If it's Thursday, it must be time for a new Sabaton History episode. Today it's all about The Lion of the North: Gustavus Adolphus.
And to quote the Description:
It was a time of religion and war. Legends tell the tale of a mighty Swedish King, a Lion from the North, who arrived in the German Empire with a mighty host to save Protestantism. Beyond the legends, Gustavus Adolphus was a warrior king who sought to create a Swedish empire through hegemony on the Baltic Sea. Once, Sweden's involvement in the 30 Years War had begun out of sheer necessity, but soon send her armies on a path of glory and fame. But would this path lead the Swedish King to victory or his inevitable demise?
Being that I live in the American Diaspora of Norway and Sweden that is Minnesota, this is relevant to my interests. My mother's side is the Scandie side, and despite the wreckers and traitors going about their business here the big institutions here are named by and for that diaspora. It is unfortunate that the same social process that deracinated the Germans here due to the World Wars also did that to the Norwegians and Swedes here. Now the descendents of those settlers don't know their history or speak their home tongues, making for a difficult time comprehending why--despite being assimilated into Anglo culture--they still think and act like their cousins back home. (We do, stupidity and all, and observers have noticed.)
If there is any reform here to be made, it is to reconnect to the home countries, and that means teaching the histories and languages of those settler nations here. Minnesota is not Angloland, not when the other prominent nations were French and Irish, and it is time that we reconsider our connections to a tradition that may well be alien to us.
(Side Note: Gara of HololiveEN hit 1 million subscribers on YouTube today. Congratulations, Shark Gurl.)
Bradford
ReplyDeleteThe French were that far?
I always assumed the notable Scandinavian settlement is what made Minnesota unique among the states.
xavier
It was the French that first explored and established settlements here, as fur traders plying the massive lakes and rivers here. It is evident today mostly in the Vietnamese and Hmong areas, as they took over the old French neighborhoods, as well as what informal French diplomatic presence we have here.
DeleteWhich is more than the Republic of Ireland does here (nothing), but I think that may be due to most Irish here being Northern Irish and thus from UK territory. (Explains the Scot and English admixture.)
Bradford
ReplyDeleteThanks. I knew they went as far as Iowa but not Minnesota. Glad to learn something new.
Interesting about the Irish.
xavier