Nordic Spirit Symposium

Our journey into Viking Age culture will probe the Icelandic sagas, a Viking legacy and contribution to world literature, as well as Viking Age art, life and beliefs. You are invited to experience this program with distinguished speakers and polished performers, and to share the time-honored spirit of a symposium, blending music, dining and the free exchange of ideas to enhance the pleasure of learning.

Saturday schedule:
9 a.m. - Samuelson Chapel
Admission is $40, free for students.

The Icelandic sagas are a common thread linking much of the Saturday program, from Viking women to Christianization. Delightful conclusions to the afternoon and evening events will be provided by a captivating and charming duo of musical storytellers who play, sing, drum and dance in an inspiring and interactive journey into the magic of mythology.

“Viking Women: Valkyries and Housewives – Mistresses and Mothers”
Marit Synnøve Vea, Project Manager, Avaldsnes Project, Norway

“The Icelandic Sagas”
Merrill Kaplan, Ph.D., Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures, Center for Folklore Studies, Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Ohio State University

“Living Every Day in Iceland with the Still Alive Sagas”
Bill Holm, Minnesota poet, author and educator

“Pagan Norway Turns Christian: A Few Facts and Many Fictions”
Anders Winroth, Ph.D., Department of History, Yale University

“Dancing with the Northern Lights – A Musical-Magical Journey into the World of the Valkyries”
Ulla Suokko, flutist, singer and storyteller, and Carlos Revollar, flamenco guitarist and singer

7 p.m. - Lundring Events Center
Dinner and entertainment. Reservations required. Admission is $38.

Please call (818) 788-4552 or e-mail seeallan@sbcglobal.net for information and early registration. The Nordic Spirit Symposium is sponsored by the Scandinavian American Cultural and Historical Foundation and California Lutheran University, and is made possible by generous grants from the Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation and the Royal Norwegian Consulate General in San Francisco.

Photo: Carlos Revollar and Ulla Suokko