Astrid Løken
| Astrid Løken | |
|---|---|
| Born | 14 April 1911 |
| Died | 19 January 2008 (aged 96) |
| Nationality | Norwegian |
| Fields | Entomology |
| Institutions | Research assistant, NLH Curator, Bergen Museum (1949–1979) Senior research fellow, UiO |
| Alma mater | University of Oslo |
| Known for | Member of XU 1941–1945 |
Astrid Løken (14 April 1911 – 19 January 2008) was a Norwegian entomologist and member of the Norwegian resistance movement during World War II. Spending most of her career at Bergen Museum, from 1949 to 1979, she was the first female member of the Norwegian Entomological Society, and specialized in the bumblebee genus Bombus.
Astrid Løken was born in 1911 in Kristiania, which was renamed Oslo in 1925. She enrolled at the University of Oslo, and graduated as cand.real. in 1942. In 1941 she became the first female member of the Norwegian Entomological Society.
On 9 April 1940, Norway was invaded by Nazi Germany and occupied after a two-month campaign. In the spring of 1941, Løken was recruited to XU, a clandestine intelligence organization which answered to the Norwegian High Command-in-exile in the United Kingdom. She bore the nom de guerre "Eva".
According to one historian, students of natural sciences were well-suited for intelligence work, as they were practically oriented and used to working in the field. In addition, their photography in the field was often regarded as inconspicuous. In 1943, Løken was granted access to Hardangervidda, a military restricted area. Under the cover of studying the genus Bombus, she had been cleared by Reichskommissar Josef Terboven, the highest Nazi leader in Norway. Travelling freely in the area, Løken managed to photograph roads, bridges and other installments. At Hardangervidda, she had access to a darkroom where she developed pictures for both entomological and military use. Since 1941 Løken used a laboratory at the Department of Biology during the night for illegal photography.
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