Genealogical research has never been more accessible than in this age of digitized information. Learning about one’s ancestors bestows a sense of who we are and our place in the world. Finding Odin was born from the author’s curiosity and search for wisdom as she explored for Scandinavian ancestors. Surprisingly, she found Odin (surmised to be a mortal sixtieth great-grandfather) in her genealogical quest. Finding Odin describes many family connections discovered in twelfth- and thirteenth-century manuscripts, Old Norse sagas, and the work of contemporary researchers reaching back to the first century of the common era and up to the present. We inherit gifts from our ancestors that we often take for granted. Each of us contains within us this inheritance of soul. We are links between the ages, including past and present expectations, sacred memories, and future promises. Finding Odin explores those links.

Moon Travel Guides: Your World Your Way Experience magnificent fjords, historical cities, and magical northern lights with Moon Norway. Inside you'll find: Flexible, strategic itineraries for every timeline and budget, from a week of the highlights to a three-week adventure through the whole country Full-color photos and detailed maps throughout Curated advice for outdoor adventurers, history buffs, culture mavens, road-trippers, and more Must-see attractions and off-beat ideas for making the most of your trip: Find the best photo ops to capture Geirangerfjord's slender waterfalls, or hike to soaring cliffs overlooking glistening glacial lakes. Hop in the car and drive over islets and skerries on the Atlantic Road, or take a scenic train ride overlooking mountains, valleys, and fjords. Explore historic mountain towns, or wander small fishing villages along Norway's dramatic coastline. Admire world-class architecture and art in Oslo's cosmopolitan hub, or see the impressive restored vessels at the Viking Ship Museum. Sample fresh seafood and farm-to-table delicacies, mingle with the locals at neighborhood pubs, and find the best places to see the mystical aurora borealis dance across the sky Expert advice on when to go, what to pack, and where to stay, from Norwegian transplant-turned-local David Nikel Handy tools including a glossary and a Norwegian phrasebook Detailed background information on the landscape, climate, wildlife, and culture Travel tips for international visitors, getting around with children or as a senior, and suggestions for LGBTQ+ travel With Moon Norway's expert tips, myriad activities, and local insight, you can plan your trip your way. Country-hopping through Europe? Try Moon Iceland, Moon Ireland, or Moon Rome, Florence & Venice.

The ancient Religion of the Sun has been one of the most powerful influencers on human history. It gave rise to many of the world's most famous ancient sites and some of its most revered wisdom traditions. This book tells the history of this religion, by bringing together scientific evidence, ancient texts, and traditions.

Introduction : northern exposure -- Stone-worlds -- Houses, land and soil -- Forests and hunting -- Coastal landscapes and the sea -- Boats and waterways -- River mouths and central places -- Birds and cosmology -- The sun, light and fire -- Epilogue.

This book explores various forms of cultural influence and exchange between Britain and the Nordic countries in the late eighteenth century and romantic period. Broadly new-historicist in approach, but drawing also on influential descriptions of genre, discipline, mediation, cultural exchange, and comparative methodologies, these essays not only constitute a substantial and innovative contribution to scholarly understanding of the development of romanticisms and romantic nationalisms in Britain and the Nordic countries, but also describe a pattern of cultural encounter which was predicated upon exchange and a sense of commonality rather than upon the perception of difference or alterity which has so often been discerned by critical descriptions of British romantic-period engagements with non-British cultures. The volume ought to appeal to a broad and genuinely international academic audience with interests in eighteenth-century and romantic-period culture in Britain and Scandinavia as well as to undergraduates taking courses in eighteenth-century, romantic, and Scandinavian studies.

The world-renowned anthropologist and adventurer reviewed his amazing life's work in this captivating memoir, completed shortly before his death in 2002. In the Footsteps of Adam captures the excitement that surrounded Heyerdahl's bold experiments and the conclusions they pointed to. Choosing to put his life on the line for the sake of proving his theories, Heyerdahl most famously crossed the Pacific from Peru to Polynesia in a hand-built raft made of balsa wood (the Kon-Tiki) to show that ancient civilizations were capable of a much wider range of travel and exploration than previously thought. Heyerdahl also recounts his journeys to the Galapagos, the Maldives, and Easter Island, and meetings met with leaders like Mikhail Gorbachev, Fidel Castro and Saddam Hussein. Moving in the footsteps of Adam, Heyerdahl brings to our myopic and often destructive modern world an understanding of the richness and vibrancy of our ancient past.

The Development of an Extraordinary Species We human beings share 98 percent of our genes with chimpanzees. Yet humans are the dominant species on the planet -- having founded civilizations and religions, developed intricate and diverse forms of communication, learned science, built cities, and created breathtaking works of art -- while chimps remain animals concerned primarily with the basic necessities of survival. What is it about that two percent difference in DNA that has created such a divergence between evolutionary cousins? In this fascinating, provocative, passionate, funny, endlessly entertaining work, renowned Pulitzer Prize–winning author and scientist Jared Diamond explores how the extraordinary human animal, in a remarkably short time, developed the capacity to rule the world . . . and the means to irrevocably destroy it.