In 1829, Olaf Jansen and his father, Jens, boarded their family fishing boat and headed out from Sweden in search the mythological land beyond the "North Wind" that the Norse gods were believed to have come from. After many days of weaving through icebergs they were caught in a fierce storm that swept them through a large channel further North. When the storm cleared, they found that the water around them was fresh! At that point, their compass needle began to point straight down, a phenomenon known as "dipping" that occurs when you reach the magnetic poles. After sailing North for several more days they viewed a hazy, red light on the horizon which resembled the sun. At first they believed it to be a mirage but after a few hours it began to climb higher in the sky and never went away. The Jansens continued on and after a few more days they spotted land. They followed the shoreline for a while before heading into a river which they followed for another week and a half. They eventually set anchor and were soon afterward approached by a ship full of giants. The giants were friendly and and befriended the Swedes, who spent two years traveling this new land and learning all about the Giants' language (which was similar to Sanskrit) and culture.
They eventually decided to return to Sweden and Jens died in an accident on the way home. Olaf survived and returned to Sweden where he began to share his tale. He was deemed insane and locked up in an asylum for 28 years. After his released, he never spoke of his adventures until his deathbed. Shortly before he expired, he bestowed his manuscripts upon a close friend. The manuscripts were eventually published as "
The Smokey God."
No comments:
Post a Comment