An exciting and new Daughters of Norway Lodge was instituted on November 5, 2006 in Des Moines, Iowa. Click here to view pictures from this event. This lodge, Eva Nansen Lodge #46 is the first lodge to bear the name Daughters of Norway in the central part of the country in many years‚and the first one in the Midwest associated with our Daughters of Norway organization! The lodge meets monthly on the first Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m., Redeemer Lutheran Church, 3615 University Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa. The Eva Nansen Lodge #46 website provides a wealth of Lodge information including features such as Calendar of Events, Member of Month, Newsletter, President's e-News, Norwegian Cuisine, Lodge Organized, Membership, and Eva Nansen Bio.The Lodge welcomes new members. For membership inquiries e-mail the Lodge President.

It is exciting that an Associate Member of the Daughters of Norway began this group in 2005 as the independent Valborg Vikings. The group later received some help from the Daughters of Norway Grand Lodge and enlisted even more members. These lively ladies decided to join the Daughters of Norway organization and form their own lodge. In so doing, the Valborg Vikings have taken on a new name for their lodge based on a famous Norwegian woman they admire Eva Nansen (details follow). The members are proud and excited to learn about their Nordic heritage while still being the “girls who just want to have fun!" They encourage like minded women (ages 13 and over) to join them. Contact the lodge by clicking here for additional details.

Eva Nansen (shown here in 1889) was the wife of the famous explorer Fridtjof Nansen (best known for his daring polar exploration on the Fram) as well as a very independent, talented and famous woman in her own right. She was the last born child (born in 1858) in the large Sars household—Eva was actually the 21st child! Yes, her parents were extremely productive and both were very bright. Eva’s father was Michael Sars of Christiania University (later this became the University of Oslo). He was a minister and zoology professor. Her mother was interested in the arts and was the sister of a famous Norwegian poet, Welhaven. The Sars household was a busy and intellectually stimulating one producing at least three famous Norwegians--Eva, the famous opera singer, her brother Ernst, the historian, and her brother Ossian, the oceanographer.

In Christiania (later Oslo), where Eva was born, her mother was the hostess of an artistic salon. It is possible that this inspired Eva's musical tastes and that the connections made in that salon furthered her career. She was an independent woman who knew what she wanted and at age 28, in 1886, she left for Berlin to study opera with a contemporary of Tchaikovsky. Edvard Grieg knew Eva and she performed his music wonderfully. Her operatic voice was very beautiful and expressive (a sample recording is available here).

For an opera singer, Eva was relatively short and very athletic. Not only did she love the outdoors, but she also was very daring and unconventional. The new winter sport of skiing (both mountain and cross country) caught her attention. Eva became a pioneer in this daring sport and was one of the first Norwegian women to take it up. She was a smart and practical woman and realized the need for woman to stop wearing only dresses while practicing the sport. Thus she became the first woman in Norway to wear "trousers" while skiing!

It is thought that her athletic ability help foster the relationship with another ski pioneer, Fridolf Nansen. The two then famous Norwegians (he the famous explorer and she the up and coming famous opera singer) got married in the autumn of 1889 and were a very "modern" couple, both continuing their individual vocations after their marriage. Eva not only continued to sing in operas at home and in other parts of Europe and Scandinavia but she also gave lessons when at home. Their first child was born at the end of 1892 and within 6 months Fridolf Nansen departed for his three year trip to the North Pole. During this and his subsequent trips, Eva was a working mother of up to three children, mostly raising her children alone as her husband was gone for years on end. However, it was not until November, 1899 that she gave her parting concert! Shortly thereafter (in 1901) at age 43, she gave birth to her fourth child in the Nansen's beloved and remote mountain cabin, near Sørkjebu (Sørkje). Their last child was born in 1903 when she was 45 years old! Between motherhood and being a national hero’s wife she had little time to spend singing on stage. In order to keep up with the musical world, she hosted musical soirees and occasionally would give an informal recital at these events.

Fridolf Nansen’s exploration dreams ended as 1905 approached when his countrymen called upon him to serve them. Nansen was instrumental in helping Norway peacefully dissolve its union with Sweden. With Eva’s aid, Fridolf also helped secure a new king for Norway. As a reward for his hard work he was made the first Norwegian ambassador to England and resided in London. During one of Eva’s stays in London visiting Fridolf, someone convinced her to give another concert. In 1907, she came out of her retirement for a final and well received performance in London. Even at age 49, she sounded wonderful! Not long afterwards that same year, Eva suddenly died. Fridolf Nansen was now a widower with five relatively young children to raise: Liv (ca. age 14); Kåre (ca. age 10); Irmelin (ca. age 7); Odd (ca. age 6) and Åsmund (ca. age 4).

The Lodge offers traditional Scandinavian Recipes on a regular basis. To view the current recipe click here!