How Do You Overcome Fear? (Based on “Mio, My Son” by Astrid Lindgren)

Abstract

Astrid Lindgren lived in Sweden, which is located in Northern Europe, on the Scandinavian Peninsula. Sweden, together with other countries (Denmark and Norway), is part of this historic territory. The ancestors of the Swedes are called Vikings. They were very brave and courageous, and they sailed a lot on their boats to other lands. Vikings sailed from Scandinavia to Byzantium and further to Arab countries. Thus, the Vikings reached the historical territories of Ukraine – Kyivan Rus. Some of the Kyivan princes even trace their lineage back to the Vikings. Some Vikings served in the Kyiv army and then settled in the Ukrainian lands (they called Ukrainian territories Gårdarike, which means “the land of cities”). The house where Astrid Lindgren lived in her childhood is called Näs. Swedes often name their houses. Näs is situated on the outskirts of a little town called Vimmerby, where the writer was born. She wrote, “We have two things that define our childhood: security and freedom.”