The old Norwegian farm | Farmhands could only leave twice a year
Summer and winter Today, the Norwegians think of the year in terms of 4 main seasons: spring, summer, autumn, and winter. But the old Norwegian...
Norwegian Buhund | Herding dog and keeper of ancient traditions
A Buhund is not necessarily equal to a buhund When we talk about a Norwegian buhund, we must distinguish between: The spitz dog type and its place...
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Norwegian railway history | The pioneer era 1851-1868
Preparing for progress For thousands of years, the Norwegians relied on boats, horses, reindeer, and their own two feet to transport both goods and...
Norwegian wood | The art of chopping, stacking, and drying firewood
In addition to writing bestseller historical novels and more, Norwegian writer Lars Mytting has penned a fascinating non-fiction book about the art...
Norwegian railway history | The pioneer era 1851-1868
Preparing for progress For thousands of years, the Norwegians relied on boats, horses, reindeer, and their own two feet to transport both goods and...
The Norwegian summer pasture farm | Preserving milk in a bog
Bogmilk The Norwegian word myrmelk is composed of two words: myr + melk = myrmelk. Myr means peat bog or wetland - and melk means milk, so in...
A man died after being bitten by a wolf | Norway AD 1720
Vellik was the son of Anders and Mildri, tenants on the farm Nordvoll, and was the oldest of 6 siblings. Vellik married Marit Skarålia in 1716, and...
Norway and its age-old farming culture
Introduction In today's world, we have almost forgotten that our entire Norwegian culture is based on life in the age-old farming, fishing and...
Queen Maud of Norway | Edward was her father
Edward was born on 9 November 1841, at Buckingham Palace in London. He was Victoria and Albert’s second of nine children. Edward - or Bertie as he...
The old Norwegian cemetery | Once and always a pauper
Christianity and the Viking kings In Scandinavia, Christianity came with the Viking kings, around AD 1000. The new religion brought with it churches...
The old Norwegian farm | Bringing home the winter hay
In some parts of Norway, you find relatively flat landscapes. Here, the historical farmland was easier to clear and cultivate. The climate was...
Norwegian art | The mysterious boy from Setesdal
The painter Sometimes, photographs or paintings draw you in - and with this fascinating oil painting, the painter Carl Fredrik Sundt-Hansen somehow...
Practical farming in Norway in 1815 | The month of March
Lorentz Diderich Klüwer: In 1815, Norwegian farmer and army officer Lorentz Diderich Klüwer published a pamphlet on practical farming. In this post,...
Norway has the second longest coastline in the world
From Sweden to Russia In the south, Norway’s coastline begins at the border with Sweden, in the region of Østfold, in the very south-eastern corner...
The Norwegian Fjord Horse | Almost as old as the mountains
Locked in by the landscape The Norwegian Fjord Horse, with its ancient features and markings, has roots that stretch back thousands of years. Its...
The royal palace in Oslo | Built by a French general
The historical backdrop Between AD 1380 and AD 1814, Norway was de facto under Danish rule; with Denmark’s monarchs ruling Norway from Copenhagen....
Sami people | The Coastal Sami and their homes
Anders Larsen (1870-1949) was born into a Coastal Sami family - in Kvænangen in the region of Troms, Norway. He was a Sami culture champion,...
James Arness | Western hero and Norwegian Viking
American television hero Through his portrayal of iconic US television characters, such as Marshal Matt Dillon in Gunsmoke and Zeb Macahan in How...
Queen Maud of Norway | A young lady on the Isle of Wight
Once upon a time, when Queen Maud of Norway was still Princess Maud of Wales, she was visiting her grandmother at Osborne House on the Isle of...
Norwegian censuses | The 1769 census was the first
Norway in 1769 In 1769, Norway was de facto a province under the Danish crown. The young Christian VII, known from the film A royal affair, was king...
Norwegian words | Skårfast | Stuck on a mountain ledge
Getting to know the word Skårfast is composed of two words: skår + fast = skårfast In this context, skår – a noun - means a steep mountain or...
The Sapmi and Sami flag | A symbol of unity
A brief introduction The Sami are often referred to as one people, but they are in fact several peoples. The various sub-groups have common ethnic...
Do we show our ancestors the respect they deserve?
Listen carefully, when you next hear friends and family talk about historic people - and their way of life. Surely, our ancestors must have been an...
Norwegian ski history | Hunting in deep snow
Rock carvings found at Rødøy In 1933, ethnographer Gutorm Gjessing discovered the above rock carving on the island of Rødøy, in the Norwegian region...
Queen Maud of Norway | The secret of the queen’s coffin
An early-morning attack On Tuesday 9 April 1940, in the early hours of the morning, Hitler-Germany’s troops attacked Oslo and the Kingdom of Norway,...
The Norwegian mountain safety code | Always be prepared
Norway is an eldorado for skiers and mountain hikers, both the experienced and the less experienced. But bad weather and low temperatures can easily...
The Norwegian kjenge | A wooden drinking bowl
Pronunciation Kjenge The kjenge is predominantly used for drinking beer. It is usually round, whereas the kane has a more elongated shape, like a...
The old Norwegian farm | The cotter’s holding | Husmannsplass
Let us start with the beginning In English, a Norwegian husmann is often referred to as a cotter, and his home as a cotter's holding - a...
Are Santa Claus’s reindeer all female?
A cold climate animal The reindeer is native to the arctic, sub-arctic, tundra, boreal, and mountainous regions of Northern Europe, Siberia, and...
Norwegian wood | The art of chopping, stacking, and drying firewood
In addition to writing bestseller historical novels and more, Norwegian writer Lars Mytting has...