Hof Hjemkomst

## The Hof Hjemkomst/Hopperstad Stave Church Complex

* **Location:**202 1st Ave N, Moorhead , MN 56560
* **Description:**Three interconnected facilities, the Hof Hjemkomst Asatru  Shrine around the recreated viking ship *Hjemkomst,*the Laestadian Lutheran  church at the Hopperstad Stave Church and the Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County's local museum.
* **Ownership:**Overall ownship of the property is the Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County, which is recognized by the City of Moorhead, the Laestadius Congregation and the Hof Hjemkomst both pay rent to the HCSCC.

The story of the Hof Hjemkomst goes back over a hundred years, to 1974, when a local guidance councilor named Robert Asp (1923–1980) started working on a full-scale replica of the Gokstad Viking ship that was discovered in Norway in 1880. Construction on *Hjemkomst* which means "Homecoming" in Norwegian, began in 1974 at the Leslie Welter Potato Warehouse in Hawley, Minnesota. The warehouse site was then transformed into the Hawley Shipyard during the construction. That same year, Asp became diagnosed with leukemia; however he still continued to build the ship; he had help from other volunteers.

In July 1980 the Hawley Shipyard was torn down for the removal and christening of the completed ship. *Hjemkomst* was shipped overnight to Duluth MN, on August 5, 1980. Asp held the rank as captain during the ship's maiden voyage throughout Lake Superior until his death four months later on December 27, 1980. In May 1982, Asp's three sons and daughter along with eight members of *Hjemkomst* crew decided to sail *Hjemkomst* to Norway, which was Asp's original dream. The ship departed New York City on June 8, 1982 and arrived in Bergen, Norway 19 July and on August 9, 1982 the ship arrived in Oslo. The ship stayed in Oslo for a year until it was transported back to Minnesota on MV *Brunto*.

In 1985, the Hjemkomst Interpretive Center was opened primarily as a home for the *Hjemkomst*. In 1998 Guy Paulson constructed the Hopperstad Stave Church on the grounds of the Center. It is a full-scale replica of the 12th Century Hopperstad Stave Church in Vik, Norway. The church serves as a reminder of the Scandinavian heritage in the Red River Valley.

During the Awakening, when the Red River broke its banks and lashed out at the communities that had grown up along it, what had been a picturesque location along the river, where people could rent boats and go on tours, made it an early target of the River's wrath. The cultural center was smashed, the Stave church was drowned and but when the waters receded somewhat (inasmuch as they ever receded), the *Hjemkomst* remained, floating on the still-angry river.

This, many people believed, was a sign of some sort. To the local followers of the Norse religion 'Asatru', which was starting to grow in the early days after the Awakening, it was a sign from their gods, the Aesir, who favored a ship of the old design. To the stern Laestadian sect of Lutherans, it was a sign of something darker, as they saw the rising of the River as a sign of evil forces and the fact it had spared the ship was not in the ship's favor. And to the superstitious survivors of the flood, who were in the first stages of forming what would later be the Rivering, it was a message from the Mother River.

The Laestadians tried to have the ship destroyed but were opposed by a lawsuit from the Clay County Historical Society and the Asatru. The Asatru helped the Historical Society raise the funds to put the *Hjemkomst* back into a museum, now called the 'Hof Hjemkomst' as the Asatru made a shrine (or *hof*) of the ship, a link to their gods. In response, the Laestadians leased the Hopperstad church to keep an eye on the dark forces of the river and begin renovating the flood-damaged church.

These days, the complex has three interrelated functions:

1. The Hof Hjemkomst comprises the *Hjemkomst* and surrounding shrine, a holy space for the Asatru, a gathering place for the Ascomanni and a learning center for Norse culture.
2. The Clay County Cultural and Historical Center, the officers of the Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County, the administrative offices and physical plant for the grounds and a museum for local Moorhead area history.
3. The Hopperstad Stave Church is a place of worship for the Laestadian Lutheran Church and also a base from which to keep a watch on both the river and the 'heathen' *Hjemkomst*.

Rumor has it that the constant problem of Riverlings sneaking on to the grounds has been getting worse this last year or so and the Historical Society is considering having Knight Errant clean them out.

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