Author finds Viking legacy in today’s America

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Eric Dregni

Author Eric
Dregni on Vikings in the Attic and In Cod We Trust

Concordia University Chicago, West Annex of Addison Hall, 7400 Augusta St., River Forest

3 p.m. on Feb. 10

Free and open to the public

(708) 771-8300

Viking Treasures, 438 Robert Parker Coffin Road, Long Grove

11 a.m. on Feb. 12

Free and open to the public

(847) 634-1009, www.vikingtreasures.com

Article Extras

Updated: February 12, 2012 10:49AM

Being born with Norwegian, Swedish and Danish blood pumping through his veins and living in Minnesota wasn’t enough for author Eric Dregni to convey the Scandinavian experience in America to readers.

So, after having penned In Cod We Trust, a book about living in Norway for a year, Dregni, an assistant professor of English at Concordia University in St. Paul, Minn., set out on a journey through the Midwest, Brooklyn, N.Y., and Washington state—areas with large Scandinavian-American populations — to delve deeper into his heritage and that of all Scandinavian-Americans. Vikings in the Attic: In Search of Nordic America (University of Minnesota Press) chronicles his adventure and what he found, which is much more interesting than just lefse and lutefisk.

Q. What inspired you to do Vikings in the Attic?

A. After my wife and I lived in Norway and the Scandinavians spoke about their “colony in the Midwest” (we would be the colonists), I became curious about what actual effect they had and how much of that remains. My dad’s side of the family is all Scandinavian, but many of the darker stories weren’t passed down through the generations. I wanted to find out how the dreams of these stoic skiers, our ancestors, affected us now.

Q. What’s the most biz arre site, story or tradition you came across in your research?

A. I didn’t expect the “black books.” The church dubbed them the “devil’s books” since they contained incantations, spells, old wives’ cures and other unholy bits of advice. Not many of these black books made the trip to the New World since the immigrants often didn’t want to risk the dangerous ocean voyage with a devil’s book in their possession (Hell loomed large). To get rid of a black book, as the legend went, the owner had to write his or her name in blood in the front cover and leave it under the altar or physically under the church building. Still, a publisher in Chicago printed one of these and it was one of its best sellers. Why aren’t more of them around?

Q. Which was the most significant?

A. The most important legacy of the Scandinavians, I believe, was their progressive politics and in particular, the co-ops. This business model allowed the Scandinavians to share the profits rather than selling their grain, cream, and other valuable goods to the commercial mills or creameries. A Danish bishop in northern Iowa went around the Midwest giving his “butter sermons” telling the Scandinavians to not give up their valuable cream and milk, but to form co-op creameries. Soon the co-op movement spread to grain elevators, electric co-ops, gas co-ops, food co-ops, etc. They stood up to the “robber barons” and formed these co-ops, which allowed for a higher standard of living for all.

Q. It seems In Cod We Trust provided the perfect segue, yes?

A. Living in Norway provided the perfect backdrop for writing Vikings in the Attic. In fact, it proved essential because I could see what traditions were of Scandinavian origin and which ones came from elsewhere. Some of the customs, such as Swedish egg coffee, are practically nonexistent now in Sweden, but alive and well in the Midwest. Norwegian linguists come to the Midwest to study certain dialects that still exist here, but have since died off in Norway.

Q. How long did you spend in Norway and Sweden for In Cod We Trust?

A. My dad and I had done a month-long bicycling tour through Denmark, Sweden, and Norway when I was in high school. Then my wife and I lived in Trondheim, Norway, for a year and had our first baby there (paid for generously by the Norwegian government: $5,000 plus all health care costs).

Q. You became the pied piper of cats. Please explain.

A. Well, when we lived in Trondheim, my goal was to try as many of bizarre fish concoctions that our friendly neighborhood fishmonger sold. One of them was klippfisk, or dried and salted cod, something along the lines of beef jerky. My Norwegian friends said they grew up with this “Norwegian chewing gum,” which tasted like salty fish leather. Yum! After a few minutes of chewing while walking through the alleys of Trondheim, I threw it away, much to the delight of some alley cats who then followed me because I couldn’t get rid of the stench –– plus we had our catch of the day from the fishmonger.

Q. Do people really eat lutefisk? What’s it taste like?

A. I had been told that Norwegians and Swedes no longer eat lutefisk back in Scandinavia, but that’s not true. It’s just that we in the Midwest eat three to four times as much as they do. The flavor and texture vary from delicate flaky white fish to congealed cod mucous that jiggles each time you poke it and threatens a long night in the bathroom. Obviously the former is more desirable.