"ØRVARODD. HOLGER DANSKE. STÆRKODD." 1845

Curator: Here we have an engraving from 1845 titled "\u00d8RVARODD. HOLGER DANSKE. ST\u00c6RKODD." I'm immediately drawn to the confident central figure, imposing, yet something about his eyes feels distant, lost perhaps. What do you make of it? Editor: Well, the symmetry is quite striking isn't it? Three figures mirrored to either side of the central figure give a feeling of grand narrative and historic resonance. Although its monochromatic aesthetic lends it a certain seriousness, the men themselves have rather vacant expressions. How can you capture legends without imbuing them with emotional presence? Curator: That's the question, isn't it? There’s something haunting in their detachment. Legends calcified, almost like figures in a dream or half remembered from tales of bravery. But the engraving, in its way, lends a starkness to the piece. I see it more as raw than refined - pure storytelling, almost primal. Editor: The title is of equal interest, isn’t it? These are not simply portraits. The deliberate act of juxtaposing characters of very different cultural standing is provocative. I see this as an interesting assertion of Pan-Nordic identity formation at a time when the legacies of empire where fraught. Curator: Yes, yes, Holger Danske, he’s like a Viking superhero isn’t he? These legends feel so relevant today. I am seeing themes of what it means to embody this idea of courage. The borders we build and our ideas of belonging. What is being expressed is timeless to our human hearts. Editor: Holger Danske specifically is tied to the land, to Denmark, with its narratives used to encourage and unite during times of political strife and questions of sovereignty. However, while narratives can galvanise movements they can often become tools for exclusion, drawing sharp dividing lines in national and globalised communities. So I am never quite certain. Does legend liberate or limit? Curator: A question to sit with. The weight of it settles heavily; looking at this is like staring into our past to help inspire our future. Editor: A history rendered with fine lines, but with implications that reverberate to this day.