Friday, October 10, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

The last warrior-king of the North

On November 30, 1718, Karl XII was killed under mysterious circumstances during the siege of Fredriksten Fortress. Even today, "the young hero king" remains one of the most debated personalities in Swedish history and is often highlighted as an example of courage and sacrifice.

Published 30 November 2024
– By Editorial Staff
The body of Karl XII of Sweden is brought home from Norway.
3 minute read

Karl XII, one of Sweden’s most legendary kings, whose reign was marked by military triumphs and a dramatic, mysterious death, continues to fascinate both historians and the Swedish public. His short but eventful life is a tale of courage, sacrifice, and a tragic final act.


This article was originally published on The Nordic Times on December 2, 2023.


Born in 1682, Karl XII ascended to the throne at the age of fifteen following the death of his father, Karl XI. He was the last monarch of the Swedish Empire, an era built up by his predecessors, and a king of his time, deeply influenced by military culture and a profound sense of duty to his kingdom.

His reign quickly became dominated by the Great Northern War, where his leadership and military prowess were put to the test. His most famous triumph was the Battle of Narva in 1700, where a smaller Swedish force defeated a Russian army more than three times its size. This victory, achieved through what is often described as tactical brilliance and personal courage, cemented Karl XII’s reputation as one of history’s great military leaders.

In the following years, Karl XII continued to lead his country in war against several European powers. He was a combative monarch, personally leading his troops in the field and often participating in battles. His tactics and courage on the battlefield made him a feared opponent and a symbol of Swedish strength and resilience.

Karl XII in the Battle of Narva. Painting: David von Krafft

The Battle of Poltava in 1709 marked a fateful turning point well-known to most Swedes. The Swedish army suffered a crushing defeat against the Russians under Peter the Great. This setback was followed by a period of difficulties and defeats. Karl XII spent several years in exile in the Ottoman Empire, a time when his kingdom simultaneously struggled to maintain its position as a European superpower.

Mysterious death

The death of Karl XII on November 30, 1718, during the siege of Fredriksten fortress in Norway remains one of the greatest mysteries in Swedish history. The details surrounding his death are still disputed and have given rise to many theories. According to some reports, he was hit by a bullet in the temple while observing enemy positions, leading to immediate death. There has also been speculation about whether the king died in an accident, an assassination, or perhaps even a murder organized by his own in some form of conspiracy.

According to investigations carried out by Finnish researchers as recently as 2022, it is most likely that Karl XII was killed by canister shot ammunition made of iron with a diameter of over 20 millimeters. They also consider it likely that the bullet was fired from the enemy in the Norwegian fortress.

Karl, who had no wife or known children, was succeeded by his sister Ulrika Eleonora, who soon abdicated in favor of her husband Frederick of Hesse. They also had no heirs, and the next Swedish king became Adolf Frederick of the House of Holstein-Gottorp. The warrior king’s death definitively marked the end of Sweden’s status as a great power, and the country became a less influential actor on the European stage.

Hero king or tyrant

More than 300 years after his death, Karl XII is still remembered in many circles as a bold, self-sacrificing, and uncompromising leader. His military exploits have been praised for bravery and strategic genius, but the exhausting wars have also been criticized for draining the kingdom’s resources and leading to its decline as a superpower. Historians usually say that Karl’s death marked a definitive end to an era and the beginning of a new phase in Swedish and Nordic history.

Karl XII is often regarded as one of Sweden’s most important monarchs. Photo: Alexey M/CC BY-SA 4.0

The life and death of Karl XII have inspired numerous cultural and literary works. He has been portrayed as both a hero king and a tyrant, and his decisions and personality have been analyzed and debated for centuries. His sudden death is a legend in itself and continues to attract new generations of history enthusiasts.

In summary, it can be said that Karl XII’s reign was a time of dramatic changes in Sweden and Europe. His military achievements and personal sacrifice, along with the mystery surrounding his death, make him one of the most memorable and discussed figures in all of Swedish history. His life and death are not only a part of the national memory but also an important chapter in European military history.

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Moomin becomes new feature film

Published today 7:21
– By Editorial Staff
Moomin and his friends have spread warmth, security and adventure to generations of children and adults around the world.
1 minute read

Moomin is set to be produced as a new American animated feature film. This will be the first Hollywood adaptation of Finnish-Swedish author Tove Jansson’s beloved stories.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the magical Moomin troll, something that has been celebrated in both Finland and Sweden, where the troll is a cherished cultural figure.

Moomin, created by Finnish-Swedish author Tove Jansson, was previously produced as an animated feature film in Japan in 1992. There was also a Japanese-Finnish animated series that first aired in 1990 and became very popular internationally.

Now Hollywood will interpret the idyllic magic of Moominvalley, where Moomin and his friends embark on adventures, writes Moomin Characters, which manages the Moomin rights.

“We are honored”

The film will be produced by media company Annapurna’s animation division, which was founded in 2022 by former Disney animation executives Robert Baird and Andrew Millstein and is known for the Oscar-nominated film Nimona.

We’re honored to bring Tove Jansson’s timeless vision to the big screen, say Baird and Millstein.

It will be written and directed by Rebecca Sugar, known for the Cartoon Network series Steven Universe. Additionally, it will be produced by Julia Pistor, who is behind animated films such as SpongeBob SquarePants and Rugrats.

Earlier this year, Norwegian game developer Hyper Games also announced that they will release a new Moomin game. The game will be called Winter’s Warmth and is based on the book Moominland Midwinter.

YouTubers invest in their own businesses – ad revenues are unpredictable

Published 6 October 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Jimmy Donaldson, known as MrBeast, has the world's largest YouTube channel with 442 million subscribers.
2 minute read

More and more YouTube personalities are reducing their dependence on ad revenue and brand partnerships and instead building their own business empires. The reason is that advertising income is unpredictable and can disappear overnight when the platform changes its policies.

YouTube has evolved into a gigantic platform that has contributed over $55 billion to the US GDP and created more than 490,000 full-time jobs. But despite the platform’s success, many of the most successful content creators have realized that it’s risky to rely solely on ad revenue, writes TechCrunch.

Many of the biggest channels have now transformed into vertically integrated media companies with product lines, physical stores and consumer brands that can survive algorithm changes. In several cases, these side businesses are growing faster than the YouTube channels themselves.

MrBeast leads the development

Jimmy Donaldson, known as MrBeast with 442 million subscribers, is the platform’s most aggressive entrepreneur. His chocolate brand Feastables generated around $250 million in revenue in 2024 with over $20 million in profit – significantly more profitable than his YouTube content which lost approximately $80 million the same year. The first product sold over one million units and generated more than $10 million within 72 hours.

Donaldson also runs the food brand Lunchly, the toy series MrBeast Lab, the burger concept MrBeast Burger and the analytics platform Viewstats. Now he plans to establish his own mobile network.

Coffee and energy drinks as goldmine

Emma Chamberlain, with over 12 million subscribers, launched her coffee brand Chamberlain Coffee in 2019. In 2023, the brand reached approximately $20 million in revenue and in January opened its first physical store. Revenue is expected to grow by over 50 percent in 2025 and reach more than $33 million.

Logan Paul created the energy drink Prime together with KSI, which surpassed $1.2 billion in sales in 2023. However, sales have declined sharply, particularly in the United Kingdom where revenue fell by approximately 70 percent between 2023 and 2024.

Children’s audience and beauty products

Ryan’s World, hosted by 13-year-old Ryan Kaji, has expanded its brand through toys and clothing that reportedly generated over $250 million in revenue in 2020.

Within the beauty industry, Michelle Phan has founded the subscription service Ipsy and the makeup brand EM Cosmetics, while Huda Kattan built Huda Beauty which generates hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Other well-known makeup brands from YouTube influencers include Jeffree Star Cosmetics and Tati Beauty, showing that the beauty industry continues to be an attractive area for content creators who want to build their own business empires.

Six kilos of medieval silver treasure found in Stockholm

Published 19 September 2025
– By Editorial Staff
The silver coins have been dated to the 12th century and were likely minted when Knut Eriksson was king of Sweden.
2 minute read

A private individual has discovered a significant silver treasure from medieval times. The treasure, which could likely be one of the largest ever found, contains among other things up to 20,000 coins from the 12th century.

The silver treasure was discovered by a person digging for worms just outside Stockholm, Sweden, who contacted the County Administrative Board (Länsstyrelsen). It was found in a copper cauldron and contained approximately six kilos of silver coins, pendants, pearls and silver rings.

This is probably one of the largest silver treasures from the early medieval period that has been found in Sweden. We don’t yet know exactly how many coins there are, but I believe it could be up to 20,000. Most of the objects are well preserved, but unfortunately the copper cauldron they were stored in is not as well preserved, says Sofia Andersson, who is an antiquarian at the Stockholm County Administrative Board, in a press release.

The silver coins have been dated to the 12th century and some of the coins bear the text “KANUTUS”, which means Knut in Latin – indicating they are from the time of Knut Eriksson’s reign as king of Sweden.

Three types of coins found in the treasure: KANUTUS coins, Gotland coins and bishop coins. Photo: Stockholm County Administrative Board

The treasure also contains some rare bishop coins, which were coins manufactured in Europe by bishops. These coins feature a bishop holding a crosier in his right hand. Lin Annerbäck, head of the Medieval Museum in Stockholm, describes the treasure as unique and believes it can tell us much about Sweden’s history.

It is completely unique, we have no other medieval treasures from Stockholm. And then it also appears to be extremely large. So it’s very exciting. she tells the Swedish newspaper DN.

The location where the treasure was found is currently being kept secret due to the risk of illegal treasure hunters. Archaeologists will further examine the site and the treasure as well as evaluate it.

Talk show host Jimmy Kimmel suspended after Kirk monologue

Assassination of Charlie Kirk

Updated yesterday 21:20 Published 18 September 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Jimmy Kimmel together with Kamala Harris (D) in June 2024.
3 minute read

Talk show host Jimmy Kimmel has been suspended from US television network ABC after controversial statements about the murder of Charlie Kirk. The decision has sparked strong reactions in both American politics and the entertainment industry.

ABC has decided to pause the talk show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” indefinitely. The background is a monologue where Kimmel questioned the White House’s official version of the motive behind the murder of right-wing profile Charlie Kirk.

Kimmel suggested that the perpetrator could be linked to the Trump movement, rather than the radical left, and accused the president’s allies of “scoring political points” from the murder.

The Maga Gang desperately trying to characterise this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.

The comment sparked immediate backlash. Brendan Carr, head of the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC), threatened ABC with action and argued that Kimmel’s words undermine public trust.

Shortly thereafter, the network announced that the program would be suspended until further notice. Several major stations, including Nexstar Media, followed suit and stopped broadcasts nationally.

Jokes about Trump’s grief

Jimmy Kimmel also made ironic comments about Trump’s alleged grief after the murder. Kimmel began by showing a video clip from the weekend where a reporter first asks the president how he feels after the murder.

But between all the pointing, they’re also grieving… On a human level, you can see how hard the president is taking this.

After Trump responded to the reporter that he feels “very good”, he quickly shifts the conversation to talk about the construction start of the new ballroom at the White House and how beautiful it will be.

This is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he calls a friend. This is how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish, said Jimmy Kimmel.

Donald Trump: “Kimmel talentless”

Donald Trump expressed his approval of the decision on social media and called Kimmel “talentless” while commenting on the program’s “low ratings”. The White House then backed up Trump’s tone, claiming that television audiences benefited from the decision to stop Kimmel.

The announcement has simultaneously created a storm of criticism, not least from Democratic leaders.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer argues that threats against media broadcasting licenses due to satire and opinion statements constitute a serious threat to freedom of speech. Schumer compared the action to methods reminiscent of authoritarian states.

That’s what Xi does. That’s what Putin does, said Schumer.

The suspension of Jimmy Kimmel has quickly become a symbol for many of the increased political polarization in America’s media landscape.

The question of what responsibility and freedom comedians and satirists have in polarized times continues to be debated, and critics warn that the suspension risks creating a barrier between those in power and free media.

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