Many authors have taken different dimensions while expressing and commenting on national myths and wartime legacies that have been exhibited within each Scandinavian country. It appears like for each Nordic country, authors bear different accounts of events in the post war discourse (Małgorzata & Bo 52). This paper gives a conclusive summary of the different angles taken by scholars and tries to identify the most upstanding arguments from the analysis.
In Norway, history scholars like Engstad & Paul have incessantly advanced the patriotic narrative all through. (19) However, there are a number of disparities and counter arguments in their account of events. The Norwegian struggle has been classified as a fight between evil and good. It is considered a myth. This account details the events that happened when the common Citizen of Norway, without any structured leadership rose against their de jure leader, Quissling who was collaborating with the German government. The triumphant nature of this revolt has been hailed as a victory of good against evil.
In a sharp contrast, a Danish author sought to discredit the Norwegian version by asserting that the Norwegians only tried to show audacity when the war was already over. The account of Larsen& Clausen states that at this time, the Danes had already hang up their armors knowing that there was nothing more to fight for and thus the conception by Norwegians that Danes are cowards is ill informed. (44) In as much as there has not been a clear consensus about the issue, the assertions by Norwegians has been accorded much weight according to Anne Eriksen. She observed that:
the occupation became a description of being Norwegian, of Norwegian Nature and Characteristics. The small memory tells us of a small and peaceful country which was attacked by a superior country. (103)
This ideology has been conscripted into an official myth which defines the general nationalism and values of Norwegians in the present day.
Works Cited
Eriksen, Anne. Det var noe annet under krigen. 2. Verdenskrig I norsk kollectivtradisjon. Oslo, Pax, 1995. Print.
Engstad, Paul., and Paul, Ogsa. Hjemmefronten Under Krigen 1940-1945, Oslo: Tiden, 1985. Print.
Larsen, Leif., and Clausen, Thomas. De forradte. Tyske Hitlerflygtninge I Danmark. Kobanhavn: Glydendal, 1997. Print.
Małgorzata Pakier., and Bo Stråth. A European Memory?: Contested Histories and Politics of Remembrance. Oxford: Berghahn Books, 2010. Print.
