Also, I never knew that there was an immigration of Icelanders that converted to Mormonism back 150 or so years ago. I did know that there were many Norwegians, and from thier descendents today names like Andersen and Jorgensen are very common in Utah.

Compared to the exploits of Norwegian (and Danish) vikings and the adventures portrayed in the Icelandic sagas (new and old), my own Swedish viking past seems so mundane. What is pillaging the eastern coasts of the Baltic Sea, allegedly founding cities Russia and trading with with Constatinopel compared to that.
Speaking of the use of mythological figures in modern cityscaping, in Stockholm there’s a small square with adjuncted subwaystation called Odenplan, a street called Vallhallavägen and I think all the other major characters and places are also represented. On a side note, a very rural disco located in a hamlet outside my hometown of Växjö in southern Sweden is called Balders hage (Baldur’s Meadow). I’ve never been there myself, but I hear it’s a great place to dance, drink and fight. The old traditions live on!

As always, thanks for the great posts!