Analysis of ancient combs reveals that extensive trade contacts existed around 800 between the Danish viking town of Hedeby, located in today’s Danish-German region of Schleswig-Holstein in Germany, and northern Scandinavia. The combs are made from reindeer antlers, which at the time were only found significantly further north.
Hedeby, or Haithabu in German, was a Danish trading post that, during the viking age between 800 and 1050, is said to have been the largest central town in northern Europe, according to Swedish history magazine Världens Historia. In the year 1050, it was burnt down by the Norwegian king Harald Hardrada (Haraldr harđrádi).
Researchers at the University of York in the UK, Stockholm University, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, the Centre for Baltic and Scandinavian Archaeology (ZBSA), and the Leibniz Research Institute for Archaeology in Germany analyzed hair combs made of deer antler from Hedeby.
The goal of the analysis was to examine the collagen in the combs to determine from which type of deer the combs were made. In the study, published in the scientific journal Antiquity Journal, researchers found that 85 to 90 percent of the combs were made of reindeer antlers.
At the time, reindeer were only found in Northern Scandinavia, indicating that the reindeer antlers and the combs were imported to Hedeby. A previous study also showed that horn waste in the town did not contain much reindeer antler, suggesting that the combs were not produced in Hedeby.
According to the researchers, these findings collectively suggest that there was large-scale and frequent contact between Hedeby and the northern parts of Scandinavia around the year 800.
– We have begun to answer a whole range of questions about the timing of travel and trade in Viking-Age Britain and Scandinavia, says Dr. Steven Ashby at the University of York.
“A very large city at the very end of the world’s ocean”
There are also historical testimonials from Hedeby, including those from Ibrahim ibn Yaqub al-Tartushi, an Arab-Jewish explorer from Spain, who described Hedeby in the 10th century as a “very large city at the very end of the world’s ocean”. He particularly noted the good access to drinking water, the free status of women, and that only a small number of its inhabitants were Christians. According to Al-Tartushi, at that time, the brightly shining star Sirius held a particularly sacred place in the religious beliefs of the Vikings in Hedeby.
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The Danish rock band D-A-D's newly released cosmic album Speed of Darkness stimulates both the rock nerve and the ears, making you want to travel out into space.
Published today 8:29
Photo: Mikael Rasmussen/The Nordic Times
Swedish rock band D-A-D performed at Sweden Rock Festival this year.
There is something magnificent in D-A-D’s (formerly Disneyland After Dark) way of, on the one hand, creating the compositions, lyrics, and sound, and then performing and recording the material with their choice of rhythm, tempo, keys, vocals, backing vocals, solos, as well as bass and drum lines for the songs included on the CD. It is incredibly musical, moving from infectious to stimulating, and it likely resonates in most Danish kinship veins.
Beyond the fact that the whole album is worth listening to, there are two compositions that stand out in particular and became especially moving since we traveled down to Sweden Rock and experienced music from this newly released masterpiece, performed masterfully by the rock gods themselves. The first melody, track number 3 The Ghost, deserves mention – it carries a beautiful sentimental feeling while still igniting the rock nerve.
The second track is, of course, number 7 Crazy Wings. To round it off into a beautiful trinity within this spiritual rock shimmer, track 9 Strange Terrain must also be mentioned, with its liberatingly gritty guitar riffs and wonderful lift in the choir vocals. It is an extraordinary achievement to be able to write an album this good after already having created gems like the cool, stylish, and fantastic Bad Craziness, Sleeping My Day Away, and Are We Alive Here.
For many of us, myself included, this became the highlight of the festival. With nostalgic thoughts of having seen them 30 years ago at the Palladium in Stockholm, the longing to hear them again soon is strong. This cosmic album – and seeing them live – delivers in the only way Jesper Binzer (vocals, guitar), Jakob Binzer (guitar, vocals, keyboards), Stig Pedersen (bass, vocals), and Laust Sonne (drums) can.
They say people put their whole soul into their performance, but Jesper Binzer goes even deeper – drawing power from the very soil beneath Denmark itself. His artistry is such that from the very first note, you know it’s D-A-D playing.
Supernova
From the album cover, the listener and viewer can feel the power and dynamism expressed through its graphic and photographic design. The artwork radiates the recurring skeletal head imagery, reinforcing D-A-D’s language of wanting to travel into space with its majestic cosmic and divine supernova. In memory, I also recall one of the many different guitar-basses that bassist Stig plays – one of them designed exactly like that: a rocket.
It should also be mentioned that the band generously releases additional versions of Speed of Darkness, including a Japanese edition featuring a bonus track for Japan, Let Myself Out of Love, making it fifteen compositions in total to listen to and enjoy on the CD.
A special edition
Generously, they have also creatively produced something they call an “ear-book”. This combined CD edition includes fourteen tracks, accompanied by a kind of comic book-meets-book filled with illustrations, texts, and an exclusive D-A-D photograph, rounding out this hardback edition. It’s a mix of inner, outer, and surrounding punk-rock art. Its value is sure to grow over time – so thanks to all the artists, graphic creatives, composers, musicians, performers, and more who think freely in an otherwise tightened, gray everyday life.
The drawings that enhance the songs’ bodies, souls, and lyrics in the book are created and designed by Stig Pedersen – so we can guess that D-A-D’s bassist also possesses this golden touch. Many music lovers can thus feel gratitude for all the fun this world contains – offering substance, added value, and an oasis to escape into. Finally, it should be noted that in size, the book resembles an LP record sleeve, making it fit perfectly in a collection or as decoration when placed on a shelf.
So next time we want to listen to this work of art, the CD Speed of Darkness, we can let Jesper’s words from Sweden Rock Festival 2025 echo in our minds:
— Now we’re going to have a cozy moment, a really cozy moment, Jesper said, in that uniquely wonderful raspy, rocking, Danish voice of his.
Mikael Rasmussen alias Artist Razz
Speed of Darkness is the thirteenth album by Danish band D-A-D and was released in October 2024 by German label AFM Records.
American director and actor Woody Allen has been added to Ukraine’s controversial Mirotvorets list. The reason is said to be his video appearance at a film festival in Moscow.
Woody Allen, 89, has been placed on Ukraine’s disputed Mirotvorets database – also known as the “kill list”. The list describes Allen as an “enemy of Ukraine” and accuses him of participating in “a Russian propaganda event”.
The background is that Allen recently participated via video link in Moscow International Film Week. There he spoke primarily about his long career and his personal experiences as a filmmaker.
Ukraine’s foreign ministry condemned his participation and described it as “a disgrace and an insult to the victims among Ukrainian actors and filmmakers”.
Orwellian: Woody Allen had been added to Mirotvorets hit list, which is linked to Ukrainian security services. https://t.co/hsKmm7gt8E
As a consequence, the Lviv National Academic Theatre in western Ukraine has canceled planned productions of Allen’s musical Bullets Over Broadway.
The Oscar-winning director has defended his participation and emphasizes that his appearance was not political.
– I believe strongly that Putin is totally in the wrong, Allen said, but stressed that artistic conversations should be able to continue.
Mirotvorets has existed since 2014 and lists people considered to threaten Ukraine’s security or participate in Russian propaganda. The site has long been criticized internationally, as several people added to the list have been subjected to threats, violence and even killed.
Banned from Hollywood
Woody Allen has been the subject of allegations of sexual abuse against his adoptive daughter Dylan Farrow, which her mother Mia Farrow claims occurred in 1992.
The alleged abuse was investigated at the time by social services and police, but the case was dropped without charges due to lack of evidence.
In connection with the controversial #MeToo movement, the allegations gained new life and sparked extensive debate, although again without any actual legal proceedings taking place.
Allen has since been effectively banned from Hollywood, but has continued to release films internationally, including Rifkin’s Festival (2020) and Coup de chance (2023).
Mirotvorets, which roughly translates to "peacemaker" or "peacekeeper" in English, is a Ukrainian database that publishes names of individuals considered to threaten Ukraine's security or participate in Russian propaganda. The list was started in 2014 and is highly controversial, criticized for lack of transparency and linked to threats and violence against listed individuals.
Among examples of confirmed and notable names on the list are:
Alexander Ovechkin, Russian hockey player, listed for his support of Putin.
Roger Waters, musician and activist, after statements supporting Russia's position on Crimea.
Gerhard Schröder, former German chancellor, listed for "pro-Russian" statements.
Viktor Orbán, Hungary's prime minister, placed on the list in 2022.
Zoran Milanović, Croatia's president, added for "pro-Russian" comments.
Vasyl Lomachenko and Oleksandr Usyk, Ukrainian boxers, listed after participating in Russian projects.
Anatolij Shariy, Ukrainian opposition politician and journalist.
Sources: Wikipedia ("Myrotvorets"), UNIAN, OSCE, Human Rights Watch.
The third Thursday in August traditionally marks the premiere for eating the Swedish – strongly fragrant – dish surströmming. The fermented fish, which is both hated and loved by Swedes, has a long tradition – particularly in Norrland (northern Sweden).
Fermentation is one of humanity’s oldest methods for treating and preserving food. In Sweden, for example, archaeological finds from fermentation facilities in southern Sweden have been discovered that are 9,000 years old.
Fermenting fish specifically was something that was very common primarily in the northern and western parts of Sweden, writes Levande historia. As early as 1572, fermented fish is mentioned, and the oldest evidence for the word surströmming is from 1732. It was naturally common to make fermented fish from herring, but other types of fish were also used: roach, perch, as well as whitefish, trout and char.
Even though surströmming has a very special odor, “sur” (sour) doesn’t mean it’s spoiled or rotten, but simply that it’s acidified.
Salted and fermented herring
Salting was also a common way to preserve fish. The difference between salting and fermenting is precisely the amount of salt, but also fermentation. When making salted herring, you use a high amount of salt that prevents bacteria in the fish from fermenting and thus preserves it. With surströmming, you instead use a lower amount of salt and let the bacteria ferment.
Gustav Vasa’s salt shortage
During the 16th century, Sweden was hit by a salt shortage because the then-king Gustav Vasa allegedly mismanaged his credits with trading partner Lübeck, something that Surströmming Academy writes about. As punishment for this, salt deliveries to Sweden were cut off. This in turn led to a marked increase in the production of fermented fish and surströmming because less salt was required.
Even during the 18th century, Sweden was hit by another salt shortage due to discord with England. The salt shortage led to less production of salted herring, and more surströmming.
Birch bark and barrels
To produce surströmming, the fish was first cleaned, then lightly salted in a barrel and covered with birch bark. The barrel was closed with a tight lid. There is evidence that the barrel was often buried and the fermentation process allowed to take place this way, which has led to the fish sometimes being called “grave fish”. Otherwise, the barrels were often stored in a lakeside shed. The fish fermented during the summer and was then eaten in the fall.
Surströmming premiere at restaurant Tennstopet in 1950. Photo: Gunnar Lantz
From everyday food to delicacy
Surströmming was common everyday food in the past and was often eaten by simple and poor households, primarily along the Norrland coast (northern Sweden’s coastline). Originally, surströmming was sold in the barrels it was made in or in open vessels, but during Sweden’s industrialization, the fish began to be sold in canned form.
During the latter part of the 20th century, Swedes began to regard surströmming as a delicacy. In 1940, it was legislated that the surströmming premiere should be the third Thursday in August. This was because authorities wanted to ensure that the fish had fermented sufficiently before it was sold and eaten by the public. The law remained until 1988, but despite this, the tradition of the surströmming premiere lives on primarily in the northern parts of Sweden.
Ulvön island is often called the island of surströmming because it was the place where the fish began to be produced in larger volumes. Today, no industrial production of surströmming takes place on the island, but the spirit of surströmming lives on among the population. In 1999, for example, the Surströmming Academy was founded to maintain the culture. Today there is a museum and the surströmming premiere is a traditional highlight on the island.
Traditional celebrations also exist in other cities. Today there are nine salteries that produce surströmming in Sweden.
Today, half of all surströmming is consumed north of the Dalälven river and the other half south of the river, particularly in Stockholm, Sweden. More than half of those who eat surströmming do so only once a year.
Schnapps is part of it
Eating surströmming is a festive occasion where family and friends gather to eat the fermented fish. It’s a tradition that lives on and not much has changed regarding how it’s eaten.
Due to the strong smell, it’s recommended to open it outdoors, but this wasn’t done in the past. Then you weren’t a “real surströmming eater,” according to stories recorded by the Institute for Language and Folklore.
“You opened the lid and the good ‘whiff’ was allowed to spread. Then you take the surströmming directly from the can and eat it like that”, told Karin Wedin (born 1884), Per Perssson (born 1891) and Anders Liiv (born 1881) in Hedesunda and Valbo, Gästrikland in 1973 (Isof Uppsala, ULMA 29063).
After chewing the surströmming directly from the can, it was also common to eat it with accompaniments. These accompaniments are still eaten today and consist of boiled almond potatoes, flatbread, chopped onion and sour cream. Often the surströmming is placed on the flatbread together with the accompaniments, but you can also make a so-called surströmming sandwich where you also butter the bread and fold it together into a sandwich.
It’s often served with schnapps, but also beer, something that also lives on from the past.
“You drink schnapps the whole time. It’s said that real surströmming lovers eat up to twenty herrings”, the same storytellers as above have testified.
Classic serving of surströmming. Photo: Robert Anders/CC BY 2.0
“Surströmming Challenge”
During the 2010s, surströmming reached foreign shores, not because of its delicacy status in Sweden – but because of its “stinking” character. On social media, under the hashtag “stinkyfishchallenge”, it became popular for people to film themselves both opening surströmming cans and eating it.
The viral spread has made surströmming more famous in Swedish food culture and attracts food enthusiasts as well as tourists to surströmming events.
This year's edition of the rock festival Time To Rock took place in Knislinge, a small town in Skåne, southern Sweden. During four July days, The Nordic Times' cultural reporter Mikael Rasmussen was on site to experience a festival filled with emotional artistry that blends well with a strong familial community spirit – and of course: Loads of music!
The four days were filled with community, appreciation and a tremendous amount of music. It’s friendly, cozy and the visitors who choose to attend Time To Rock do so with care. The festival is like a big family that welcomes and integrates. It strikes most visitors what a thoughtful spirit prevails within the constructed community called Time To Rock.
The musical acts are numerous and varied where many tastes are truly satisfied. It’s especially charming to observe when children also come along and show appreciation as well as provide humor in that way that only children can when, for example, their favorite band performs. Smash Into Pieces attracted children and adults alike where the entire festival area swayed as both seated and standing audience members sang along, applauded and smiled in agreement at how well everything fits like a glove.
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The promised land of camping life
The festival is also reaching its limit in terms of accommodation for those who choose to camp. There were 300 more overnight guests than last year and now the Time To Rock management needs to look for land alternatives. This means the festival can accommodate approximately 1,100 camping guests. But the land issue becomes a tough nut to crack, expresses Martin, the camping general maestro, who guided Mikael Rasmussen around the camping area in his fine golf cart. There’s a lot of recycling during these days where a collaboration with a dealer in Kristianstad, Sweden enables them to even return cans from Germany, for example, precisely because there’s such a quantity and the metal is valuable, just as valuable as the metal music that’s played and performed from the stages.
For example, the German veteran band Dirkschneider performed with Udo Dirkschneider and his characteristic workshop height that thereby lifted the entire atmosphere to the audience’s delight. Their repertoire on this occasion was to play all the songs from the legendary album Balls To The Wall which celebrated its 40th anniversary. There was also an opportunity for the audience to rock out to Dirkschneider’s encore conducting the song Princess Of The Dawn.
Three stages with 47 bands where most of the playing schedule held up health-wise except for Black Ingvars who we missed with their interpretations of children’s songs, schlager and dance band swing in incredibly heavy hard rock arrangements. At short notice, the band Alien replaced Black Ingvars’ absence instead. It’s enjoyment for all the senses with all the bands that perform. There are wonderful bands like Quireboys who offered beautiful southern rock with elements of very competent rock harmonica. The band Oomph thundered like Rammstein and the singer offered theatrical looks and expressions. More senses were also satisfied when Cobra Spell performed in latex, leather and managed to conceal the most intimate parts in kinky leather and latex as well as their instruments.
Crescendo on the fourth day
Clearly the best was the last day of the festival’s four fully packed days of beer, food, camping and musical equilibrium. Always equally fantastic to see and hear Mikkey Dee from legendary King Diamond then Motörhead and now frequently touring with Scorpions, where he traveled from Hannover to Knislinge, Sweden to perform songs from the time with Motörhead.
— It’s a shame about the bands that have to perform bad songs to empty audiences while well-composed melodies are a pride to perform such as Ace Of Spades, said Mikkey with a twinkle in his eye.
What song should we play now then, Mikkey asked the audience. Ace of Base, came the joking response from the audience.
The program continued and was followed thereafter by, for example, Jean Beauvoir, the children’s favorite Smash Into Pieces with delicious catchy songs, cool computer graphics and fire show. Then Majestica with fantastic guitar equilibrium by Tommy Johansson like Yngwie Malmsteen and with a singing voice that in its highest registers conjures images of Judas Priest’s Rob Halford himself. Yes, these are truly powerful experiences and the program delivers and then tops it off with Myrath who alternates oriental dance and musical elements in their metal-based melodic compositions.
The charismatic theater and drama-dressed singer Noora Louhimo in Battle Beast gives her band and the festival’s visitors new dimensions and it would be desirable if the musicians also knew to match the artistic drama queen Noora. New as master of ceremonies this year was Orvar Säfström.
Welcome to your comfortable comfort zone! Orvar encouraged the audience in a hymn to the legendary departed Lemmy from Motörhead. The audience was urged to look up to the sky because that’s where he is, stated Säfström, and nowhere else!
Another encounter that touches my soul and heart is with one of the festival’s most frequent visitors. The person is named Jens Björk and we can all see him usually sitting in his wheelchair on the designated wheelchair ramps with a good view of the stages and artists. At regular intervals, Jens wants to film with his smartphone or stand up and groove to the rhythmically heavy hard rock and metal songs that reach him perhaps deeper than the rest of us. Jens suffered a stroke and subsequent aphasia about 10 years ago and has since undergone various therapeutic treatments.
Jens constantly works on practicing language, movements and social contexts. It feels extra nice when trust is built up and our mutual patience means we understand each other and music is like wisdom at such a frequency that it can only be perceived. Therefore music can be healing and curative, and despite the high sound volume streaming from the speakers at Time To Rock, the ears are not damaged but instead the tones reach deep into the audience’s bodies. And Jens texts me a couple of days after Time To Rock packed up and writes like this:
“Good evening! Jens here with the wheelchair. Now I’ve woken up after a wonderful festival in Knislinge and the last band Sonata Arctica – really lovely end to the festival”.
This certainly puts a finger on how important these fantastic festivals are!
Bows & curtseys
So thanks to the entire Time To Rock management with festival general Andreas Martinsson at the helm, press manager and everyone’s Andreas Hygge Hügard to all those who built up the festival environment, host and security personnel, emergency services such as police and ambulance who also like the church had a welcoming event element where those who wanted to familiarize themselves with its so important functions. These good people were Time To Rock 2025 and visitors already express a longing for Knislinge’s oasis. May all good energies flow!
And we also put in a request for next year — the fantastic goth rock band Fields Of The Nephilim. Thanks in advance!
