By Gålrum's Graves - Gotland, Sweden

Why are we here ?

Questions. All civilizations must tackle the same ones.

What’s the meaning of life ?

Valid questions the lot of them.

What follows death ?

Do you know ?

And even if they are answered, a problem arises.

When a culture long ago has inspired its people towards holistic answers as to the meaning of existence... we then forget what they meant, but we find lots of their stuff.

Their stones and their tombs. Sometimes a mug. And we’re very confused about most of it.

More questions.

What did they mean ? Why does it look like a boat ?

Did they worship warships ?

Historians can only project and guess. Mostly embarrassing themselves.

But not bards. And traveling poets. They know.

Far for these tired limbs carry out all of His Plans

Tie them all into one the Flower, the Scent and the Storm

Far for these tired limbs but I’ll hold on to Him

Carry me far carry me far hold it aloft

All the Beauty outside inside of me fast

All tied to one all tied to one Mystery grand

We will drink Mead as friends as it all is combined

As it all combines

I’ll find my place I’ll find my place down here below

I’ll surrender my kin to the great binding might

Far and it’s all a dream and the stars they rule upon Time

Stars in the Sky I’ll learn to unveil you Truth unspoken of

All that is known, all that is to be known

All that is to be known, all that is known

 

Gålrum’s Graves

The site is a fascinating collection of monuments. It lies by the tranquil East-coast of the island, less than an hour’s drive down from Visby.

Five Cairns are present here. These are big piles of rock with sometimes chambers or tombs underneath. According to my research into other people’s research, they were built here between 2000 BC and 1000 BC. The biggest and oldest one “Digerrojr” is 30 meters in diameter and is 4 meters high. Not is great shape, but that’s good for questions. It generates even more of them.

Cairn you see?

There’s not much in the way of explanations on site, so it’s a questions carnaval.

It seems the stone “shipwreck” tombs or Skeppssättningar were added later on, changing the area from a Cairn site to a bit of a mix. From 1000 BC to 500 BC. The fact they all point South is of particular interest to me.

Can you seafaring tombs?

It’s possible the lyrics above were singing with a different ship in mind. Baltic, but bigger and crucially not there. Let’s see if I can take you there later. A SAIL-ient plan. A MAST do. Oh buoy, I’ll give you a WAVE when we get there.

If you want to learn more about Gålrum this is quite the page-turner. Thank me later. And now, right now, this second, in the comments.

Extra Bit

musn’t forget to write this bit

Midsommarafton in Gotland's capital Visby

Long ago, the Visby defensive walls encircled a city full of merchants and workers, even pirates and enemy soldiers some decades.

But these (summer) days, rosebushes instead encircle you, as does their alluring scent of quiet, gentle romance. Obviously, love is in the Midsommarafton air.

Many thoughts arose, mostly about flowers

SWEDISH LESSON

Midsommarafton

mid (trad.) = middle

sommar = summer

afton = eve

Make sure you stay an inordinate amount of time on the “ms” of sommar, like you’re stuck on a thought right in the middle of your word.

MIDSOMMARAFTON

This mid-summer eve is a Swedish celebration that takes place on the Friday evening closest to the shortest night of the year. That’s tonight!

And so the sun is shining longer on the flower-strewn fields, all gently swaying in a cooling June breeze.

Det går en vind över vindens ängar - Here travels a wind over the wind’s meadow

According to the legends, the magic of this short night helps unmarried girls picture their future husbands in their dreams. First however, they must collect seven different flowers at dusk in complete silence. These wild flowers are then put under their pillows and the girls are off into their motion-picture dreamland.

A bouquet for the van works also, but don’t sleep at the wheel!

Every swede picks flowers on Midsommarafton. The day’s magic is felt in many ways, some very simple, likes spending time in nature and enjoying the almost never ending evening. That of course, brings out the poet and singer out of many sensitive souls:

Och jag ska skriva en sommarvisa - And I will write a summer ballad 

Med sol och blomdoft i melodin - With sun and the scent of flowers in its melody

And is there a better setting for such a song than the Visby botanical gardens ?

Jag ville sjunga om Katarina - I wanted to sing about Katarina

Till träklangsflöjter och alcymbal - To the tune of wooden flutes and copper cymbals

This song “Visa vid vindens ängar” was written in 1966 by Swede Mats Paulsson, born in Linköping, just accross the water from Gotland. A great Swedish songwriter who lived to enjoy mid-summer eves all the way until his last in 2021.

Med åren blev hon en dröm en saga - But with the years she became a dream, a fairytale

En ensam vandrares sympati - A lonely wanderer’s comfort

As the poet puts it, ‘tis a bittersweet feeling every year that replaces the Midsommarafton cheer, as once it is passed, the days will get shorter and shorter. Which in Sweden is quite the challenge let me tell you.

Not for children though, they always find creative ways to entertain themselves.

By the way, would any eagle-eyed readers be able to figure out why the song footage is so non-sensical and shaky ?

Classic case of Paulsson being misheard as “pull some!”

Visby, Gotland - It's what they did, they were the HANSAAA

Songs about breakups are a blast. Thanks Miley Swift and co.

However the palpitating story of Visby, the capital of Gotland is just as compelling. And much like Miley Swift’s breakup songs, it’s a lot about money. Step back in time a millennium and learn more:

 

VISBY TRADING HUB

As you can see on the map, the island of Gotland is perfectly placed to be a North-European trade hub. And that’s just what it became around a thousand years ago, trading with German guilds or “hansas” and setting up a trading posts all the way to what is now Novgorod, a Kievan Rus’ principality.

From the East we've got timber

From the East we’ve got fur,

From the West we've got English cloth

Would you are for a cup of hot water?

Tea hadn’t been brought home by the Brits yet you see.

Started out in German Towns

Zusammen klappt es richtig gut

Partnerships in trade all round

Silver coins and fancy suits

Food and drink are as worthy trade ventures as fine clothes and bear skins:

We've got the very best Herring

What is that you can't hear? (best herring, not the best hearing)

We've got the very best Swedish Herring

Wash it out with this beer!

THE HANSA

THE Hansa is no ordinary hansa. It’s the big one, lobbying for free trade for its members all over the Baltic and North Seas. Visby is no longer in the driving seat and the unofficial capital of this union of cities is now Lübeck, in Germany. Visby’s era as main star is over, she’s now one of many:

Can you spot Visby ? hint: it’s an island

Gotland here was Batlic hub

but Lübeck is now Hansa Queen

And now for a part of the song actually about a breakup.

THE 1%

Something very odd happens when you have lots of money: you want more. I mean, back in those days anyway.

So the rich merchants, nobles and clergy in the capital were happy to see privileges afforded to the island’s peasants reduced over time. Their goods gradually became more taxed to be allowed to be traded with the rest of the Hansa.

Hard to imagine right ? RIGHT? (Anybody reading this from an office in the Cayman Islands?)

Of course this can lead to tensions. But what’s better that negotiations and sharing ? A WALL of course !

And so the great big Visby city walls were further developed over time, to protect themselves from the islanders!

Do you like specific dates ? I read in the local museum that: “The Hanseatic League underwent changes in the 1280s, when membership was restricted to towns only. This posed a problem for Gotland, since many farmers also took an active part in trading.”

“By decree of a Hanseatic convention in 1287, farmers were forced to travel to Visby to conduct trade. This later led to civil war on Gotland.”

Visby rallies to the club

The Gotland folk won't be so keen

When the Hansa taxes grows

On the goods brought from without

1288 it comes to blows (or Civil War as one might put it)

Build a wall to keep 'em out

But walled nit be nice to be together ?

THE DANES ARE HERE…

… to paint it red ! Let the peasants die instead !

When the feared Danish King Valdemar invaded in 1361, the city folk promptly closed the gates. Outside the walls, 1800 Gutes (inhabitants of Gotland) battled on and were slaughtered by the Danes. Then the gates were just as promptly opened to let the conquerors in.

Valdemar was a bit annoyed at this whole Hansa business you see, monopolies are no fun when you’re not playing.

Anyway, once in possession, he set up three huge beer barrels and informed the city fathers that if the barrels weren't filled with silver and gold within three days, he would turn his men loose to pillage and burn the town. To Valdemar's surprise, the barrels were filled before nightfall that very evening! They were really loaded you see.

To this day, every little Swede knows this story and the term Brandskattning.

Brand = fire

Skattning = taxing

Valdemar no mercy holds

Fill his barrels with churches' GOLD!

Where the gold at ?

Better prepare some coins to enter the city, trading your goods doesn’t come sheep!

PIRATES OF THE BALTIC SEA

The last verse is a word of warning to all planning a visit of the island’s capital during the late 14th century:

Russians, Germans & Gutes

Swedes and Danes in the City

Fear for your life and your goods

Pirates here have no mercy

Victual Brothers attack

Our ships disrupt our affairs

In 1394 no luck

The entire Island is theirs!

The victual brothers ! Originally a band of sailors and nobles who provided food and goods to blockaded regions, these pirates are now at the gates! And though the Hansa will go on for another couple of hundred years, it’s all downhill from there for Visby, once a thriving independent Baltic trading hub.

Basically the rest of its history goes: Teutonic knights fight off the pirates then sell the island to Valdemar’s daughter, queen Maggie I. It later becomes so run down its Hansa status is revoked, only to be later burned down by folks from Lübeck, oh the irony! All for a Danish throne dispute. What a shame. At least there’s parts of it left over still to sing around and visit.

But the Hansa will fight back

Changing sides as time goes by

Our cities have each other's back

Kind’a

Sort’a

Trade's our nack…

Seen better days, but St. Karin’s Cathedral on the town square’s still standing