dashboard | april 1, 2017 SCANDINAVIAN QUIZ
2 In Norse mythology, Sleipnir was a horse with how many legs? a) 8 b) 6 c) 12 d) 4
3 Which fish is the traditional ingredient of the Scandinavian dish “gravad lax”? a) flounder b) tuna c) salmon d) herring
In Norse mythology there are two groups of gods: The Æsir and the Vanir. The Æsir were gods of power and war, whereas the Vanirs were more connected with cultivation and fertility. Some scholars have speculated that the interactions between the Æsirs and the Vanirs reflect the interactions that occurred between social classes (or clans) within Norse society at the time. The Æsir-Vanir War occurred between the two groups and ultimately resulted in the unification into a single clan of gods. Odin, illustrated above, was the king of the Æsir, and the most powerful god. Though primarily a god of war, Odin is also associated with wisdom, poetry and magic. Odin rides ahorse called Sleipnir, and his famous spear is called Gungnir. He is also the owner of two ravens called Hugin and Munin, who tell him all the things that are happening around the world. Odin has only one eye, he sacrificed the other for a drink from the fountain of wisdom. Odin is married to Frigg and Jord, the earth. His eldest son Thor is god of thunder. Name’s Days of the Swedish Calendar Namnsdagar i april månad.
April 01 April 02 April 03 April 04 April 05 April 06 April 07 April 08 April 09 April 10 April 11 April 12 April 13 April 14 April 1
Harald/Hervor Gudmund/Ingemund Ferdinand/Nanna Marianne/Marlene Irene/Irja Vilhelm/Helmi Irma/Irmelin Nadja/Tanja Otto/Ottilia Ingvar/Ingvor Ulf/Ylva Liv Artur/Douglas Tiburtius |
New York Chicago Stockholm Kiruna Lund Los Angeles 2 NORDSTJERNAN
Sunrise & Sunset
6.39 am 6.32 am 6.13 am 5.48 am 6.38 am 6.39 am
7.21 pm 7.16 pm 7.30 pm 7.39 pm 7.45 pm 7.14 pm
4 Which of the Scandinavian countries are monarchies? a) Finland, Sweden and Norway b) Denmark, Finland and Sweden c) Sweden, Norway and Denmark d) Norway and Sweden 5 Which Scandinavian country governs the Faroe Islands a) Denmark b) Iceland c) Norway
6 Which country produces Lego? a) Germany b) Denmark c) Sweden d) Finland CULTURE
Namnsdagar
7 What is the most popular souvenir sold in Sweden? a) Dalahäst b) moose-crossing warning sign c) Pippi Longstocking doll
8 Which countries officially make up Scandinavia? a) Finland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands b) Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland c) Denmark, Norway and Sweden d) Denmark, Norway, Greenland, Sweden
9 What Scandinavian playwright wrote plays like “Hedda Gabler” and “Rosmersholm”? a) August Strindberg b) Henrik Ibsen c) H.C.Andersen d) Gustav Fröding 10 To what country does the island of Bornholm belong? a) Sweden b) Denmark c) Norway d) Germany Answers: 1:B, 2:A, 3:C, 4:C, 5:A, 6:B, 7:B, 8:C, 9:B, 10:B
1
What Swedish town is known as “rosornas stad” (city of the roses)? a) Borgholm b) Visby c) Landskrona d) Trosa
April
Marianne – April 4 Marianne or Mariann is a female name with several possible origins. The most obvious one might be the French form of the Latin Mariana, which means “woman” or “female.” Further back it might be related to the Hebrew name Miriam, which in the Bible was the name of Herod’s wife. There’s also a Greek name, Marianna. It can also be a form of the Hebrew Mirjam (or the Arameic Mariam). In France it became popular during the 18th century as a diminutive of Marie. The name has been used in Sweden since the 1600s but it became common only in the 1900s, peaking during the 30s and 40s. It’s the 12th most common female name in Sweden, even though few babies today are named Marianne. There are 102,758 women in Sweden with the name today - 26,280 have it as their given name. Ingvar – April 10 The man’s name Ingvar is an Old Norse name meaning “Ing’s warrior.” It is thought that Ing was a Norse god, whose identity remains unknown (see Ingemund, Ingemar, Ingrid, Ingegerd etc).
Ingvar was enormously popular during the 1920s and 30s, but has since been used only as a middle name. Today there are 48,274 men with the name, and only 8,228 of them have it as their given name.
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