It's time to celebrate my Norwegianess. I think that's a word. If not, it is now.

It's time for Syttende Mai (the Seventeenth of May). That's the day Norway got its freedom after being ruled by Denmark for 434 years. It was also the signing and ratification of the Norwegian Constitution in 1814. Celebrations to commemorate that event are held in three of the communities where "Across the Fence" runs; Westby, Woodville, and Stoughton.

Norwegians are known to be rather conservative, quiet, and not ones to brag about themselves. Or maybe that's more of a Norwegian-Lutheran trait. At least that's the way Garrison Keillor portrays us in Lake Wobegon. I find, at least in my own small corner of Norwegianess, that there's a bit of truth to that.

Back in the Viking Age, we were born to be wild. At least that's what the t-shirt says that I designed. However, I changed the phrase to Viking Power… Bjorn to be Wild. It just seemed to have a better ring to it!

As a Norwegian-American with Viking ancestry blood coursing through my veins, I was born to be wild. But, I must have sailed up the wrong fjord at some point in my life. I'm not now, and never have been, the life of the party. I'm a back pew sitter. I do have to admit, mainly because my old friends who knew me when I was younger will tell you; I had a bit of a wild streak at one point. I never went looking for a fight, but like a good Viking, I never backed down from one either. I'll blame it on an old Viking gene being resurrected from a long hibernation. Those Viking ancestors of mine not only went looking for a fight, it was their way of life.

I've done a lot of reading and research on the Vikings. I was interested in them even before I discovered my connection to ancestral Vikings who are mentioned and written about in Norwegian history. I won't bore you with that information here, but it does raise some interesting questions, at least in my mind. What kind of Viking would I have been? What would living in those times have been like? I would also ask, what kind of Viking would you have been? If you have Norwegian ancestry and were able to trace your family lines back far enough, every one of you would find some Vikings in your family tree.

Our Viking ancestors would have made great travel agents. They loved traveling to foreign countries, exploring them, and meeting the people who lived there. I like to tell a friend with Irish ancestry, that my ancestors civilized Ireland. He doesn't agree. But did you know that Norwegian Vikings founded the cities of Dublin, Waterford, Wexford, and Limerick? Besides gold and other valuables that they "found and confiscated," they also brought slaves and mistresses back to Norway from their foreign visits. Many of us can still claim to be 100% Norwegian. All my grandparents came from Norway. But I'd venture a guess that we also have Irish, Scottish, English, Danish, Swedish, French, German, Spanish, and countless other types of blood in our family tree.

My wife has Irish, German, and Danish ancestry. I tell her if we could trace her family back far enough, we'd probably find one of my 28th generation grandfathers chasing after one of her Irish grandmothers during a "fact-finding" trip to Ireland. We're probably related.

The Vikings earned a bad reputation, because of their invading and pillaging other lands, but they were also great craftsmen. If you study the art from the Viking Age, there's a lot of Celtic design found in Norwegian art. There's been a lot of debate among experts as to which country influenced the other in the art designs of that era. Vikings weren't just seafarers and warriors; they were also great artisans.

I've studied the woodcarvings from the Viking Age and they were master wood carvers. Today we have the finest carving tools and we'd be hard-pressed to duplicate their artwork. When we visited Norway we went to the Viking Ship Museum near Oslo. I closely examined the many carvings and artifacts found on the Oseberg Viking ship. I marveled at their craftsmanship.

Yes they were feared warriors. But they were also husbands, fathers, sons, farmers, adventurers, master woodworkers, expert seamen, traders, and colonizers. They worked hard, fought hard, and played hard. They weren't all that different from us, except that they lived in a different time.

I still have hopes of one day sailing on a Viking ship before I join my ancestors in the next great adventure. I don't plan to join my Viking ancestors in the halls of Valhalla (the Hall of the Slain). In Norse mythology, Valhalla is where all the Vikings go who are gloriously slain in battle. I had my chance at that and luckily don't qualify for entry into Valhalla. It's presided over by Odin, where a wolf guards the western door and an eagle hovers over it. It's here that the Valkyries, Odin's messengers and spirits of war, bring the heroes that died on the battlefields. By day they fight and in the evenings they feast on boar and drink large amounts of ale. Sounds like quite a party. I told you we Vikings were Bjorn to be wild!

If you get to Westby for the Syttende Mai celebration, stop by the Heritage Tent and say hello. I'll be there on Saturday and Sunday. We can talk across the carving bench. I'll have Across the Fence books for sale too.