Norwegian wood | The art of chopping, stacking, and drying firewood
In addition to writing bestseller historical novels and more, Norwegian writer Lars Mytting has...
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...
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...
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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 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...
Childhood Christmas memories from northern Norway
This post is based on the childhood memories of Othilie Johnsen, born 1894 in Kiby, Finnmark, Thomas Johansen, born 1883 in Kvalnes, Nordland, and...
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,...
Norwegian ice export | a booming business for more than a century
See more photos at the end of the post Why the need for ice? The industrial revolution drove big change, and the creation of big cities. Food and...
Horse history in the land of the Vikings vol 1
Today’s Norwegians only know the horse as an entirely domesticated creature. The truth is that it once roamed wild in the Scandinavian landscape,...
Ljå | Means scythe in Norwegian
Pronunciation Ljå The grammar noun | masculine | the indefinite form: en ljå (a ljå) | the definite form: ljåen (the ljå) | comes from the Old Norse...
Hytte | The ancestral call from the Norwegian mountain cabin
The Norwegians have a rural soul Today, over 80% of all Norwegians live in cities or urban areas. But as late as in 1946, almost 50% of the...
Norwegian food history | Milk from the domesticated animals
Food preservation Daily life for the historical Norwegians – living in a climate with long, frosty winters and short summers – was all about...
The old Norwegian farm | The Sortehaug farm saga
The municipality of Skodje Skodje is a municipality in the county of Møre og Romsdal, Norway (Sunnmøre). The administrative centre of the...
The old Norwegian farm | Washing clothes by the creek
Halvor Floden (1884-1956) was a Norwegian teacher and writer. He grew up on the remote farm Kvanbekksetra, in the mountainous and forest-rich 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,...
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...
Queen Maud of Norway | Where did she come from?
Marlborough House was her parents’ town residence, located a short walk away from Buckingham Palace. Princess Maud was born into immense wealth -...
Kipe | Means a basket in Norwegian
Pronunciation Kipe The grammar Noun | both masculine and feminine, depending on the dialect | the indefinite form: en/ei kipe (a kipe) | the...
Norway’s King Harald V and Queen Sonja | Forces of nature
King Harald V of Norway Among the Norwegians, King Harald is widely known for his great ability to show empathy and compassion – and not to forget:...
Norwegian landscapes | On the coastal path along the Oslofjord
The landscape in this very particular part of Norway is relatively flat and was once below sea level. As the enormous amounts of heavy ice melted...
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 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...
The old Norwegian farm | Moving into the barn during summer
A peculiar custom Every summer in the early 1900s, when spending the summer months with his grandparents, a young Norwegian boy experienced a...
Practical farming in Norway in 1815 | The month of January
Lorentz Diderich Klüwer: In 1815, Norwegian farmer and army officer Lorentz Diderich Klüwer published a pamphlet on practical farming. In this post,...
Strandsitter | A Norwegian beach dweller
The old coastal Norway Throughout history and well into our own time, Norway was a society predominantly based on farming, fishing, gathering, and...
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...
Norwegian herder-children | Roaming the mountains all alone
Pronunciation Gjeter With summer came freedom On the historical Norwegian farm, the livestock spent the long winters locked up in cramped and dark...
Skibladner | Norway’s oldest paddle steamer still in service
The great Lake Mjøsa It was on the great Lake Mjøsa that Skibladner went on her maiden voyage in 1856, as both a passenger and a freight vessel. And...
Horse history in the land of the Vikings vol 2
Continued from part 1 Had to fend for themselves The early Norwegians did not keep their horses fed and sheltered in a warm stable like we do today....
Norwegian baking through the seasons
"Nevada Berg takes readers back into her Norwegian kitchen, offering a year’s worth of new baking...