State-Sponsored Church of Norway Abolished

"In an unprecedented move, the Norwegian Parliament has voted to abolish the state-sponsored Church of Norway with a constitutional amendment.
The bipartisan measure to create a separation of church and state will officially be presented on Tuesday, reports Norway's TV2. The nation will not have an official religion, and the government will not participate in the appointment of church deans and bishops."
For Heathens, this may at first appear as vindication for the days when Olaf forced the conversion of his people to Christianity. However, the increasing secularism of Norway may prove a double-edged sword, as it has been cited as a factor in the government's apparent indifference towards preserving the Ranheim Temple and other pre-Christian sites. The full story on the abolition of the Church of Norway may be read at Digital Journal.

Remembering Eyvind Kinnrifi

On this day, 9 February, many followers of the Northern Traditions remember Eyvind Kinnrifi, a Norwegian noble landowner who was tortured to death on orders of Olaf I for refusing to abandon his ancestral faith and convert to Christianity. Some accounts say he was drowned, but most say he was instead tied to a table and had a brazier of hot coals placed upon his belly, which eventually burst open from the intense heat.