is that from a Scandinavian point of view the Viking period isn't really a very important part of the Scandinavian histories; it's not a part of the histories which have really affected the Scandinavian societies today - the start of the construction of our countries can be seen there (though the concept of the 'nation state' is way later), but our norms, traditions, etc. isn't rooted in the Viking period; some are older and some are younger, but pretty much none originated in this period -, it's definitely not the part of our history where we were the most influential, the riches and/or the most powerful, and while it's actually a very creative part of our histories, somehow... that's not something people knows about.
Yet somehow the Viking period has become the part of our histories that non-Nordic people knows about us - because it mattered to another, today more influential region. And the thing is, because this is part of our histories that other people knows about and find interesting and fascinating, this is the part that we today are taking a pride in. And okay, I'm not going to deny that there's a certain pleasure in knowing that your possible forefathers (I don't know my family's roots further back than my grandparent's parents - and by that I mean that with the exception of one of my great grandmothers it has never been mentioned where they are from, so I just assume they are from here) - or at least the forefathers of some of your countrymen - managed to... bother the British, but there's just so much more to our histories than that.
Histories which I have experienced fellow countrymen not knowing anything about. Like absolutely nothing. Denmark has a history as a colonial power - we are still a colonial power. Denmark-Norway used to be one of the most important countries - hell, maybe even the most important country - in the North Sea. Denmark and Sweden are two of the nations who have fought the most wars between each other in European history. Denmark supported Napoleon - and when he lost, the British burned down our fleet and gave Norway and Bornholm to Sweden. We have had border disputes with both the Germans and the Swedes since day fucking one - and that's why we have a German minority. And so on*.
But people - and here I mean Danes - don't know that. They know we hate the Swedes and semi-like the Norwegians - but not why. They know we understand our selves as a 'little' country - but not why. And they know Greenland and the Faeroe Islands are a part of the Danish kingdom** - but not why. They know about the occupation during WWII, about the Cold War - and about the fucking Vikings.
I'm not an historian. I think it's important that people are familiar with the histories of their country and their family and their people(s) - and especially about the construction that the concept of history actually is. But I am not an historian and I understand if people find history boring (I do to. Shh!). I don't expect people to know in depth about historical episodes and periods - but when people know nothing about Denmark as a colonial power, about Denmark-Norway, about the why we have a German minority, but know shitloads about the Vikings I find it genuinely problematic.
And when I run into non-Nordic people, who goes "oh Vikings!" when I mention where I'm from, it, yes, it pisses me off. Because it support my fellow countrymen in the belief that this is the part of our histories that are interesting, fascinating, that is important, as, well, yes, what other people - especially the anglos - think about us matters to us. And almost only because, oh my god, this is a part of the British-Scandinavian history that was emotionally special for the British and which caught their imagination. The contact between the British Isles and Scandinavia has actually been really important and defining for us - but not because of the Vikings, but because the Napoleon War, where, as mentioned, Denmark supported Napoleon and Sweden England - and where, when Napoleon lost, England took Norway (and Bornholm) and gave it to Sweden. This was a very defining moment for these three countries - Denmark was suddenly not the most powerful nation in the North Sea, but equal with Sweden, and Norway was suddenly under the control of a different country. This moment still affects to us today (especially us Danes) - but because it wasn't such an important or emotional moment in the histories of the English, hey, it can't possible be worth knowing about!
I'm going to be honest - I would rather have that non-Nordic people know nothing about Scandinavia, or at least Denmark, than only knowing about (the imagined version of) the Vikings - and yes, imagined, as what most people seem to "know" about the Vikings are inspired by the early British descriptions of the Viking raids. Trust me, there's more to the Vikings than that...
...and sometimes when people go "oh, Vikings!" when I mention my home country I feel like going, "OH YOU WANNA SEE A VIKING? I CAN SHOW YOU A FUCKING VIKING, EXCUSE ME WHILE I GO INTO BERSERKER MODE AND PUNCH YOU IN THE FUCKING FACE". Yeah. I am really tired of hearing about the Vikings.
Add:
*I can't believe I forgot Queen Margrete I and the Kalmar Union! Embarrassing, so embarrassing!
**Iceland also used to be a part of the kingdom, but Danes in general seem to be completely ignorant about that too.