In primary school we had to sing hymns in assembly, even when English class started the day. This was before school in Norway was de-christened.
One particular hymn was always a bit confusing to me. It referred to a character called “Hinnis Hans”, who apparently holds the planet.
As someone raised in an irreligious household I just assumed he must be another member of the Christian pantheon, along with the Jesus, the Father, Mary—I grew up in a ghetto behind the Catholic hospital of St. Joe’s, where my father was a physician—the Holy Ghost, the Devil, and so on. He would be a sort of an Atlas-like figure, presumably, responsible for carrying reality in Christian mythology.
It took me years to realise the line is “He’s got the whole wide world in his hands“, and it’s just another song about our singular Christian God. I was kind of disappointed.
I miss Hinnis Hans.
And, for my Norwegian readers, a bonus.
I never quite understood why Ms. Hanna Valle was the most beautiful of all the women. In fact, I thought her a really ugly woman. Getting older I was able to see the actual lyrics for the first time. “Den skjønneste er Han av alle.” The most beautiful is He of all.