Why Is Christmas Called Jul?
In a poem attributed to the Norwegian poet Þorbjǫrn hornklofi, King Harald has already grown tired of sitting beside a fire.
Who Brought Halloween to Canada?
In Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Halloween night in 1917 brought snow, disguises and an ultimatum at the front door.
The Ghosts With Unfinished Business: Scandinavia’s Restless Dead
In a Norwegian story recorded in 1909, Sterke Nils watched a man struggle up through the waters of Svartetjørn in Telemark.
The Danish Enclave of Dickson: An Alberta Settlement Planned in Nebraska
In the autumn of 1902, Danish immigrants living around Omaha, Nebraska, began discussing a move to the Canadian Prairies.
Why Nordic Christmas Begins on December 24
On Christmas Eve in 1834, Danish parish priest Johan Frederik Biering had a song prepared for his family at Tåderup rectory.
Why Swedish Children Dress Up as Witches at Easter
When Edvard Andersson recalled the Easter masquerades of his youth in Värmland, the disguises were designed to fool the neighbours.
The Dead Bridegroom: An Icelandic Ghost Story Preserved in Canada
An Icelandic ghost story recorded in nineteenth-century Canada begins with a hired man who insists he will take his employer's daughter to Christmas mass.
Did the Vikings Celebrate Halloween?
In an early-eleventh-century poem, an Icelandic traveller describes being turned away from a farmhouse on a journey towards Sweden.
Before the Pumpkin: The History of the Turnip Lantern
The turnip at the National Museum of Ireland is made of plaster. Its carved face is the work of a museum artist, based on a lantern remembered from County Donegal.
The Ghosts With Unfinished Business: Scandinavia’s Restless Dead
In a Norwegian story recorded in 1909, Sterke Nils watched a man struggle up through the waters of Svartetjørn in Telemark.
The Fjords to the Flatlands
In the spring of 1893, Martin Finseth, Nels Jevning, Andrew Malmberg and John Wallerbeck travelled north from Minnesota to inspect Canadian farmland.
The Draugr: When the Dead Refused to Stay Buried
When neighbours opened Þórólfr Halt-Foot’s grave, they found a corpse that had neither decayed nor become any easier to move.
How Halloween Found Its Way to Norway
In 1993, the brothers Espen and Henning Hagerup were translating a Donald Duck story when they encountered a problem: what should Norwegian children say in place of “trick or treat”?
Candlelight for the Dead: All Saints’ Weekend Across the Nordic Countries
At Huddinge Church, south of Stockholm, a memorial service scheduled for Saturday, October 31, will include the names of parish members who have died during the past year.
From Norwegian Folklore to Alberta Ballet: The Long Life of Peer Gynt
When Henrik Ibsen published Peer Gynt in 1867, he gave Norway a protagonist who was difficult to admire.
Pumpkins in Copenhagen: How Denmark Embraced Halloween
For Halloween 2026, Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens is advertising more than 20,000 pumpkins.
The Huldra: The Beautiful Stranger in the Norwegian Forest
In a legend published by the Norwegian collector Andreas Faye in 1833, a beautiful stranger arrives at a dance.
Three Nordic Ghost Stories to Tell on Halloween Night
In a Norwegian folktale, a bridegroom has promised his closest friend a place at his wedding. There is one complication: his friend is dead.
The Mechanics of the Homestead
When Michael Leeb applied for the patent to his Alberta homestead in 1905, the paperwork described a log house measuring 24 by 32 feet, valued at $250.
Nøkken: The Terrifying Spirit of Nordic Lakes and Rivers
In a legend published in 1844, a priest is travelling with four sturdy men when they reach Sundfossen in Gjerrestad, southern Norway.