@@GunnarCreutz That's a great clarification! It's easy to get caught up in the Viking mythology, but you're right - most people were just ordinary farmers.
Tuesday= Tyrs/Tis day. In swedish, tuesday is "tisdag". The old belief was centered around two concepts, "wyrd" and "megin". Wyrd is an network of energy, connecting everything from rock and stone to living beings. And also the past, to the present, to the future. Which sometimes produces unexpected results. Words stemming from "wyrd" in english is "weird", "world" and "word". In swedish, also the word "vara" (be). Megin is the personal might (yes, that word is connected, as well as "magic" and "make") of a person. Megin can be expanded by winning and succeeding in things, as well as in aligning yourself with other people, animals and things. The habit of burning stuff with a dead chieftain came from this belief. (it was said of a Norwegian chieftain that after his death no-one could wield his sword, ride his horse or sail his ship). The concept of megin is why even early on, scandinavians were a fairly democratic and equal bunch, also when it came to women and husbandry over animals. Megin could only be given and aligned voluntarily. Mistreat spouse, children, servants, dogs and horses, and you´ll be a loser. A good example is in the icelandic saga "Gunnar på Lidarände" When he is besieged by enemies, his bowstring breaks. He asks his wife to make him a new one, from her hair. She replies: "Now is a good time to remember the beating you gave me". And Gunnar dies :).
@@EOOtikattenant wow!!! Thank you for this insightful comment! It's amazing how these ancient beliefs influenced Scandinavian culture and values. The story of Gunnar and his wife is a powerful example of the importance of treating others with respect.
The conversion to Christianity wasn't exactly voluntary. One of our kings was Christian and basically decreed that you either convert or die, though some remnants of old Norse faith still remain such as Midsummer, our second largest holiday. Ironically, today Sweden is one of the most secularized countries in the world.
@@SilverionX Wow, I didn't know that about the conversion to Christianity in Sweden! Thank you for sharing your insight and adding more context to the video. It's fascinating to see how history has shaped your country's culture and identity. And I love the irony you pointed out about Sweden being one of the most secularized countries today, when I watched the video I reacted to, I thought Sweden would be a very religious country given the Christian symbolism on the flag. But I guess that's not the case!
@@MQReacts The king that converted people by sword was Olaf Tryggvason of Norway, while in Iceland the conversion to Christianity was a fully democratic process. The conversion of Sweden and Denmark probably fell inbetween the extreme cases of Norway and Iceland. In 2023 there was 52 % of the Swedes that belonged to the Church of Sweden, but most of them visit the church only once a year or even less. Only 2 % of the members attend the Sunday services regulary. It is also worth noting that in Sweden you can belong to several denominations at once, so some of the members of the Church of Sweden are probably more active in other denominations.
@@GunnarCreutz I’m impressed by your knowledge! The contrast between Norway's forced conversion and Iceland's democratic process is striking. And it's interesting to see how Sweden's church attendance has evolved over time😀😅 2% attending Sunday services regularly? Guess most Swedes are more about the coffee and pastries lol
This is not true. You are referring to the Norwegian king Olaf Tryggvasson that did just that. In Sweden the conversion took a very different path. Because Sweden wasn't a unified nation during this time it went very different depending on which part of nowadays Sweden you are referring to. Västergötland in south west was christian as early as mid 10th century while Svealand was part pagan as late as around 1084 when a pagan uprising rebelled against king Inge the elder because he refused to perform the ancient rites of pagan sacrifices (blot) and chose a king which historic records refer to as Blot-Sven. He was eventually killed by king Inge in 1087 and this usually counts as the end of paganism in Sweden, although so little is known about northern Sweden in those years that it is impossible to know exactly when the whole of modern day Sweden was christian, but probably during the 12th century Sweden was fully christian. In the north we also have the Sami people that was living under their own traditions and laws until 16th- early 17th century, which had their own shaman religion that some held on to as late as 18th century.
They are part of Skandinaivia with Norway and Denmark, while Finland. Iceland and Faroe Islands are part of the Nordic countries. So, that´s the difference.
Thanks for pointing out the distinction! It's helpful to understand the difference between Scandinavia and the Nordic countries. I used to be confused about these things before now, but now I know better
Thank you for a very fine reaction! The state made it free to go to higher education for all of us. Religion is free. I am an old pagan, but we don't fight over gods anymore over here.😊 Thats nice. Big hugs! Kind regards from Jonas Gothenburg Sweden❤.
@@jonassundell9366 Aww, tack sả mycket, Jonas!🙏 I'm glad you enjoyed my reaction video. It's wonderful to hear about Sweden's progressive values, like free higher education and religious freedom. Your comment about not fighting over gods anymore is especially poignant.🙏 Big hugs back to you from Nigeria!❤️
@@Eddvard90 Aww, thank you so much! I'm actually from Nigeria, and I'm really passionate about learning about different cultures and histories. Sweden's history is fascinating, and I'm glad I could share my reaction with you!
@ that’s a clever stereotype! 😂While it's true that Nigerians can be speedy, I think I've mellowed out a bit from watching too many Swedish videos 🤣 Thanks for the kind words, and I'm glad we could have this fun conversation!
@@MQReacts Same! I just noticed when I worked with a couple of africans, that many west africans very laid back while nigerians were more speedy😅 Fun people all around. Keep up the good work btw ;)
@@persallnas5408 Exactly!! I remembered learning about Tyr being the Norse god associated with Tuesday. I knew Tuesday had a Norse origin, but I didn't recall the specifics. You're a great resource! Thanks for confirming and adding more context! I’m glad I wasn’t mistaken 😊❤️
Tyr and Thor was different gods however - and in swedish tuesdays are named after Tyr and thursdays after Thor, while Oden and Freya gave name to wendsday and friday, saturday litterly means "washing day"(and that washing your body to keep clean and care for hair and beard and so on), sunday well the sun, and monday for the moon. Tyr was a warrior fod aswell as his brother thor but he was the only one brave enough to feed the fenris wolf and befriend it. It cost him his arm however when they tricked him to bound him (norse mythologies are rather fun, the gods are not all that bright all the time and get tricked rather often, both by eachother and by less friendly beeings at times - and yes Odin as about as faithful to his wife as Zues is....
@@perthyren601 Haha, thanks for the love from Sweden! But I'm actually from Nigeria, not Jamaica. Still appreciate the compliment on my accent though!😊
Sweden's 3 kronor refers to the 3 kings who gave Jesus gifts at his birth. Hence, Sweden's royal crown is given by God. We also have a high-tech defense industry such as SAAB, Bofors, etc. Sweden is the world's largest arms exporter per capita.
🇸🇪 here👋. Well, as far as neutrality goes, a lot has changed since the movie was made. As a result of Russia's invasion of its neighboring country Ukraine and aggressive rhetoric against other neighboring countries, both Sweden and Finland have ironically joined NATO and are thus no longer neutral countries. Equally ironic is that Russian President Putin's aggressiveness and attempts to divide the region have resulted in the exact opposite. The Nordic countries have now in principle combined their defenses, which has resulted in a greatly strengthened defense capability, which in all probability was definitely NOT Russia's intention. As the latest addition, both Poland and the other Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) have joined the club with a recently signed joint cooperation agreement. Regarding the Christianization of Sweden, I would like to say that it was a slowly progressing process that began already in the 9th century in the southern and middle parts and was not fully implemented until the 12th or 13th century. The first Swedish king who was a professing Christian was Olof Skötkonung, who was baptized in 1008, but paganism in practice lived on for a century or two after that. After all, Sweden was a large and very sparsely populated country where all change happened very slowly 🥱. Am I right if I guess you are from Nigeria (style of clothes and other things)? 🤓😎🙂
@@hrafnatyr9794 Thanks for the insightful comment about Sweden's neutrality and Christianization. You're absolutely right that Sweden's neutrality has shifted recently, especially with their NATO membership. And I appreciate the historical context about Sweden's Christianization - it's fascinating to learn about Olof Skötkonung's baptism in 1008. And, by the way, you're correct that I'm from Nigeria! You've got a keen eye for cultural details. Thanks for watching and for your thoughtful comment!❤️
Technically we still are neutral since we are not in any war. What we are not anymore is non-aligned. Nor are we aiming for neutrality in any war as we was before. But as long as we do not actually take part in a war we are technically neutral.
That the flag have a Cross from Christianity have more to do with that the Danes (first Nordic cross flag) in 1219 wanted to convince the Christian nations that they was truly Christians (not vikings anymore we swear) and that they should help or at least not hinder the Danish crusade in the Baltics, and less with actual Christian belifs. When Sweden broke away from the Kalmar union in the 16th century we also needed a cross flag so other Christian nations wouldn't see us as less Christian than the Danes and support the Danish efforts to keep us in the union. The rest of the Nordic countries used their own cross flags as a signal that they wanted independence but to stay in cooperation when they broke free in the 19 and 20th century. So the cross in the flag have more to do with politics than religion. 13th century Danes: "We are a Christian nation not vikings anymore." 16th century Swedes: "We are as Christian as the Danes please do not help them stop us breaking free." 19th and 20th century Norwegians, Finns, Icelanders etc: "We want independence, but we still want to be one of you." Actual religious beliefs was at best secondary.
@@zpitzer Thanks for keeping it real! I was surprised to learn about Sweden's connections to so many big brands. Goes to show you can't judge a country's influence by its size. Sweden's had a huge impact on global innovation, from tech to furniture. Who knew so many iconic brands like IKEA, Spotify, and Ericsson had Swedish roots?
12:26: Christianity isn't the real reason why the Nordic countries have cross flags. Denmark was the first nation in the world having a national flag. They *_stole_* it from the Templars! Consider THAT! Then Sweden stole it from the Danish using the colors of the house of Mecklenburg from one of the early kings Albert, King of Sweden. Later everybody else in the Nordics wanted a cross flag.
@@rursus8354 Wow, that's a fascinating piece of history! I didn't know about the Templar connection. Flag-gate! Thanks for setting the record straight. I'll make sure to remember this for next time.
It isn't correct that you pay 50% tax in average. How much you pay depends on how much you earn. I would say if you have an average job, you pay around 25-30%
Those ethnicity stats are way off. 90% are NOT swedes by heritage. They may have been born in Sweden though. In Malmö, the majority of the citizens are not Swedes. I know, Malmö is not your average city but it is spreading.
That is a lie that the majority of the people in Malmö are not Swedes. Look at the stats, please. A third of the people in Malmö are foreigners, that is 33%. I am from Malmö and am proud to say that my own family and families has lived here since the 16th century and were the families that founded and "built" the city of Malmö through its developments.
@DONTHASSLETHEHOFF Are you Swedish? Show me with a link where you got those figures. Because I live here and my figures comes directly from the city's governmental webpages. Do the research and you'll see.
@@mj48187 I'm Swedish. Can't link anything on UA-cam. Already in 2021 there was 35% NOT BORN in Sweden in Malmö. I'm telling you people who was born abroad OR who has two foreign parents are the majority of the citizens these days. People with two foreign parents are not considered Swedish in my book. Get it?
Hi I am danish. I like to add a little bit to the “history lesson” that was missed out. Denmark 🇩🇰 and Sweden 🇸🇪 are the two nations that have been in the most wars of any nation’s in the world. Ass what is the southern part of Sweden used to be Danish and eventually in the wars it was invaded by the Swedish army and now a part of Sweden. In the Middle Ages the danish capital was even in the city of Lund. But now we are satisfied with just completing in sports and friendly joking about each other 😅
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
We have to remember that "Viking" was not an ethnicity but a temorary profession as trader. Most people in the Nordic countries were farmers.
@@GunnarCreutz That's a great clarification! It's easy to get caught up in the Viking mythology, but you're right - most people were just ordinary farmers.
Tuesday= Tyrs/Tis day. In swedish, tuesday is "tisdag".
The old belief was centered around two concepts, "wyrd" and "megin". Wyrd is an network of energy, connecting everything from rock and stone to living beings. And also the past, to the present, to the future. Which sometimes produces unexpected results. Words stemming from "wyrd" in english is "weird", "world" and "word". In swedish, also the word "vara" (be). Megin is the personal might (yes, that word is connected, as well as "magic" and "make") of a person. Megin can be expanded by winning and succeeding in things, as well as in aligning yourself with other people, animals and things. The habit of burning stuff with a dead chieftain came from this belief. (it was said of a Norwegian chieftain that after his death no-one could wield his sword, ride his horse or sail his ship). The concept of megin is why even early on, scandinavians were a fairly democratic and equal bunch, also when it came to women and husbandry over animals. Megin could only be given and aligned voluntarily. Mistreat spouse, children, servants, dogs and horses, and you´ll be a loser. A good example is in the icelandic saga "Gunnar på Lidarände" When he is besieged by enemies, his bowstring breaks. He asks his wife to make him a new one, from her hair. She replies: "Now is a good time to remember the beating you gave me". And Gunnar dies :).
@@EOOtikattenant wow!!! Thank you for this insightful comment! It's amazing how these ancient beliefs influenced Scandinavian culture and values. The story of Gunnar and his wife is a powerful example of the importance of treating others with respect.
The conversion to Christianity wasn't exactly voluntary. One of our kings was Christian and basically decreed that you either convert or die, though some remnants of old Norse faith still remain such as Midsummer, our second largest holiday. Ironically, today Sweden is one of the most secularized countries in the world.
@@SilverionX Wow, I didn't know that about the conversion to Christianity in Sweden! Thank you for sharing your insight and adding more context to the video. It's fascinating to see how history has shaped your country's culture and identity. And I love the irony you pointed out about Sweden being one of the most secularized countries today, when I watched the video I reacted to, I thought Sweden would be a very religious country given the Christian symbolism on the flag. But I guess that's not the case!
@@MQReacts The king that converted people by sword was Olaf Tryggvason of Norway, while in Iceland the conversion to Christianity was a fully democratic process. The conversion of Sweden and Denmark probably fell inbetween the extreme cases of Norway and Iceland.
In 2023 there was 52 % of the Swedes that belonged to the Church of Sweden, but most of them visit the church only once a year or even less. Only 2 % of the members attend the Sunday services regulary. It is also worth noting that in Sweden you can belong to several denominations at once, so some of the members of the Church of Sweden are probably more active in other denominations.
@@GunnarCreutz I’m impressed by your knowledge! The contrast between Norway's forced conversion and Iceland's democratic process is striking. And it's interesting to see how Sweden's church attendance has evolved over time😀😅
2% attending Sunday services regularly? Guess most Swedes are more about the coffee and pastries lol
Which swedish king? Never heard of
This is not true. You are referring to the Norwegian king Olaf Tryggvasson that did just that. In Sweden the conversion took a very different path. Because Sweden wasn't a unified nation during this time it went very different depending on which part of nowadays Sweden you are referring to. Västergötland in south west was christian as early as mid 10th century while Svealand was part pagan as late as around 1084 when a pagan uprising rebelled against king Inge the elder because he refused to perform the ancient rites of pagan sacrifices (blot) and chose a king which historic records refer to as Blot-Sven. He was eventually killed by king Inge in 1087 and this usually counts as the end of paganism in Sweden, although so little is known about northern Sweden in those years that it is impossible to know exactly when the whole of modern day Sweden was christian, but probably during the 12th century Sweden was fully christian. In the north we also have the Sami people that was living under their own traditions and laws until 16th- early 17th century, which had their own shaman religion that some held on to as late as 18th century.
Nice❤
@@nasslander65 thank youuu ❤️
They are part of Skandinaivia with Norway and Denmark, while Finland. Iceland and Faroe Islands are part of the Nordic countries. So, that´s the difference.
Thanks for pointing out the distinction!
It's helpful to understand the difference between Scandinavia and the Nordic countries. I used to be confused about these things before now, but now I know better
Thank you for a very fine reaction! The state made it free to go to higher education for all of us. Religion is free. I am an old pagan, but we don't fight over gods anymore over here.😊 Thats nice. Big hugs! Kind regards from Jonas Gothenburg Sweden❤.
@@jonassundell9366 Aww, tack sả mycket, Jonas!🙏 I'm glad you enjoyed my reaction video. It's wonderful to hear about Sweden's progressive values, like free higher education and religious freedom. Your comment about not fighting over gods anymore is especially poignant.🙏 Big hugs back to you from Nigeria!❤️
PS. I dont know how to say "tack så mycket" in Nigerian...
Nice you wanna know a bit about our history :D . Are you from west Africa btw,? I don't think Nigeria but I may be wrong
@@Eddvard90 Aww, thank you so much! I'm actually from Nigeria, and I'm really passionate about learning about different cultures and histories. Sweden's history is fascinating, and I'm glad I could share my reaction with you!
@@MQReacts oh you were from Nigeria! I thought so at first, but then I felt you sounded too relaxed, nigerians are often speedy😅
@ that’s a clever stereotype! 😂While it's true that Nigerians can be speedy, I think I've mellowed out a bit from watching too many Swedish videos 🤣 Thanks for the kind words, and I'm glad we could have this fun conversation!
@@MQReacts Same! I just noticed when I worked with a couple of africans, that many west africans very laid back while nigerians were more speedy😅 Fun people all around. Keep up the good work btw ;)
Regarding Tuesday u are right. The gods name was Tyr in old norse and in old English something like Theiw.
@@persallnas5408 Exactly!! I remembered learning about Tyr being the Norse god associated with Tuesday. I knew Tuesday had a Norse origin, but I didn't recall the specifics. You're a great resource! Thanks for confirming and adding more context! I’m glad I wasn’t mistaken 😊❤️
Tyr and Thor was different gods however - and in swedish tuesdays are named after Tyr and thursdays after Thor, while Oden and Freya gave name to wendsday and friday, saturday litterly means "washing day"(and that washing your body to keep clean and care for hair and beard and so on), sunday well the sun, and monday for the moon.
Tyr was a warrior fod aswell as his brother thor but he was the only one brave enough to feed the fenris wolf and befriend it. It cost him his arm however when they tricked him to bound him (norse mythologies are rather fun, the gods are not all that bright all the time and get tricked rather often, both by eachother and by less friendly beeings at times - and yes Odin as about as faithful to his wife as Zues is....
@@ronnyhansson8713 Jag vet mycket väl att Tor och Tyr inte ör samma gudar
är
You are very beautiful!!!! Hello from Sweden! Peter
@@pe6150 Aww, thank you so much, Peter! That's very kind of you. Thanks for watching and for being so friendly.
I love your dialect, Jamaican? /Love from Sweden
@@perthyren601 Haha, thanks for the love from Sweden! But I'm actually from Nigeria, not Jamaica. Still appreciate the compliment on my accent though!😊
Sweden's 3 kronor refers to the 3 kings who gave Jesus gifts at his birth. Hence, Sweden's royal crown is given by God.
We also have a high-tech defense industry such as SAAB, Bofors, etc. Sweden is the world's largest arms exporter per capita.
🇸🇪 here👋. Well, as far as neutrality goes, a lot has changed since the movie was made. As a result of Russia's invasion of its neighboring country Ukraine and aggressive rhetoric against other neighboring countries, both Sweden and Finland have ironically joined NATO and are thus no longer neutral countries.
Equally ironic is that Russian President Putin's aggressiveness and attempts to divide the region have resulted in the exact opposite.
The Nordic countries have now in principle combined their defenses, which has resulted in a greatly strengthened defense capability, which in all probability was definitely NOT Russia's intention.
As the latest addition, both Poland and the other Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) have joined the club with a recently signed joint cooperation agreement.
Regarding the Christianization of Sweden, I would like to say that it was a slowly progressing process that began already in the 9th century in the southern and middle parts and was not fully implemented until the 12th or 13th century.
The first Swedish king who was a professing Christian was Olof Skötkonung, who was baptized in 1008, but paganism in practice lived on for a century or two after that.
After all, Sweden was a large and very sparsely populated country where all change happened very slowly 🥱.
Am I right if I guess you are from Nigeria (style of clothes and other things)? 🤓😎🙂
@@hrafnatyr9794 Thanks for the insightful comment about Sweden's neutrality and Christianization. You're absolutely right that Sweden's neutrality has shifted recently, especially with their NATO membership. And I appreciate the historical context about Sweden's Christianization - it's fascinating to learn about Olof Skötkonung's baptism in 1008. And, by the way, you're correct that I'm from Nigeria! You've got a keen eye for cultural details. Thanks for watching and for your thoughtful comment!❤️
@ Hehe, I saw the pictures on the wall behind you (your family?) 😉
What are the hats called (Kufi?)
Technically we still are neutral since we are not in any war. What we are not anymore is non-aligned. Nor are we aiming for neutrality in any war as we was before.
But as long as we do not actually take part in a war we are technically neutral.
That the flag have a Cross from Christianity have more to do with that the Danes (first Nordic cross flag) in 1219 wanted to convince the Christian nations that they was truly Christians (not vikings anymore we swear) and that they should help or at least not hinder the Danish crusade in the Baltics, and less with actual Christian belifs.
When Sweden broke away from the Kalmar union in the 16th century we also needed a cross flag so other Christian nations wouldn't see us as less Christian than the Danes and support the Danish efforts to keep us in the union.
The rest of the Nordic countries used their own cross flags as a signal that they wanted independence but to stay in cooperation when they broke free in the 19 and 20th century.
So the cross in the flag have more to do with politics than religion.
13th century Danes: "We are a Christian nation not vikings anymore."
16th century Swedes: "We are as Christian as the Danes please do not help them stop us breaking free."
19th and 20th century Norwegians, Finns, Icelanders etc: "We want independence, but we still want to be one of you."
Actual religious beliefs was at best secondary.
@@cynic7049 Wow, thank you for the detailed historical context! I had no idea the Nordic cross flags had such complex political roots.
We, the Vikings were tradesmen, if you didnt trade with them they traded you with someone else!! :-)) 🙂
@PeterRobertsson Haha, love the humor! You're right, the Vikings were skilled traders and navigators. Their reputation precedes them!
Skype and Minecraft originated in Sweden, but Microsoft bought them, so don't think they invented it.
@@zpitzer Thanks for keeping it real! I was surprised to learn about Sweden's connections to so many big brands. Goes to show you can't judge a country's influence by its size. Sweden's had a huge impact on global innovation, from tech to furniture. Who knew so many iconic brands like IKEA, Spotify, and Ericsson had Swedish roots?
12:26: Christianity isn't the real reason why the Nordic countries have cross flags. Denmark was the first nation in the world having a national flag. They *_stole_* it from the Templars! Consider THAT! Then Sweden stole it from the Danish using the colors of the house of Mecklenburg from one of the early kings Albert, King of Sweden. Later everybody else in the Nordics wanted a cross flag.
@@rursus8354 Wow, that's a fascinating piece of history! I didn't know about the Templar connection. Flag-gate! Thanks for setting the record straight. I'll make sure to remember this for next time.
It isn't correct that you pay 50% tax in average. How much you pay depends on how much you earn. I would say if you have an average job, you pay around 25-30%
@@mj48187 Thanks for pointing that out! The 25-30% estimate sounds more realistic.
Those ethnicity stats are way off.
90% are NOT swedes by heritage.
They may have been born in Sweden though.
In Malmö, the majority of the citizens are not Swedes.
I know, Malmö is not your average city but it is spreading.
That is a lie that the majority of the people in Malmö are not Swedes. Look at the stats, please. A third of the people in Malmö are foreigners, that is 33%. I am from Malmö and am proud to say that my own family and families has lived here since the 16th century and were the families that founded and "built" the city of Malmö through its developments.
@@mj48187 You should read up on your stats then. Recent studies says otherwise.
@DONTHASSLETHEHOFF Are you Swedish? Show me with a link where you got those figures. Because I live here and my figures comes directly from the city's governmental webpages. Do the research and you'll see.
@@mj48187 I'm Swedish. Can't link anything on UA-cam. Already in 2021 there was 35% NOT BORN in Sweden in Malmö. I'm telling you people who was born abroad OR who has two foreign parents are the majority of the citizens these days. People with two foreign parents are not considered Swedish in my book. Get it?
Hi
I am danish. I like to add a little bit to the “history lesson” that was missed out.
Denmark 🇩🇰 and Sweden 🇸🇪 are the two nations that have been in the most wars of any nation’s in the world. Ass what is the southern part of Sweden used to be Danish and eventually in the wars it was invaded by the Swedish army and now a part of Sweden.
In the Middle Ages the danish capital was even in the city of Lund.
But now we are satisfied with just completing in sports and friendly joking about each other 😅