What is Heritage?

What is heritage? It is a word that does not fit a specific set of rules, because it is something that each one of us defines in a different way. To be technical the actual definition is: “something that has been passed down from one generation to the next.” This seems like a very broad and unhelpful definition, so I’ll tell you what I think heritage is, because maybe what I believe is heritage, you might as well. Growing up with a family that still clings onto our Swedish past, I have experienced an Americanized version of what someone would deem as cultural heritage. I had always seen the Scandinavian objects that still adorn my walls, tasted the traditional food, and experienced holiday traditions that seemed alien to my friends, but never truly understood what they stood for. Then when I was tasked with writing about my ancestry I dove into the family records that yellowed in my grandmother’s house. That was when faces and stories started to appear behind all of the odd traditions that my family held dear. Through these records, I found out that my family had lived for generations near the city of Lund, Sweden in the county of Skåne. I took much pride in the fact that my family was the descendants of the Viking people known as the Geats. It was then that I understood what heritage meant. To me it meant having an identity in the land of one’s ancestors, having a link to your families’ past, and to have that culture envelop you as well as to take on new forms of it. So to answer the question concerning heritage; I say that what it is, is a molding of one’s cultural past into what works today, and to take pride in your ancestral identity.

-Karl

A Swedish Christmas

While walking along the halls of the Nordic Heritage museum I came across something that was new to me but also was quite familiar. What I had seen was a banner of little gnomes known in Sweden as tomtar (tomte for a single gnome). Underneath the dancing gnomes was the inscription:

Image from the Nordic Heritage Museum

Fridens lilla tomte,
På min levnadsstig.
Följ mig städse trogen,
lär mig älska dig.

Which translates to:
Peaceful little gnome,
who’s on my life path?
Faithfully you follow me constantly,
teach me to love you.

This inscription was mainly the reason why I chose this banner to review (not to mention that it was in the Saint Lucia display), because it speaks to the loyalty of the gnome, not simply its duty as a gift giver. Along with the inscription, the dancing gnomes reminded me of my own heritage, because not only have I seen the gnomes many times, but I currently have one sitting atop my dresser.
The story behind these little creatures is one that has been around in a fashion since before the establishment of Saint Lucia in Sweden and is one that has parallels all around Europe and the world. This creature is believed to live under the floorboards much like the brownie (little creature that protects a household) and is said to give out gifts while riding a jul buck (a straw goat). This creature also has a likeness much like Santa Claus. This banner (or something like it) is something that many Swedish families put up around the holidays, because not only does it give a festive feel, but also a reminder of the early form of Santa Claus. This banner, though not the most captivating item at the museum, I think has huge significance and background within the Nordic community, simply because it links the ancient traditions of the early Scandinavians and the modern world.

- Karl

The Wild Hunt Review

Artist: The Tallest Man on Earth

Album: The Wild Hunt

Released by Dead Oceans, 2010

While Kristian Matsson may not stand very tall, he has recently become a giant in the folk music scene under his stage moniker The Tallest Man on Earth. He quickly gained recognition for his unique voice, folky compositions and ingenious lyrics after word spread of his first album, Shallow Grave. While the album was released only in Sweden through Swedish record company Gravitation, Matsson’s passionate playing and abilities quickly spread to an American audience.

Kristian Matsson is a native of a Dalarna, Sweden, although many of his musical influences are American. Citing a range of American musicians as his influences, from Bob Dylan to The Velvet Underground to Charlie Patton, Matsson has drawn on these influences to create a unique style of his own. Despite the strong evidence of his influences on his music, particularly Bob Dylan, The Tallest Man on Earth has a style that is also personal and unique to Matsson, as evidenced by the passion and the emotional intensity he brings to his songs.

This passion is highlighted throughout the compositions on The Tallest Man on Earth’s 2010 album The Wild Hunt. The album starts off with the light, melodic strumming of guitar and banjo lines on “The Wild Hunt,” building to the upbeat strumming and clever lyricism of “King of Spain,” and ending on the soft piano ballad “Kids on the Run.” While each song is itself a beautiful composition, the album as a whole is a work of art too. I constantly return to this album again and again, both for the nostalgia I feel for the time I was first carried away by the emotional fervor that Matsson conveys in the album, as well as the new subtleties I pick up on every time I return to The Wild Hunt. If you are looking for an incredible folk album to lift your spirits and get you in that summertime feel, you don’t have to go on a wild hunt to find it.

-Reviewed by Dylan High

Websites

http://www.myspace.com/thetallestmanonearth

http://deadoceans.com/artist.php?name=tallestmanonearth
http://thetallestmanonearth.com/