Did Vikings wear horned helmets? (Answer: No.)

Is lutefisk really a “gelatinous fishlike dish that tastes of soap and gives off an odor that would gag a goat”? (Answer: No. All kidding aside, Garrison Keillor, lutefisk tastes like cod, which it is.)

Does any of this really matter?

Depends on who you ask.

“We want people to come here and get an academic understanding of Nordic heritage in general, but we’re not going to ruin anybody’s fun,” said Sara Keats, marketing director of the Nordic Heritage Museum in Ballard, which hosts a Viking Fest celebration. (She noted that she was speaking for herself, and not the museum.)

“If the kitsch gets them interested in digging deeper [into Nordic history], then I count that as a win for engagement.”

So much for those horned Viking helmets you’ll see at Poulsbo’s Viking Fest (and on the Norseman sculpture on Viking Avenue and Lindvig Way). But what about lutefisk?

“The lutefisk-eating contest is kind of gross. People stuff it down and it’s not pleasant to watch,” Margene Smaaladen of Poulsbo said of her city’s Viking Fest contest. “For people with that cultural connection, it’s a very special part of their culture. There’s a little bit of respect to it.”

As Viking Fest nears — it’s May 15-17 — we present some things you should know about Nordic culture (and, perhaps, dispel some myths along the way).

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YOU SAY POULSBO, I SAY PAULSBO:
THE TOWN’S EARLY SPELLING CRISIS

The first wave of Norwegian settlers came to what is now Poulsbo in the 1880s, attracted by land made available by the Homestead Act, bountiful resources and similarities to their native country. Many made their way here after attempts to farm in the Midwest.

Iver B. Moe and his family were among the first settlers here, and in 1886 he applied to the U.S. government for a post office for “Paulsbo,” namesake of his hometown in Norway. A postal department employee misread Moe’s “a” for an “o,” and the town became Poulsbo.

Poulsbo incorporated in 1907, but Moe’s spelling was not forgotten. On directories and maps from the 1910s, on file in the Port Gamble Historical Museum archives, the town’s name is given as Paulsbo.

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POULSBO HAS BEEN CELEBRATING
SYTTENDE MAI SINCE 1903

This year marks the 47th anniversary of Viking Fest, but the roots of the celebration of Norwegian culture in Poulsbo dates to 1903.

Syttende Mai, commonly known as the 17th of May or Norwegian Constitution Day, celebrates the signing of the Norwegian Constitution in Eidsvoll on May 17, 1814. In the earliest days, Poulsbo residents traveled to Ballard and Seattle to take part in celebrations there. But in 1903, the town decided it was time to invite Seattle and Ballard to come to Poulsbo for Syttende Mai.

Twelve large steamers chugged into the bay on the morning of the 17th. Three of the boats made two trips for a total of 15 boatloads of celebrants. It was estimated that 8,000 people were in Poulsbo that day. The Kitsap County Herald noted that as long as you went in the same direction as the crowd, you could float along all right, but if you tried to face the other way, it made for difficulties.

The Herald reported on May 22, 1903:

“It was a great family reunion of Norwegians — not as Norwegians but as American citizens — to commemorate a victory for freedom and liberty, which was achieved by the people whence they came. Let no one misconstrue the motives, as no more loyal Americans can be found than those who came from the Scandinavian countries … When time rolls on and the dimness of the past is gradually creeping over the memory, one of the bright spots that will longest endure will be the pleasant gathering in Poulsbo, May 17, 1903.”

Later Syttende Mai celebrations were organized by the Fordefjord Young People’s Society and the Sons of Norway.

In 1969, the celebration as we know it was born.

That year, in keeping with downtown’s Little Norway theme and tying in with the Sons of Norway’s May 17th celebration, a group of residents led by Jim Hoke — dubbed by some the “Father of Viking Fest” — organized a new festival: Viking Fest, to be held the weekend closest to May 17.

Drawing on successful events from previous years, Viking Fest encompassed the North Kitsap Arts and Crafts Show at North Kitsap High School and included booths with food and games on the parkway; a Saturday parade on Front Street presided over by Miss Poulsbo and her court (and, in later years, Miss Viking Fest and her court); and a smorgasbord at the Sons of Norway Hall. The Syttende Mai celebration on Sunday evening at Grieg Hall crowned the weekend’s activities.

The arts and crafts show later moved to Port Gamble and then to Kingston, but the first three-day Viking Fest in May 1969 was a success and a new tradition was born.

— Information provided by Judy Driscoll. She is the author or co-author of three books on Poulsbo history.

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TRUE OR FALSE:
FIVE OF POULSBO’S EARLIEST MAYORS WERE BORN IN NORWAY

True. Of 21 mayors, seven were foreign-born — five in Norway, one in Denmark, and one in Bohemia. (The editor miscounted for the print version of this story).

Andrew Moe, Poulsbo’s first mayor (1908-1910), was born circa 1862 in Paulsbo, Norway; his father, Iver Moe, petitioned the government to establish post office here and named the community after his hometown. A clerk misread his handwriting, and the town was named Poulsbo. Mayor Moe died on April 11, 1936, near Southworth.

Peter Iverson, Poulsbo’s second mayor (1910-1922), was born on Feb. 25, 1861, in Odda, Norway. He founded the Kitsap County Herald and served in the state Legislature. He died Feb. 13, 1946.

Otto K. Strizek, Poulsbo’s third mayor (1922-24), was born circa 1874 in Bohemia. According to a 1959 article in Seattle Times’ Sunday magazine, he served in the U.S. Army, spent time in Alaska, farmed in Port Orchard, operated a creamery in Bremerton and was a banker in Poulsbo. From 1917 until his death in 1937, he was Czechoslovakian consul in Seattle.

Paul Paulson, Poulsbo’s fourth mayor (1924), was born in 1872 in Numedahl, Norway. He died in office on Nov. 19, 1924.

John Ryen, Poulsbo’s eighth mayor (1928-1932), was born on Nov. 26, 1864, in Lillestrom, Norway. He died on May 7, 1948.

S.P. Jensen, Poulsbo’s 10th mayor (1938-1952), was born on June 27, 1884, in Sylstrip, Denmark. He died on Christmas Day 1952, six months after leaving office. At 14 years  and 6 months in office, Jensen is Poulsbo’s longest-served mayor.

Clyde C. Caldart, Poulsbo’s 15th mayor (1976-1981), was born on May 31, 1921, in Meloy, Norway. He died on March 6, 1996. Caldart Avenue is named in his honor.

— From information provided by the Poulsbo City Clerk’s office, and Washington Digital Archives. Information about Strizek provided by Alpenglow Ski Mountaineering History Project.

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TRUE OR FALSE:
THREE NORWEGIAN ROYALS HAVE VISITED POULSBO

True. Two Norwegian kings and one queen have visited Poulsbo.

King Olav V visited Poulsbo on Oct. 22, 1975, to celebrate the sesquicentennial of Norwegian immigration to America. “Little Norway” welcomed the king enthusiastically with a luncheon at the Sons of Norway Hall.

King Harald V and Queen Sonja visited Poulsbo on Oct. 25, 1995.

Today, motorists access downtown Poulsbo’s Anderson Parkway via King Olav Vei or Queen Sonja Vei; pedestrians walk along King Harald Vei, between Liberty Bay Books and Tickled Pink.

Motorists also can park in a parking lot named for King Olav (true).

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TRUE OR FALSE:
LUTEFISK IS GOOD FOR YOU

True. According to MyFitnessPal, a nutritional database, a 1 ounce serving of lutefisk contains 7 calories, 0.1 gram of fat, 0.2 grams of carbs and 1.6 grams of protein.

While we’re on the subject, Margene Smaaladen of Poulsbo wants to clear this up: Lutefisk is not “lye-soaked cod.” Sure, lye is used early in the process — lye is used to cure many types of food — but by the time the fish is cooked, it’s been through a lengthy soaking and washing that removes all of the lye. (To be fair, we wouldn’t say lye-soaked olives or lye-soaked hominy, would we?)

The lutefisk dinner is culturally significant to Scandinavia’s children in America — it’s an occasion for social interaction with others; it’s a familial food the entire family helps prepare; and it’s a reminder of the ingenuity of ancestors who found a way to preserve food so they could keep the people fed.

Photos from top: A monument marks the site of the former home of Iver B. Moe in Paulsbo, Norway. He was one of the early Norwegian arrivals to what is now Poulsbo and petitioned the federal government for a post office here. A clerk misread Moe’s ‘a’ for an ‘o,’ and the town became Poulsbo. Photo: Maxim family

Andrew Moe … Poulsbo’s first mayor was born in its namesake town of Paulsbo, Norway. Photo: Poulsbo Historical Society