Ordinary Vikings come alive in East Bethel

• Tweet
• 
• 

• Tweet
• 
• 

by Sue Austreng
Staff Writer

As mighty oaks sway in the crisp autumn wind, leaves float gently to earth and golden sunlight winks in eyes fixed on waxen faces.

Lance Nelson of Blaine poses with Mimir, for which his face served as model. Mimir represents the well of knowledge, bubbling over with informative conversation.

Like a magical scene whispering in the quiet autumn forest, the faces glow, the branches dance, the stories come alive.

This is Ordinary Vikings, a collection of 30 “bog stav” sculptures hanging as mobiles, moving in the wind and creating a living forest at the University of Minnesota’s Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve in East Bethel.

Swedish-American artist Jill Marie Johnson spent five years – and an entire Scandinavian lifetime – creating Ordinary Vikings, an exploration of the tribal roots of the Scandinavian Viking culture.

“I grew up in Anoka, my grandfather farmed here in East Bethel and my grandmother made sure I knew I was Swedish,” said Johnson, a 1978 graduate of Anoka High School who currently lives in Moorhead.

“These are our cultural stories,” Johnson said of the Nordic tales on which Ordinary Vikings is based.

“And this exhibit asks, ‘Are we still tribal 1,000 years after the last Viking axe was thrown?’” said Johnson, who then asked, “Does this exhibit spark any sort of hidden reaction in you? Any sideways memories? Do any of these move you?”

As hikers wandered through the reserve Oct. 16, pausing to greet Ordinary Vikings suspended from the branches overhead, Johnson said. “These stories formed our culture. This is how Scandinavian people understood the world. We need to learn our stories, learn how to be in the world. This is a good starting point,” she said.

Johnson said the figures she created, using contemporary Minnesota Swedish Americans – and a couple of Norwegian Americans – as models, are based on tribal stories from the Bronze and Iron Age, leading to the Viking age.

Becoming bog stav
Local Swedish and Norwegian Americans became historic Scandinavian characters in Jill Marie Johnson’s depiction of Ordinary Vikings, on exhibit at the University of Minnesota’s Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve in East Bethel. Listed here are the Nordic characters and what they represent in Scandinavian heritage, followed by the local person’s name, occupation and city of residence.
Huldra Troll: Beautiful woman with a tail, guarding entrances; LuAnn Marotte, administrative assistant, Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve, East Bethel.
Surt: Fire god who ignites the blaze of Ragnarok, the end of the world that brings rebirth; Jon Anderson, junior scientist/fire team, Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve, Blaine.
Mimir: The well of knowledge, bubbling over with informative conversation; Lance Nelson, Blaine.
Vili: Co-creates the world with brothers Odin and Ve; Gerald Johnson, retired educator, Anoka.
Odin: Gave up an eye for wisdom; two ravens thought and memory; Wally Johnson (Gerald Johnson’s brother), Anoka.
Forseti: Justice and law, in a temple with red gold pillars; Steven Johnson, retired law enforcement, Coon Rapids.
Valkyr: Clearing the battlefield after war; Jessica Johnson, mortuary science student, Coon Rapids.
Valkyr: Providing hospitality and mead to the Vikings in Valhalla; Mallory Johnson, high school student, Coon Rapids.
Tyr: Serves as a soldier, offers hand to Fenrir the wolf; Joe Dukich, Marine recruit, Blaine.
Frigg: Hearth and home, bird’s nest; Naomi Johnson (“extra mom to many”), Anoka.

Johnson used authentic Viking materials for the sculpture pieces, casting beeswax impressions of Scandinavian American faces and attaching them to found tree branches in Cedar Creek’s oak savanna.

Johnson’s work creating Ordinary Vikings links some aspect of the real person’s life to an aspect of the Nordic cultural archetype from the stories of Scandinavian historical characters, including Odin, Thor, Loki, Freya, Frigg and many others.

“The (Ordinary Vikings) project explores how each person’s real-life story parallels a Nordic cultural story,” Johnson said.

Johnson spent the past two summers studying in Sweden and in Denmark.

“I was very surprised to see the same type of figures I was making at the Lejre Denmark Historical Park,” she said.

Johnson’s work is recognized in Sweden, where she has two exhibits planned in 2012.

Following its October exhibit at Cedar Creek, Johnson’s Ordinary Vikings installation will next hang in Moorhead, a place the artist currently calls home.

“This is a cultural exploration about the stories and images that show our rich and deep heritage as Scandinavian people. I’m intrigued by how it stirs in people, waking memories, resurrecting old stories,” she said.

The Swedish Council of America and the Minnesota State Arts Board provided funding for Ordinary Vikings; it was sponsored by the Nordic Arts Alliance and the Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve.

Sue Austreng is at sue.austreng@ecm-inc.com

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Name *

Email *

Website

Comment

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a class="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>