Lögberg-Heimskringla - 24.01.2003, Page 7

Lögberg-Heimskringla » Föstudagur, 24 Janúar 2003 ♦ page 7
The White Strand
Reviewed by Don Mowatt
Burnaby, BC
Vancouver’s Centennial Museum has
been running an exhibition for
some months: Full Circle, which marks
the meeting in Canada of Vikings and
Skraelings in 1000CE. Both descendants
of common ancestors who originated in
Africa, they took some hundreds of cen-
turies to come full circle and meet again
in the Viking Vinland.
So this was a most appropriate loca-
tion to hold a remarkable book launch of
a work of love. documenting Norse histo-
ry from the dawn of the pagan Gods to
the spread of Christianity as seen
through the poetic eyes and imagination
of eighty six year old Norwegian
Canadian author, Ellinor Thun Ueland.
The White Strcmd, a most beautiful-
ly illustrated, bound and printed collec-
tor’s book edited and published by
Robert Ásgeirsson and illustrated by
Warren Oddsson was launched by mem-
bers of the Icelandic community here at
a gala reception with foods from the
Nordic countries, speeches about and
readings from this 140 paged book on
sale for $100 in a limited signed and
numbered edition. Over 100 people from
the Nordic countries attended. Sadly, the
artist who illustrated the work just died
at the age of forty-three. A relative, nine
year old Evan Robertson, read from the
book with great feeling — one of sever-
al readers for this occasion.
The author was in attendance,
though she didn’t read with the others,
but sat in front of the audience listening
attentively to the comments and selected
readings. Her demure presence belied a
life of great achievement and interest.
Said to be the only Norwegian war bride
of the Second World War to come to
Canada, she brought a fascinating family
background in Norway, Iceland and
Switzerland going back to the time of the
Viking Chiefs. She was educated in
Norway and England and took special
training in weaving, needlework and
joumalism before making a career in
Canada in hotel management.
The book itself, besides being an
artistic visual achievement, is a wonder-
ful anthology of Norse history, myth,
saga tales and personal reflections by
Ellinor Thun Ueland. It was written over
a period of twelve years or more in poet-
ic form with altemating rhymes. Most of
the material is set in the period of 1000
when the Northem peoples were being
converted, by order of the rulers of the
time, . from pagan worship to
Christianity. This includes, of course, the
last century of Viking activity. This peri-
od is sensitively and thoughtfully cov-
ered from inside the lives of the partici-
pants in the explorations and raids, their
spouses and children. This, in fact, reads
not just like the sagas, but more person-
ally, as though profoundly digested and
assimilated into the author’s family
chronicles.
As well as saga material detailing
the discoveries of Greenland and
Vinland and familiai' Nordic myths, this
work contains poems tracing the Jewish
tribe of Dan to the Northem countries, a
rellection on amber and mermaids and
many stories imagined by the author.
And tying them all together, the work of
the three Noms spinning white, gray and
black fates for the people of the North,
giving them hope, great achievements,
normal lives and disasters by tum.
“For Vikings, this was the way of life,
To come, to conquer, to inake it pay.
Used to hardship, thrived on strife,
For them the struggle was their way. ”
Frotn On a New Strand,
A New Found Land
The White Strand is the hope for
great deeds and accomplishments, exact-
ly what this book has done on a highly
personal level by three immensely tal-
ented individuals: the author, the ailist
and the editor. And it brings people of
Nordic origins full circle from the dawn
of their cultural heritage, through the
twilight of its past accomplishments
remembered to new beginnings in a new
land.
Don Mowatt was Drama and Radio
Features producer at the CBC for thirty-three
years.
-***- ,• 'Xw
•Av;.

Warren Oddsson’s stipple ink draw-
ing for the poem Northern Light -
Greenland.
r
Orðaleikur

Match the Icelandic word or phrase to
its English meaning.
(Answers below)
listasafn art school
listasaga artist
listaskóli art museum
listaverk female artist
listahátíð academy of art
listamaður art history
listakona work of art
listaháskóli arts festival
ornið
Answers
yc jo Xui
-opcDU ‘ijo^spqcjsij ‘.jsiyc opjuisj ‘cuo^cjsij
^spjc ‘JnQCUICJSl| ‘.|CAUS9J S]JC ‘QlipipUSll
íyc jo ^jom ‘^joacjsij íjooips yc ‘ijo^scjsij
‘.Xjojsiq yc ‘cScscjsij íuinssnui yc ‘ujcscjsij
Children 's Corner
by Arný Hjaltadóttir
Anna og Michelle horfa á flugeldasýninguna Anna and Michelle Watch the Fireworks
Anna og strákarnir eru rétt koinin upp í turninn þegar flugeldasýningin byr-
jar. Anna and the boys arrive up in the tower just as the fireworks begin.
Michelle: Ég var farin að hafa áhyggjur
af því að þið kæmuð ekki í tæka
tíð til að sjá fyrstu flugeldana.
Anna: Sjáðu þennan, er hann ekki flottur?
Richard: Jú, en þeir eru allir flottir.
Strákur 1: Þama er einn fimm lita.
Strákur 2: Veistu nafnið á honum?
Richard: Nei, ekki veit ég það, en þið?
Öll hin: Nei, ekki veit ég það.
Strákur 3: Þessi er alveg frábær. Sjáið
hann springur mðrgum sinnum.
Michelle: Já, þeir em fallegir margir hverjir.
Anna: Þetta var sá síðasti.
Richard: Stelpur, farið þið ekki strax heim?
I was getting woiried
that you wouldn’t be here
in time for the first fireworks.
Look at that one, isn’t it flashy?
Yes, but they aie all flashy.
There is one with five colors.
Do you know what it is called?
No, I don’t know, and you?
No, I don’t know.
This one is remarkable. Look
it explodes many times over.
Yes, many of tliem are beauti-
ful.
That was the last one.
Girls, aren’t you going straight
Anna: Við ætlum as skoða okkur um.
Michelle: Hvað er klukkan?
Strákur 1: Hana vantar korter í eitt.
Michelle: Ég verð að fara strax heim annars
verður pabbi alveg óður.
Anna: Allt í lagi við förum beint heim.
Richard: Við skulum fara með ykkur á
We aie going to look ai’ound.
What time is it?
It is quarter to one.
I have to go straight home or
my dad is going to be furious.
Alright, we’ll go straight home.
We’ll go witli you to the
bus stop.
stoppustöðina.
Krakkarnir labba niður úr turninum og þegar þau koma út er svo mikil
þvaga þar að þau geta varla hreift sig. Strákarnir fara á undan og olboga
leið í gegnum mannþröngin og koma stelpunum í gegn. Svo labba þeir með
þeim á stoppustöðina og bíða með þeim eftir strætó. Þegar hann kemur fara
stelpurnar um borð.
The children walk down from the tower and when they arrive outside it is so
crowded that they can hardly move. The boys go ahead and elbow their way
forward through the crowd and get the girls through. Then they walk them
to the bus stop and wait with them for the bus. When it arrives the girls
rétt just flottur home? flashy margir board it. many skoða look vai'la hardly
áhyggjur worried lita colours hverjir each (them) um around hreift moved
kæmuð come frábær remarkable síðasti last one óður furious olboga elbow
tæka tíð in time springur explodes ætlum are going þvaga crowd leið way
um borð board
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