In 2012, BBC Four aired ‘The Bridge’. It opened British eyes to the cold chic of the cold north. IKEA’s popularity replaced John Lewis. Scotland announced a vision for independence in line with the ‘Nordic model’. We bought Volvo like never before.
My love for Scandinavia also began that year. Landing in southern Norway was Scandinavia’s joy of life contagious. But there were unanswered questions. Why were Britons not attracted to Canada’s liberalism? To France’s police exhibitions? Why was everything magical with a Nordic touch?
Five years later, I started a blog to find out. Now in its third year and with a podcast running alongside, it is attracting readers and listeners all over the world. To me, it seems that Britain’s Scandinavian interest is strong but confused. Our desire for Nordic noir is accompanied by a love of ‘coffee’ and ‘cosiness’. Comforting coziness and cold crime in one.
The sum of its parts
Over the last three years, I have asked countless people about Britain’s occupation of Scandinavia. One person who summed it up best, however, was the Norwegian talk show host Fredrik Skavlan. He told me how the Nordic countries look like the United Kingdom.
“With a Norwegian and a Swede on my show, our differences are clear,” he explained. “But when I get a foreign guest, our disagreements disappear. We become one unit. ”
All too often, foreigners ignore the fact that there are three countries in the Scandinavian diaspora, not one. Norwegian can be a similar language as Swedish. The Swedes may drink as much coffee as the Danes. But they are separate nations with different identities to match. Scandinavia is the sum of its parts, as are the four corners of Britain.
Anointed by Luther
The English and Danish languages are similar, and when driving around the north of England, place names tell about its proximity to Norway and Sweden. This is, given our Viking heritage, not coincidental.
Unlike much of continental Europe, Britain rejected the ‘flashy’ Roman Empire and instead accepted the culture of ‘minimalist Nordic’. We also rejected the religion of Rome later. Framed by Ireland and France, we, like Scandinavia, are a bastion of Protestantism on a Catholic continent.
The ever-growing uniqueness has drawn us close to the Lutheran north. Both us and Scandinavia embrace a minimalist impression and a pragmatic mindset. Protestantism breathes the cool order we both want.
Norwegian parrot is envied
Of course, it would be wrong to assume that this admiration is one-way. Scandinavians love Monty Python and ‘Midsomer Murders’ just as much as we do. But rarely will a Swede tell you about their admiration for our society and politics.
When I first visited Copenhagen, I was struck by how easy it was to start a conversation with the Prime Minister on the street. It was symptomatic of the bonds that bind leaders and citizens.
Scandinavians know that their countries are the best in the world. But as they count their blessings, it sometimes seems that we Brits are almost envious of Scandinavia’s success.
This has been most evident recently with the systemic critique of Sweden’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic. When Britain was put on lockdown, we were envious of Sweden’s relative freedom. With each increase in cases, we longed for Sweden to participate in our struggle. It is as if when dents appear in Scandinavia’s welfare state, ours seems to be more effective.
Northern and a section above
It is interesting that despite our tastes for Scandi drama, dishes and design, Norway, Sweden and Denmark are rarely holiday destinations. When summer hits, we drive south – to Italy, France and Spain. We love these countries for their sun and sangria. It is a different kind of love than our love for Scandinavia.
Unlike Italy, France and Spain, we in Scandinavia are looking for a more perfect version of ourselves. We are nations of monarchies, introverted and temperamental climates. But Scandinavia has made everything just a little better. They are classless, cleaner and denser. We long to be Scandinavian, but we will never be.
It just makes Scandinavia a little boring … but in a reliable way.
Source: The Nordic Page