The celebrated hero who sailed the Kon-Tiki across the Pacific, wrote several best-selling books, who inspired a whole generation of archeologists is one of Norway's most public figures.  But Heyerdahl's ideas about Polynesian migration (among others) were not embraced by the scientific community and we set off to understand why. Was Heyerdahl a "fringe scientist"?  Join us as we interview Polynesian archeologist Dr. Matthew Spriggs and examine what Jo Ann Van Tilburg wrote about Heyerdahl.  It's a lesson on how we gain knowledge through scientific evidence.

Visit our Links and Pictures page to read biographies of Thor Heyerdahl, watch the Kon-Tiki Expedition video, find links to pages about the research of archeologists Dr. Matthew Spriggs and Dr. Jo Ann Van Tilburg, and learn how you can join the ranks of citizen scientists (even without a college degree) to help researchers collect valuable scientific data.

Have you ever wondered what Norwegian folktales sound like in Norwegian, as they were written in the late 1800s by Asbjørnson and Moe? Join us for this telling of the classic De Tre Bukene Bruse or The Three Billy Boats Gruff and Småguttene Som Traff Trollene i Hedalskogen or The Boys Who Met the Trolls in Hedal Woods, in both Norwegian and English.  We also hear the well-known Scandinavian favorite (song), Pål Sine Høner, played by Seattles Winter Band.

Be sure to stop by our Links and Pictures page for this podcast to find illustrations that go with the stories and links to where you can read the stories yourself, sample Winter Band favorites, and order the sheet music for Ingela's Waltz (our intro song). 

In 1923, a young Norwegian named Peter Sundness emigrated to the Seattle Area and, after several years, brought his wife and children over too. Pete’s daughter Ruthi Sundness Winter, later born in Seattle, fondly remembers playing Scandinavian music together with her family, a tradition that has continued after marrying Mike Winter, whose own family had a similar tradition. 

The result is the present day Winter Band that plays Scandinavian favorites that celebrate both life in America as well as "back home".  In this podcast you’ll meet Ruthi, and hear about her discovery of writings and tapes made by her father long ago, detailing his adventures as a fisherman, logger, trapper, and whaler -  a life that Ruthi had never known about him. 

Join us as we talk about her father’s dangerous occupations as a young immigrant, about growing up Norwegian-American, and about how music and the stories they convey bind a culture -- and all of us -- together.

The band plays Søstrene Fra Flatholmen Fyr, a song about a daring rescue in 1894 of a shipwreck near Flatholmen Lighthouse near Stavangar, Norway.  Please see this podcast's episode Links page at for more information about this song, about the band, and audio clips and videos.

Laura Loge, Nordic operatic soprano.

Edvard Grieg, Norway's greatest composer. 

Henrik Ibsen, Norway's greatest playwright. 

A trio that comes together through Ibsen's play, Peer Gynt, and Grieg's incidental music for that play.  Laura sings the role of Gynt's long and abiding love, Solveig. 

Join us as we learn how Laura first sang Solveig's song at the age of 14, and how this music followed her as she studied Norwegian, Italian, and classical music to become a talented, accomplished classical singer, sharing her love of Greig through concertizing and school outreach.  

In this podcast Laura gives a brief summary of Ibsen's Peer Gynt, originally a hero from Norwegian folklore, who became the basis of Ibsen's anti-hero in his legendary Norwegian play.  We also learn more about Grieg's music in general and the magic and images it creates of the Norwegian landscape, nature, and folklore.

We finish the podcast with Laura's performance of Solveig's song  (from Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite #2)  in 2017.  Check out the episode website for links to more of Laura's recordings, websites, photos etc. at Laura Loge and Solveig's Song . 

Perhaps the most portable instrument in the world that can play almost any musical genre is the accordion. As a “free reed instrument” how does it really work? And there are many kinds including the concertina, torader, and piano accordion.

Join us as we meet Birgit and Phil Ages from the Seattle Area who explain how accordions work, show what a mazurka, hambo, and schottische sound like, and explain how they formed the Folk Voice Band. This popular group plays in annual venues such as Seattle’s Folklife Festival, Naselle’s Finnfest, Leavenworth’s Octoberfest, and the Skandia Midsummer Festival.

Long associated with polkas and the instrument of choice for the Scandinavian-Americans Myron Floren and Stan Boreson, the accordion has become an essential part of the sound in folk music from many different cultures.  Join us!

Corrections

In the podcast, Phil and Birgit play “Korobushka” (and Phil sings it). This traditional Russian folk song can be found elsewhere on the web under both the names “Korobushka” and “Korobeiniki”.

See Links and Pictures for this podcast!

Every year before the pandemic, the Bothell Sons of Norway lodge members marched in Seattle's 17th of May Parade, as well as Bothell's Fourth of July Parade.  In addition to a Viking ship float and a convertible sports car with the princess waving from the back, is a 7 foot tall, imposing, ugly, but goofy troll.  This elaborate costume was created by Mike Nelson and has delighted parade-goers, especially children, for  years. Then Carl Stavney was invited to inhabit the troll costume and discovered the magic that the costume imparts.  

Join us for the story of how the troll was first envisioned, how it was built, what it's like to skitter back and forth along the parade route to shake hands and give high-fives, and how the Parade Troll has become a beloved part of the Seattle and Bothell parades for over 20 years.  Now in 2022, the troll returns.

We finish with a rousing rendition of the Norwegian national anthem, "Ja, Vi Elsker Dette Landet" in honor of Syttende Mai, or Norwegian Constitution Day, on May 17th every year.

See extras (photos, video) about the troll at Links and Pictures for this podcast.

Don "Jerry" Pugnetti Jr, a long-time journalist, has written a fictional account of a Norwegian man and his compatriots who join the Norwegian Resistance during World War II.  Jerry based the book on real stories he collected from his won relatives who were there in the early 1940s, and in the Resistance themselves. In this podcast we interview Jerry about his writing the book and learn about the true events that are mentioned in it. 

We finish up with a reinlender called "Holingen", played by the Nordahl Grieg Spelemanslag.

See extra material and links on our Links and Pictures page at A Coat Dyed Black and the Norwegian Resistance – Don ”Jerry” Pugnetti Jr. 

Elizabeth Person from Everett, Washington designs and creates infographic illustrations that are right at home on your wall or in your hand, to identify the name of a berry bush, a Washington ferry, an apple variety, or a Washington lighthouse. Her sketches of her adopted town capture the beauty and detail in the commonplace. 

Her maps of islands, nations, and mountain ranges go beyond the USA, but are especially focused on the Pacific Northwest.  We like her recipes for Scandinavian-American classics like lefse, krumkake, and kransekake which are as delightful as they are frameable. 

Join us, as we meet this talented and generous artist, to learn about her passion, her part in the thriving Everett art scene, and her willingness to share how she has become a successful artist and businesswoman.  Be sure to visit this episode's page to hear more audio from our interview, links to her website, and a video tour of her studio.

It is difficult to talk about the indigenous people of northern Norway, Sweden, Finland, and the Russian Kola Peninsula without talking about the Sami musician and activist, Mari Boine. Born into a strict religious family, where speaking Sami and expressing oneself by traditional singing or joiking was considered "wrong", Boine struggled with being assimilated as a Norwegian and being ashamed of her heritage.

Fortunately, she later embraced her heritage and began combining her joiking with other Western styles like pop, jazz, and rock. She has become extremely popular among the Sami as well as loved by audiences around the world. 

In her concerts, Boine  talks about Sami culture and the struggles of indigenous peoples.  Join us for this rare interview with Mari Boine, a behind-the-scenes look at who she is and what matters most to her.  We also play a recording of a yoik from a man from Karasjok, Norway.

See our Links and Pictures of Mari Boine to hear her "Gula Gula", or "The Hear the Voice of the Foremothers" as it's named in English.

Join me for a tale of adventure with a very unlikely hero - a little tailor who dreams big but has trouble with the reality of dangerous situations. This Grimm Brothers folktale was collected in Denmark in the late 1800s and features hungry giants, a not so friendly unicorn, and a ferocious wild boar.  Why do the people he meets think he’s heroic material? How does our hero even survive, let alone succeed?  And how do you define success, anyway? 

We also hear a hardanger “quartet” with instruments built by Lynn Berg (see our previous podcast) - with the nearly one-of-a-kind hardanger viola and cello. They play the rousing Ulrik Polka….which has a secret song hidden within it. Can you help us figure out what that is?

Please check out the nordicontap.com website where extra links, photos, and recordings are available for  each of our podcasts.  Take our Listener Survey to help us make what you you’d like to hear. You get two screen backgrounds for mobile or desktop as a reward for completing the survey.