Gjallarhorn has become a fan favorite at Augie hockey games
Augustana University is showcasing some of its Norwegian heritage with a new display in the lobby of the Midco Hockey Arena and it's become a fan favorite.
DHS wants $50M jet for Noem, Coast Guard
This Gjallarhorn was on display above the crowds at Augustana University's Midco Arena when it first opened last year.
It was donated by Ace Hardware owner and Augie alum, Kevin Nyberg.
'We found this Gjallarhorn at a music store in Minneapolis. The creator of this Gjallarhorn is the one who also created the Minnesota Vikings Gjallarhorn that's hanging in US Bank Stadium,' Nyberg said.
But they got to thinking.
'The purpose of the Gjallarhorn was so fans and students could embrace it,' Nyberg said.
So they built a small replica of a Viking ship to display it on.
Dean Versteeg is one of the builders.
'It's about a one-half scale of the Snooky, a Norwegian Warship, so initially it would have been about 20 feet long, this one is just short of 10 feet long,' Versteeg said.
Mark Berdahl, another Augie alum, also had a hand in it.
'It was my workshop where we made it, so we put on our best Nordic hats on and tried to figure out what they would have done and try to keep all the modern stuff out of it,' Berdahl said.
Hockey fans and others now get to take pictures with the Gjallarhorn.
'It's fun to come to the games and watch people stand behind it and get pictures taken and make all the gestures and lots of smiles on their faces,' Berdahl said.
The Gjallarhorn is not just for display, it actually works, listen, but they don't let fans do that,
In all it took a few months to build.
'One thing that's amazing about it, is there are no screws or bolts holding this Viking ship together and as a hardware guy, I like nuts and bolts and there's not one in there,' Nyberg said.
But now fans know the nuts and bolts and the history behind this Gjallarhorn.
The Augustana Vikings hockey season gets underway on October 10th against Minnesota Duluth.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Report – Inter Milan Yet To Lodge Formal Bid For Genoa Midfielder Amid Transfer Links
Inter Milan have yet to lodge an official bid for Genoa midfielder Morten Frendrup amid interest from other clubs. According to Il Secolo XIX via FCInter1908, the club's pursuit of the Norwegian remains on hold. However, after Hakan Calhanoglu's failed transfer to Turkey, Inter's interest has taken a back seat. Indeed, Cristian Chivu's men have prioritized a move for Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman. Inter Milan Yet to Submit Offer for Genoa Ace Morten Frendrup GENOA, ITALY – NOVEMBER 24: Morten Frendrup of Genoa celebrates after scoring a goal during the Serie A match between Genoa and Cagliari at Stadio Luigi Ferraris on November 24, 2024 in Genoa, Italy. (Photo by) Only after signing the Nigerian winger will Inter focus on other incoming deals. Furthermore, they will likely move for Parma's rising star, Giovanni Leoni, next. However, a lack of funds could be an issue, with Inter unable to offload numerous fringe players. Despite putting the likes of Kristjan Asllani and Mehdi Taremi up for sale, they've yet to find suitors. As such, Inter's incoming market activity remains stalled. Meanwhile, Asllani's potential exit would make room for Frendrup's arrival, but the Albanian is proving reluctant to leave.


USA Today
3 days ago
- USA Today
Which Minnesota Vikings running back is dubbed a sleeper for the 2025 season?
The running back position is the king position in the NFL when it comes to fantasy football players. There are not many who are seen as reliable options, so whenever you get key contributors late in drafts, you can't help but get excited. PFF's Nathan Jahnke shared some of his fantasy sleepers at the position this week. One of the players involved is on the Vikings' dynamic offense, Jordan Mason. The first year Viking comes to the team with expectations for him to be more involved than many may assume he will be. Jahnke writes, "Mason has been an early down back throughout his NFL career, while Jones has been more well-rounded. Jones gained 408 receiving yards last season, which was the most for him since 2019. While Jones has graded very well as a runner for most of his career, he's shown signs of decline to an average runner in recent seasons. It seems likely that the backfield split will include Mason seeing significant work on early downs and Jones seeing significant work in passing situations." Mason is a perfect fit for the Vikings and Kevin O'Connell's offense. Something that also shouldn't be forgotten, J.J. McCarthy will be a first-time starter, which means the team will want to bring him along slowly. The best way to do that is by establishing the run, which is where Mason can figure he will be getting used in a much more frequent basis than those outside of Minnesota can think.


Time Magazine
4 days ago
- Time Magazine
The Story Behind 'Folktales' and the Arctic Refuge Where Teens Escape the Anxieties of Modern Life
In Finnmark, Norway, 200 miles above the Arctic Circle, stands Pasvik Folk High School. In Folktales, the latest documentary from filmmakers Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady (Jesus Camp, One of Us), the pair ventured there to document its students, teenagers effectively taking a gap year, hundreds of miles away from the distractions of everyday life. The school focuses entirely on building character over grades and discovering a way of life immersed in nature. Visiting Finnmark, at the very top of Norway, is an experience like no other. 'I was surprised how much the place would affect me personally,' says Grady. 'As soon as you're there, your nervous system just settles down.' Ewing and Grady discovered folk schools after listening to a podcast by a dog sledder named Blair Braverman. They then read Braverman's book, Welcome to the Goddamn Ice Cube: Chasing Fear and Finding Home in the Great White North. 'She mentions in one chapter that she went to a folk high school in the north of Norway that changed her outlook on life,' says Ewing. Once the filmmakers learned more about folk schools, they were compelled by the idea of a school where students could go for a year and prioritize self-actualization over academics. 'As filmmakers, we've always been interested in those moments that flash between being a child and being an adult. And we're very intrigued by the words says to a young person that actually launch them in one direction or the other. If you can capture those moments as a verité filmmaker, it's extremely satisfying,' says Ewing. Folk schools are a popular way of learning across northern Europe. Over 400 exist in Scandinavia, 80 of which are in Norway. There's a great deal of variation across folk schools; students can learn filmmaking, circus arts, or even how to live like a Viking. But Ewing and Grady focused on a folk school where students learn primarily with Alaskan Huskies to hone their outdoor survival skills. 'There's the idea that these animals can help a human become more human,' Ewing says. Ewing and Grady embarked on making Folktales guided by a set of key questions. What could help young people deal with social anxiety? What can a young person who's lived through COVID-19 do that can allow them to truly connect? And is there anything that can get a member of Gen Z off their phone? 'When we were scouting for this film, we met the teachers. It was their life's calling to do this work. They told us stories about how they're working with the kids, and how they saw them change before their eyes, how these animals and taking care of them bring out the humanity in an individual,' says Grady. The filmmakers and crew spent nearly the entire year at Pasvik Folk High School, observing every student. When it came to deciding who their main characters would be, Ewing and Grady were looking for students who weren't happy with the status quo and actively wanted change. 'Bjørn, Romain, and Hege were searching for something that they articulated clearly to us the first time we met them. There was a generosity of spirit, a vulnerability, and a tenderness to all three of them,' says Ewing. Each of the three students wanted something different. Bjørn longed to make friends. Romain wanted to get over social anxiety. And Hege wanted to find purpose after the loss of her father. A day at Pasvik isn't easy. The kids tasked with taking care of the dogs get up in the early hours before breakfast to feed and give fresh water to 40 Alaskan Huskies. Then they eat before the whole school meets as a group and goes over the day ahead. They often all watch the news together, which didn't make the cut for the documentary. 'It was fascinating, but we decided it didn't fit. Audiences didn't want to watch the news,' says Grady. The kids have plenty of unstructured time, but there are also big adventures, like skiing with the dogs, dogsledding, and ice skating on the river. One week a month, they'd go on a full expedition where they'd learn to do things like building igloos they'd then sleep in. 'It's like Outward Bound, but on steroids,' says Grady. While folk schools are places where students can get away from the torment of social media and focus on the world outdoors, they are not specifically designed to be a digital detox. No limitations are placed on students using their phones—should they wish to, they can be on them 24/7. But students get their hands dirty at folk schools, often literally. They learn a wide range of practical skills, including making knives, making fires, and knitting clothing. Ewing and Grady noticed something remarkable during their time at Pasvik. 'We noticed that over time, they were less and less on [their phones]. It seemed like IRL finally could compete with the scrolling,' says Ewing. 'Being in the wilderness and being with one another really gave the phone a run for its money.' Though Folktales takes place in Norway, much of the dialogue is spoken in English. Pasvik and other folk schools attract students from around the world, and most Norwegians are fluent in English. 'They're very polite,' says Grady. 'So if they're around a non-native Norwegian speaker, they'll speak in English. One of our characters, Roman, is Dutch, so whenever he's in a scene, English is being spoken. But when Norwegians are with each other, they'll speak Norwegian.' Following a group of teenagers has its own challenges, but there's a Hollywood adage that you should never work with animals, especially ones as demanding as Alaskan Huskies. 'Filming them was actually much easier than filming the Gen Z teenagers. They didn't care what they looked like. They were always happy to see you. Maybe a mount that would be put on them would fall off, but they didn't care. They were having a blast!' says Grady. 'They stand on you and knock you over. They're cool, but they need full attention all the time, which I think is great for these teenagers,' says Ewing. Throughout Folktales, it's awe-inspiring not only to witness the harsh beauty of the Norwegian Arctic but also the growth of Bjørn, Romain, and Hege. From climate change to gun violence to geopolitical instability, there's so much doom and gloom surrounding their generation that it almost feels like a better life is all but impossible. But all three subjects in Folktales grow, throughout the year captured on film, to be more well-rounded people capable of things they never thought possible. Away from the stress of everyday life, they have the opportunity to reach for something greater, and it's a chance they eagerly take. Documentaries have historically captured some of the harsher aspects of society that demand to be revealed to a wider audience. But Folktales is refreshingly optimistic. It feels almost like a spiritual successor to Lauren Greenfield's Social Studies, a fascinating look at the way social media affects teenagers, though one that's far bleaker in tone. But Ewing and Grady didn't necessarily set out with the intention of making a film with a positive outlook. 'We set out for curiosity about what happens in a folk high school,' says Ewing. 'Who goes there and why do they go there? What happens to them? The hope just emerged from the people—and the dogs.'