Saturday 13 January 2018

09:30 Lois and I go into the shower cubicle and afterwards we get up. She strained a muscle in her foot yesterday, and I am trying to discourage her from being on her feet any more than necessary today, but it's hard.

She hurries into the kitchen and assembles ingredients for a stew. I go out to the back yard to pick carrots and parsnips. I finally manage to persuade her to sit down for a while.

10:00 I print out the text of "The Greenland Prophetess", the 4th chapter of Erik the Red's Saga. Erik's saga is a Nordic saga about the northmen's colonization of America. Scilla's U3A Old Norse Group is holding its next meeting on Wednesday in the town's library, and Erik's Saga is the group's current project.

The story recounts events that lead to Erik the Red being expelled from Iceland and having to travel to Greenland, as well as Leif the Happy's discovery of Vinland after his longship lost its way. Geographical details in the text indicate that Vinland is today's Newfoundland, and it was probably the first European discovery of the North American mainland, about five centuries before Christopher Columbus's journey to Central America.

Erik the Red, who discovered Greenland

The fourth chapter of the story, "The Greenland Prophetess," is about a minor event in the story. There is a terrible famine in Greenland, and a local prophetess named Torbjørg predicts the end of the famine with the help of an Icelandic woman, Gudrid, whose father, Thorbjorn, was friends with Erik the Red. And it was one of Eriks sons, Leif, who accidentally discovered North America.

Are you confused? No? Well, you will be!

The saga was written during an interesting era in the history of Iceland and Greenland because Christianity had begun to impact society, but many people were reluctant to drop their traditional religion, with all those gods, all that magic, etc. Gudrid hesitated to help Prophetess Torbjorg to come up with her predictions, because she said she was a Christian.

And when Erik the Red's wife, Thodhjild, was converted to Christianity, she refused to have intercourse with him after that, because he had not converted - what madness !!! Poor Erik !!!!

Thodhjild, Erik's wife

Sorry - that was a bit of a digression! But back to Scilla's U3A Old Norse Group, and its current project: The Greenland Prophetess (Torbjørg).

At the time there was a terrible famine in Greenland, and when Torbjørg, the local prophetess, predicted the imminent end of the famine, the local squire and his friends were very happy to hear the good news. And at the end of the ceremony, many of the men used the opportunity to consult the prophetess about "what they were most curious about finding out", according to the saga's author.

Torbjørg, the Greenland prophetess, psyches herself up for a typical seance

These vikings, who approached the Prophetess Torbjørg at the end of the seance, used the opportunity to consult her, probably mainly because the local squire was already paying her, so the consultation was free.

extract from the saga,

with my translations (in red)

But the men were also perhaps examples of the more sensitive vikings who lived in Greenland at that time. Not all vikings were as bloodthirsty and merciless as we sometimes tend to believe, and with a little encouragement, many of them could be prompted to show their feminine side, no doubt about that.

11:00 I talk to Lois a little about what kind of questions these vikings might have asked the prophet when they were "one on one" with her. The list we came up with started as follows:

1. Torbjørg, can you advise me about my love life? Is there anything specific you can see? How can I get on top of things after a hard time in my private life, my marriage etc?

2. I am currently a fairly successful plunderer and happy married. But are there big changes waiting for me in my future?

3. Am I on track in my career as a plunderer?

4. Is it genuinely loyal work colleagues who I see around me when I sail off to plunder?

5. No one talks to me on the ship, but I often hear them whispering about me behind my back. What should I do?

But these questions we are not entirely sure about - the jury is still out on it all, I'm afraid to say! It is undoubtedly just "work in progress"!

13:00 Lunch and afterwards a huge afternoon nap.

18:00 We have dinner and spend the rest of the evening listening to the radio and watching some television.

We hear an interesting radio program all about the siege of Malta in 1565, a crucial period in European history. At that time Christians all over Europe were very afraid that the Islamic Turks would defeat and occupy all of Christendom. They were so worried that they sincerely believed that they were living in the "last days" - good grief, what madness!

The Geneva Convention had not been drafted yet - when the Turks conquered the St Elmo fortress, they killed all their prisoners, chopped their heads off; they were then gutted, and their bodies thrown into the sea to frighten the people of Malta and the other defenders.

The Christians were no more tolerant. The Catholic majority on the island killed and burned all the protestants they could find. What a crazy world we live in !!!!

I cannot help concluding that the Vikings handled these kinds of problems much more sensibly. As a Christian, Gudrid did not want to help out in what was essentially a heathen magic ceremony, but she decided to play along, after the local squire asked her specially to do it.

And Erik the Red still wanted to have sex with Thodhjild, despite the fact that she was now a Christian, whereas he was sticking with the old gods. How refreshing! And there was no talk of Erik and Thodhjild killing or gutting each other, I'm very glad to say!

21:00 We switch off the radio and watch some television. An interesting documentary is on, (2nd part of 5) all about art, and especially the impressionists.

We hear a lot of interesting information about the impressionist movement, which Lois and I did not know before.

1. Without the efforts of an unorthodox art dealer, Paul Durant-Ruel, the movement would have been a total failure - the French art authorities were incredibly conservative and decided not to accept the new-fangled pictures, and the French critics showed up at their exhibitions only to boo and laugh. But Durant-Ruel believed in this new movement, and even bought many of the pictures himself, just to keep it going. His business was a loss-making concern for many years as the result.

2. The Franco-Prussian War of 1870 helped the Impressionist movement for two reasons. Many artists, plus Durant-Ruel himself, the unorthodox art dealer, fled to London, and they all kept in touch with each other while the Germans were threatening Paris. And after the war, we see that it was a slightly less conservative atmosphere that prevailed in Paris and its art world. But the art world was still very hostile to the new style - they really hated it.

3. The most important element: Durant-Ruel, now desperate, decided to travel to the United States, trying to sell some of his pictures over there. He was very surprised to find that the American market was very enthusiastic about the new style. The US economy was in very good state, and there were a lot of filthy rich industrialists who wanted to own some of these new fangled paintings, as well as many ordinary art enthusiasts. It was a young country and was not hostile to new movements and styles. Indeed, it was the American market that saved the movement from likely extinction - it was only after the Americans showed interest in the impressionists' paintings that the French critics began to take them seriously.

Durant-Riel specialized in impressionistic paintings, but I do not know if he was ever tired of seeing just one impressionist picture after another. He perhaps began to look for something different from time to time.

22:00 I talk to Lois about the program. She points out, that Durant-Riel was lucky in that he bought all his paintings cheaply before the artists became famous - the most valuable thing in his art gallery was probably himself, she says.

I recall the famous robbery in 2007 at the local art gallery, when thieves stole nine of the gallery's most valuable volunteer guides in broad daylight, according to the museum curator. "About 10:45am, a number of thieves were in place and ready to disable our security cameras and escape with Judith, Tom and Sharon," said Douglas Druick, describing the condition of these volunteer older guides as fragile and proposing to step up security around all remaining volunteer guides.

Later, when the news site was about to go to press, a private researcher employed by the museum had traced one of the oldest and most admired of the missing guides to a private gallery in Switzerland.

My god, what a crazy world we live in !!!  Museum volunteer guide was one of the positions that Lois and I considered going in for when we first retired, but on reflection, it sounds a bit dangerous now - yikes!

22:15 We go to bed. I read 11 pages of my bedtime book, "The Quantum Astrologers Handbook", before I drift off to sleep - zzzzzzzz !!!!! - zzzzzzzzzz !!!!!

Danish translation

09:30 Lois og jeg går ind i brusekabine og bagefter står vi op. Hun anspændte en muskel i foden i går, og jeg prøver at fraråde hende at være på fødderne mere, end nødvendigt i dag, men det er svært.

Hun skynder sig ind i køkkenet og samler ingredienser til en biksemad. Jeg går ud i baghave for at plukke gulerødder og pastinakker. Det lykkes mig endelig at overtale hende til at sidde for en stund.

10:00 Jeg udprinter teksten af ”Den Grønlandske Profetinde”, den 4. kapitel af Erik den Rødes Saga. Eriks saga er en nordisk saga om nordboernes kolonisering af Amerika. Scillas U3A oldnorske gruppe holder sit næste møde på ønsdag i byens bibliotek, og Eriks saga er gruppens nuværende projekt.

Sagaen fortæller om begivenheder, der fører til Erik den Røde bliver forvist fra Island og må rejse til Grønland samt Leif den Lykkeliges opdagelse af Vinland efter hans langskib kom ud af kurs. Geografiske detaljer i teksten tyder på at det er nutidens Newfoundland, og det var sandsynligvis den første europæiske opdagelse af Nordamerikas hovedland, omkring fem århundreder før Christopher Columbus' rejse til Centralamerika.

Erik den Røde, der opdagede Grønland

Sagaens 4. kapitel, ”Den Grønlandske Profetinde”, handler om en mindre hændelse i historien. Der er en frygtelig hungersnød i Grønland, og en lokal profetinde ved navn Torbjørg spår om hungersnødens ende ved hjælp af en islandske kvinde, Gudrid, hvis far, Thorbjorn, var venner med Erik den Røde. Og det var en af Eriks sønner, Leif, der tilfældigvis opdagede Nord-Amerika.

Er du forvirret? … Nå ikke… Rolig nu…  Det bliver du!

Sagaen blev skrevet under en interessant æra i Islands og Grønlands historie, fordi kristendom var begyndt at have en indvirkning på samfundet, men mange mennesker tøvede med at droppe deres traditionelle religion, med alle de guder, al den magi osv. Gudrid tøvede med at hjælpe profetinden Torbjorg til at fremsige hendes forudsigelser, fordi hun sagde hun var kristen.

Og da Erik den Rødes kone, Thodhjild, blev konverteret til kristendom, afviste hun derefter at have samleje med ham på grund af, han ikke var blevet konverteret – sikke et vanvid!!! Stakkels Erik!!!! 

Thodhjild, Eriks kone

Undskyld – det var lidt af et sidespring! Men tilbage til Scillas U3A oldnorske gruppe, og dens nuværende projekt: den grønlandske profetinde (Thorbjorg).

Der var dengang i Grønland en frygtelig hungersnød, og da Torbjørg, den lokale profetinde spåede om hungersnødens ende, var den lokale godsejer og hans venner meget glade for at høre de gode nyheder. Og ved slutningen af séancen benyttede mange af mændene lejligheden til at konsultere hende om ”det, de var mest nysgerrige om at finde ud af”, ifølge sagaens forfatter.

Torbjørg, den grønlandske profetinde, forbereder sig mentalt på en typisk seance

Disse vikinger, der ved slutningen af seancen henvendte sig til profetinden Torbjørg, benyttede lejligheden til at konsultere hende, sandsynligvis først og fremmest på grund af den lokale godsejer allerede havde betalt hende, så konsultationen var gratis.

et udrag af sagaen,

med mine oversættelser (i rød)

Men mændene var også måske eksempler på de mere følsomme vikinger, der dengang boede i Grønland. Ikke alle vikinger var så blodtørstige og nådesløse, som vi nogle gange har tendens til at tro, og med lidt opmuntring kunne mange af dem blive tilskyndt til at vise deres kvindelige side, ingen tvivl om det!

11:00 Jeg snakker lidt med Lois om, hvilke slags spørgsmål disse vikinger kunne have stillet til profetinden, da de var ”en til en” med hende. Listen vi fandt på startede som følger:

1. Torbjørg, kan du rådgive mig om mit kærlighedsliv? Er der noget specifikt, du kan se? Hvordan kan jeg komme ovenpå efter en vanskelig tid i mit privatliv, mit ægteskab osv?

2. Jeg er for tiden en rimeligt succesfuld plyndrer, og lykkeligt gift. Men er der store ændringer, der venter i min fremtid?

3. Er jeg på rette spor for min karriere som plyndrer?

4. Er det  virkelig loyale arbejdskollegaer, som jeg ser omkring mig, når jeg seiler af sted for at plyndre?

5. Ingen taler med mig på skibet, men jeg hører ofte dem hviske om mig bag min ryg. Hvad skal jeg gøre?

Men disse spørgsmål er vi ikke helt sikre på – juryen er stadig ude om det hele, frygter jeg at sige! Det er uden tvivl bare ”arbejde i fremskridt” !

13:00 Frokost og bagefter en gigantik eftermiddagslur.

18:00 Vi spiser aftensmad og bruger resten af aftenen på at lytte til radio og se lidt fjernsyn.

Vi hører et interessant radio-program, der handler om belejringen af Malta i 1565, en afgørende periode i den europæiske historie. De kristne Europa over var dengang meget bange for, at de islamiske tyrkere ville besejre og okkupere hele kristendommen. De var så bekymrede, at de troede inderligt, at de levede i de "sidste dage" – du godeste, sikke et vanvid!

Geneva-konventionen var ikke blevet udarbejdet endnu – da tyrkerne besejrede St Elmo-fæstningen, dræbte de alle deres fanger, huggede hoveder af dem, deres indvolde blev taget ud, og deres lig blev smidt i havet, for at forskrække Maltas befolkning og de andre forsvarere.

De kristne var ikke mere tolerante. De katolsk flertal på øen dræbte og brændte alle de protestanter de kunne finde. Sikke en skør verden vi lever i !!!!

Jeg kan ikke undgå at konkludere, at vikingerne klarede denne slags problemer meget mere fornuftigt. Som kristen, havde Gudrid ikke lyst til at hjælpe til på hvad væsentlig var en magi-præstation, men hun besluttede at spille med, efte den lokale gudsejer bad hende specielt om at gøre det.

Og Erik den Røde havde stadig lyst til at have sex med Thodhjild, på trods af, at hun var kristen, og han fastholdt de gamle guder. Hvor forfriskende! Og der var ikke tale om at Erik og Thodhjild dræber hinanden eller tager hinandens indvolde ud, er jeg meget glad for at kunne sige!

21:00 Vi slukker for radioen og ser lidt fjernsyn. De viser en interessant dokumentarfilm (2. del af 5), der handler om kunst, og i sær om impressionisterne.

Vi hører en masse interessante oplysninger om impressionisme-bevægelsen, som Lois og jeg ikke vidste før.

1.      Uden indsatser af en uortodoks kunsthandler, Paul Durant-Ruel, ville bevægelsen have været en total fiasko – de franske kunstlige myndigheder var utrolig konservative, og  var besluttet på ikke at acceptere de nymodens billeder, og de franske kritikker dukkede op til deres udstillinger kun for at buhe og grine. Men Durant-Ruel troede på denne nye bevægelse, og købte selv mang billeder kun for at holde gang i den. Hans forretning var tabsvirksomhed i mange år som resultatet.

2.      Den fransk-prøssiske krig af 1870 hjalp impressionisme-bevægelsen af 2 grunde. Mange kunstnere, plus selve Durant-Ruel, den uortodokse kunsthandler, flygte til London, og holdte kontakt, mens tyskerne truede Paris. Og efter krigen ser vi, at en mindre konservativ stemning dominerede byen Paris og dens kunstverden. Men kunstverden var stadig meget fjentlig over for den nye stil – de hadede den faktisk.

3.      De vigtigste: Durant-Ruel, nu desperat, besluttede at rejse til USA, og prøvede at sælge nogle af sine billeder derovre. Han var meget overrasket at opdage, at det amerikankse marked var meget entusiastisk over den nye stil. Den amerikanske økonomi var i meget god stand, og der var en masse stenrige industrialister, der ønskede at eje nogle af disse nymodens malerier, derudover mange almindelige kunst-entusiaster. Det var et ungt land, og ikke var fjendtligt over for nye bevægelser og stile. Det var faktisk det amerikanske marked, der reddede bevægelsen fra sandsynlig udslettelse – det var kun efter amerikanerne viste interesse i impressionisternes malerier, at de franske kritikker begyndte at tage dem alvorligt.

Durant-Riel specialiserede sig i impressionistiske malerier, men jeg ved ikke, om han nogensinde blev lidt træt af at se det ene efter den andet, og begyndte måske at længtes efter at se noget lidt anderledes af og til.

22:00 Jeg snakker med Lois om programmet. Hun påpeger, Durant-Riel var heldig, at han købte alle sine malerier billigt, før kunstnerne blev kendte – den mest værdifuld ting i sit kunst-galleri, var sandsynligvis sig selv, siger hun.

Jeg minder om det berømte røveri i 2007 i det lokale kunstgalleri, da tyve stjal ni af galleriets mest værdifulde omvisere i bred dagslys, ifølge museets inspektør (kilde: Onion News). "Omkring kl. 10:45 var en række gerningsmænd klar til at deaktivere vores sikkerhedskameraer og undslippe med Judith, Tom og Sharon," sagde Douglas Druick, der beskrev de ældre omvisernes tilstand som skrøbelig og foreslog på at øge sikkerhed omkring alle resterende frivillige guider.

Senere, da nyhedswebstedet var ved at gå i trykket, havde en privatforsker, der var ansat af museet, opsporet en af de ældste og mest beundrede af de manglende omvisere i et privat galleri i Schweiz.

Du godeste, sikke en skør verden vi lever i !!! Museumomviser var en af de frivillige stillinger som Lois og jeg overvejede at gå ind for, da vi først gik på pension, men ved nærmere eftertanke, lyder det nu lidt farligt – yikes!

22:15 Vi går i seng. Jeg læser11 sider af mine sengetidbog, ”The Quantum Astrologers Handbook”, før jeg glider over i søvnen – zzzzzzzz!!!!! – zzzzzzzzzz!!!!!