Nordic on Tap - the podcast

Sep 03 2024 37 ep. 37 mins 12
Nordic on Tap - the podcast artwork

Join us on an engaging and delightful tour of Nordic culture, through traditional music, art, history, and language. You’ll be inspired by the stories of fascinating people who have done great things, but are otherwise just like you and me. We’ll also stretch your imagination with Nordic folktales, reflecting on how they speak to the common humanity in all of us.

  Society & Culture  Arts  Music
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Carolus Linnaeus: Names, Flowers, and Bananas

Sep 03 2024 51 mins  
A biography of the famed Swedish botanist, Carl Linnaeus, exploring the time that he lived and the stories he left behind. Although he lived 300 years ago, his contributions are still felt in science, especially biology. We interview Dr. Tamara Caulkins and visit a university greenhouse with Linnea Stavney to see a banana ”tree”.

Wealth, Greed, and Responsibility in Nordic Folktales

May 28 2024 49 mins  
In this podcast we listen to the tales “Big Peter and Little Peter” from Norway and “The Merchant” from Denmark. We talk about how greedy people may acquire riches and become quite wealthy. Then there are wealthy people who come to be rich through hard work and dealing fairly with others. We look at how these folktales differentiate between wealth gained through greed and w

Norwegian Society and the Laws of Jante

Feb 06 2024 42 mins  
Nordic society seems to be governed by a set of unspoken rules on how to behave around others. These rules or ”laws” were first articulated by the Danish author, Aksel Sandemose in a novel that described life in a fictional town called Jante, ruled by a set of ten laws. Fiona McKinna of Living a Nordic Life blog and podcast discusses what Jante’s Laws (Janteloven) are and how

Nordic Noir: Dr. Jerry Holt on Crime Fiction in Bergen

Dec 29 2023 35 mins  
Join us for a journey into Nordic crime fiction or noir with Dr. Jerry Holt as our guide. Fiction has the ability to transport us into worlds, cultures, geography, and the thoughts of heroes and villains that non-fiction just can't touch. And we are changed by those stories. At a time when we are home-bound due to social distancing, catching up on your reading has never been better

The Rosemaled Church and the Journey to Belong

Sep 30 2023 45 mins  
An ocean-going ship has long been a metaphor for a journey, literal or spiritual, and model ships are still found in some Scandinavian Churches today. It was on a tall ship that immigrants from Scandinavia came to America, carrying their prized possessions in storage trunks, adorned with colorful flowers and vines - an art form called rosemaling. In this episode (see website ) we

Seattle’s Scandinavian Hour Radio Show

Aug 13 2023 40 mins  
In 1959, twenty-year-old Doug Warne and Ron Olsen agreed to produce the Scandinavian Hour, in order to keep this cherished radio program going. Olsen chose the music and Doug handled the guest list and sold the advertising. Thus began this remarkable story lasting for 48 years, and when Olsen passed away in 2008, Warne continued on himself. But in 2017, he solicited additional coho

Relating to Fjord Horses: Rory and Kristin Miller

Jun 11 2023 51 mins  
The Norwegian fjord horse or fjording is one of the oldest breeds of domesticated horses known from 4000 years ago. "Fjords" are masters the mountainous terrain on farms in Norway - surefooted, and pound for pound, the strongest breed of horse in the world. In this podcast, we meet Rory and Kristin Miller of Strawberry Hills Fjords in Chehalis, Washington, who train their horses in

Nordic Folktale Water Creatures

May 12 2023 38 mins  
Join us as we explore folktales about the mosekone and lygtemænd (bog woman and lantern men) of Danish marshes, the fearsome draug and sjøorm (sea spirit and sea serpent) of the northern coast of Norway, the musical fossegrim (water sprite) that inhabits Swedish waterfalls, and the treacherous horse-like nykur (nixie or nøkk) in the lakes of the Faroe Islands and Iceland. We inc

The National Aquarium in Bergen, Norway

Jan 22 2023 40 mins  
The Seattle Aquarium is expanding to include sharks from Indonesia. Is this for the entertainment value or is there an educational component as well? What is the role of aquariums regarding public education, anyway? Is it to appreciate and have empathy for the fish, otters, seals, penguins, etc. or motivate conservation and sustainable behavior? At the same time, Seattle's sister c

The Lur and Prillar Guri with Dr. Joan Paddock

Nov 28 2022 46 mins  
The lur is one of the great folk instruments of Scandinavia and was traditionally used by women at mountain farms, or sæters, in the summertime to gather the herds of cows, sheep, or goats. Less well known is the role of the lur in the story of Prillar Guri, who saved Norway from invaders at the Battle of Kringen in August of 1612. Join me as I interview the marvelous storyteller