In school, I hated history; it was nothing but memorizing dates and laws. But history is so much more than that…something I learned when my step-mother entered the family. She was big into genealogy and she traced my Dad’s side of the family. Oh, boy, did she fire up a spark!
I was born under the water sign on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. Being near the water has always been where I felt most at home. I wondered why…
Now, I know…
My ancestors were Norsemen; people who went a viking (on a voyage of exploration). My step-mother only traced the family as far back as their arrival in the New World. She always said that ancient European history when it comes to familial lineage, was untrustworthy because people could easily buy titles and thrones. Supposedly the family stems from royalty; but who knows if it is true.
My family is among those who helped to colonize this New World as far back as Jamestown. In 1640 Captain Anthony brought a boatload of settles looking for a new start.
I don’t know if my Nordic ancestors sailed the seven seas, but I am sure they wandered around a few of them.
Ever since I learned of the Norsemen who first came to Newfoundland around the year 1000, I always wondered if my ancestors were among the men who landed here.
With beginnings in northern Europe, my ancestors did what I call the island hop – they sailed from Europe to Scotland, to Ireland, to England before coming to America; but did they make any stops in Iceland or Greenland????
Somewhere along the way, the Brits changed out name – they gave it an English spelling (still confusing 🙂 ) and even then there are two different spellings of the name.
Who thought that changing the spelling and pronunciation of the name was a good idea?
Any real signs of my Nordic past have long gone…at least the physical ones. But my Nordic past lives on…the call of the water lives within my blood. I feel most at home in a boat and on the water.