My Carving of Prillar-Guri
by G. Louis Heath
My Prillar-Guri Carving, August, 2016
Prillar-Guri, heroine of Norwegian freedom, stands on a
shelf overlooking the Gudbrandsdal Valley in my living
room. She keeps vigil over my recliner in her carved birch,
four-inch-tall likeness, dressed in a bunad, the provincial
costume, blowing her famous horn. She blew the notes in
1612 to sound the alarm that an army of Scots was invading
by stealth, a hungry, kilted cat, muscles tensed to pounce. Her
notes echo today, through valleys where freedom is in danger.
I take care to polish Prillar-Guri often, so her bright shine never
dims. Dust must never collect on her, ever. My grandparents,
emigrants from Norway, told me so, when I first learned to talk.
AUTHOR’S PHOTO CAPTION: My Prized Carving Of Prillar-Guri (August, 2016).
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: G. Louis Heath, Ph.D., Berkeley, 1969, is Professor Emeritus, Ashford University, Clinton, Iowa. His Norwegian relatives live in Trondheim, Oslo, Arendal, and on scattered farms throughout Norway. He studied in Scandinavia during the academic year, 1964-1965. His M.A. thesis is titled, “Student Unionism at the University of Uppsala.”
Silver Birch Press 