Some Scary Halloween Thoughts

Across the Fence #519

Somewhere out there in the darkness of the night, ghosts, goblins, and other scary creatures are on a pre-sugar high in anticipation of Halloween. It’s almost here.

Wind and rain have stripped the leaves from most of the trees and they look as bare as the bones of a roadkill raccoon after the turkey buzzards have finished a Halloween feast. Their branches sway in the breeze like bony fingers reaching out to grab you as you pass by. Their branches click and groan against each other, creating eerie sounds in the darkness. The wind blowing through the dry corn creates a rattle that sounds like an army of unseen skeletons shuffling through the cornfield. Maybe it’s not the sound of branches and corn stalks. Maybe there are skeletons out there in the dark. The Hunter’s Moon, appearing from behind a bank of dark clouds, casts ominous Halloween shadows over the countryside. It all adds to the mystery and spookiness of a wonderful Halloween experience. Try not to be too scared when you venture out among all the frightening creatures that emerge during Halloween.

It would be a great night for the old Prairie Ghosts to ride together again and go in search of the elusive Gamle Magretta. She only returns on Halloween, the night she was mysteriously burned to death in an old, abandoned building where she had sought shelter. I’ve mentioned Gamle Magretta (Old Margaret) in other Halloween stories and I’m still waiting to catch a glimpse of her. Perhaps this will be the year.

Yes, Halloween is a scary time. Kids will be running around on sugar highs for days to come as the rest of us prepare to head for the poles and elect the politicians who will represent us for the next few years. The scary part is that only around 50% of eligible voters will vote. It’s not only scary, it’s a shame. I will exercise my right to vote, otherwise I have no right to complain if I don’t like how things are being run. I’ve got to admit, I’ll be very glad when the election is over and we can bury all the negative ads along with the ghosts of Halloween.

Lets move on to a lighter subject. On our recent trip to Spring Grove, Minnesota to talk to the Sons of Norway Book Club, we also visited the Giants of the Earth Heritage Center and met with Dr. John Storlie, Genetic Genealogist at the Center. He also teaches Microbiology and Genetics at Viterbo University in La Crosse.

I’ve been involved with genealogy and family history for many years and have always wanted to have my DNA tested and see what it has to say about my ancestry. I took the test and received the results last week. There’s so much information involved, and now we’re going back to the Center where Dr. Storlie will explain the details to me. There are many interesting results. If any of you have taken the test, you know what I mean. They even warn you ahead of time, you may find out things you didn’t expect. Finding out all this information right before Halloween could really be scary for some people. I found the results extremely interesting, because I’m always looking for answers and like to keep an open mind to new possibilities. 

One result was very interesting, at least to me. I have 2.6% Neanderthal DNA! Note to my brothers and sister, welcome to the 2.6% Neanderthal Club. If you know history, you know the Neanderthal race disappeared about 40,000 years ago. Dr. Storlie told me when I took the test that I would most likely have Neanderthal DNA because of my heavy Norwegian/Scandinavian ancestry. He was right. I don’t find that scary at all, I find it fascinating.

Dr. John Storlie, explains Howard's DNA test results.

Howard wonders why he didn't inherit a full head of hair!

Many people had parents or grandparents who all came from Norway, and refer to themselves as 100% Norwegian. All my grandparents or great grandparents came from Norway, so I always felt that way too, until I started studying genealogy and history. I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but our Viking ancestors really got around. They traveled to about every part of the known world at that time, and found some new worlds too, including North America, where they met the Skraelings (Native Americans). In most cases, they brought captives back to Norway.

According to my DNA, I’m 79.8% Scandinavian. That includes Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, and Finnish. Other DNA includes British, Irish, Scottish, French and German. That stands to reason since our Viking ancestors “visited” those countries many times. I also have Greek and Italian from my ancestors who sailed to the Mediterranean to take part in the 5th Crusade. They also brought back captives. There’s a small percentage of East Asian Yakut from Siberia. So I’m a bit of a mutt when it comes to my DNA. I also share DNA from my mother’s side with some famous historical figures, including St. Luke.

Now if all that isn’t enough to scare the hair off a Neanderthal during Halloween, I don’t know what is.  

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