History Matters

History is in every sense alive and well. We visit museums, listen to old tales and read biographies as never before. Why?

Sonnet for Blake from Tara, Norse Mythology

History is in every sense an applied science. Not just because it is amusing and enjoyable, but because we use history in the formation of our identity. We use our own history to figure out where we came from, how we became what we are and where we are heading. In the same way we dig into the history of other people to get a grip of what it means for them to be the kind of people they are.

Nothing but old tales 
Is history, then, nothing but old tales? A bunch of stories? The answer is of course an emphatic NO. In order to use a specific piece of history-writing in our identity formation, we need to be assured that it is not just an elegant myth. We need to know, who is spinning the web we are caught in? We need to dig into the truth behind it all in order to evaluate the truth. Who we are and where we come from are serious questions. We are always on the rampage for bits and pieces we may use for our own identity formation.

Evaluating stories authenticity
For this reason we are never just on the lookout for amusing histories of the others. We wish to evade imbibing any cock-and bull story presented to us. We need to be able to evaluate the many histories presented to us in order to make them part of our own history. We need to evaluate their authenticity.

This is particularly of interest when we travel during the summer to get our busy and fragmented post-modern lives back on the right track. Part of this process is of course just to sit in the sun and think of nothing in particular. Surveys show, however, that even the most placid tourist at some point gets his or her act together and heads for the nearest city, the nearest church or castle, the nearest museum. Implicit questions include: What is the sense of this place? Why am I here? And where should I go?

Various options
Some people go native. They play-act a specific period - be it Viking, Medieval or Renaissance - or they sign up for participation in war-enactments. Others visit national museums and read the latest scientific overview of this or that particular history. Others join archaeological digs, enrol as wine-growers or go on pilgrimages. Others just enjoy travelling to friends and foe in order to socialize.

This summer we will follow some of these trails and try to figure out what goes on in the minds of people who take part in this great and rambling business - professionals, visitors, enactors. We will start out by following in the trails of the Vikings. But be sure to follow-up the following weeks for new cultural travels all over Europe.