Welcome to Helga Estby Lodge #47
Helga Estby lodge members are enthusiastic about their Nordic heritage. They encourage like-minded women (ages 13 and over) to join them. Contact the lodge for additional details.
The lodge meets on the third Tuesday of each month at 6:30 PM at Faith Lutheran Church, 1190 North 6th East, Mountain Home, Idaho. Contact the lodge for specific meeting details.
Fair Maiden of Norway
Or, How the Daughters of Norways Lodge Was Established in Mountain Home Idaho
And so the story goes that a fair maiden with flaxen hair and eyes of Nordic blue was wondering the world over when she got lost in Mountain Home, Idaho. There were no Fjords filled with water or cragged mountains covered by trees, just arid land covered in a scrub brush called sage. She was in a land that did not remind her of home. She sat down and cried that she had no lefse to roll, no lutefisk to boil and no “long” Norwegian goodbyes to say to family or friends.
She stood in the middle of the desert and wailed. Her cries woke up Thor, the Nordic God of Thunder. Thor felt her pain but did not make it easy on her so he sent down a thunder cloud which roused the desert trolls from a long sleep. The trolls came from under the basalt rock, they came from dried reservoirs and they came from the tunnels of badger holes. Soon 33 trolls gathered around and frightened the Nordic maiden. She stood cowering in front of them and asked them what they wanted of her.
In one voice they snarled, “We want your knowledge!” Many made threats that they would eat her alive if she failed to come forth with their demand. She suddenly knew what to say and stood tall in front of the trolls. Her knowledge would be the power used to control the barbaric trolls. She began by teaching them about her country of Norway and then went on to share the other Nordic countries of Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Iceland. She taught them language, song, and how to roll lefse and boil Lutefisk. She encouraged each one to paint candy dishes using a rosmaling technique. She told stories of Saint Hans and Lucia. And then one day the trolls threw off their barbaric furs of badger and whistle pig and donned the Nordic robes of bunads and embroidered aprons.
The trolls, you see, were not trolls after all but lost Scandinavians that had been hibernating in the desert. And soon the maiden, Kim, had a purpose. She would rally for a Daughters of Norway lodge in Idaho. She would preserve and share knowledge of our Norwegian heritage and pass it on to children and trolls alike. She would build a strong support system and a bond of friendship. When a thundercloud appears in the desert she brings the lost trolls home, Mountain Home.
If there are any desert trolls who are hibernating under a rock please feel free to join us, Daughters of Norway, Helga Estby Chapter, Lodge # 47.
About the Daughters of Norway
In order to become a member of Daughters of Norway. A woman must be at least thirteen years old and be of Scandinavian birth or descent in one of the following ways:
- Born in Norway or descended from or married to someone who was.
- Born in Denmark, Sweden, Finland or Iceland, be descended from or married to someone who was.
- Have a slektning (relative) who was born in Norway or who was descended from someone who was born in Norway.
Our Goal
To preserve and share a knowledge of our Norwegian heritage and pass it onto our children. To build among our members a strong support system and bond of friendship.
Contact Us:
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By Regular Mail Helga Estby Lodge #47
Have a Lodge Email Address? Check it Here
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