How an Independence War Inspired a Ski Competition
from Turning Modern Hosted by Chad D.
A rebel leader and future king makes a dramatic escape across the Swedish countryside in the dead of December. This is the story of how this adventure inspired a famous competition centuries later. Sources Cited Gustafsson, Harald. “A State That Failed?: On the Union of Kalmar, Especially Its Dissolution.” Scandinavian Journal of History 31:3-4 (2006): 205-220. “Gustav Vasa Couldn’t Ski?” Nordstjernan. nordstjernan.com/news/traditions/2861 Last accessed: 8/22/2026. Kent, Neil. A Concise History of Sweden (Cambridge University Press, 2008). Nordstrom, Byron J. The History of Sweden (Greenwood Press, 2002). "Pre-history." Vasaloppet.se. vasaloppet.se/en/about-us/history/pre-history. Last accessed: 8/22/2026. Sundmark, Björn. “Snowy State: The Children’s History of Sweden” in Nordic Utopias and Dystopias: From Aniara to Allatta!, eds. Maria Ahlbäck, Jouni Teittinen, and Maria Lassén-Seger (John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2022). Swart, Peder. Gustaf Is Krönika (G.E. Klemming, 1870). For transcripts and ways to support the show, check out turningmodern.com.
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