ARCTIC

The concept of having or not having luck has always been a strong component of Scandinavian folklore. Luck more than anything else often determined the fate of mythical heros as portrayed by the old Norse storytellers. Not only was Erik the Red’s son Leif the legendary founder of Norse settlements in Vinland and the bringer of Christianity to the Norse settlers in Greenland, he was also Leif the Lucky. Einar Mikkelsen, or Mikkel, as he was often called, would have been quite at home in the old Norse society. Exploring new lands and seeking tough challenges in the northern regions of the world was as much in Mikkel’s blood as any Norseman could have wished for himself. Mikkelsen was born in Denmark on 23 December 1880 and wasted little time expanding his horizons. Before the end of his fifth year he had already run away from home once. Whil