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...
Folktales from the Nordic countries
“A deluxe volume of 16 traditional Nordic folk tales that is sure to impress any fan of cultural and mythological literature with impactful and...
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...
The old Norwegian farm | The need for water
When the water came from the well The Norwegian landscape has an abundance of lakes, flowing rivers, creeks, and natural springs. If there was no...
The old Norwegians needed no money
Picture this; the year is AD 1478. A family lives on a small farm in a mountainous part of Norway. The holding consists of a few simple buildings,...
Budrått | Means milk products in Norwegian
Pronunciation Budrått The grammar A compound word made up of: bu + drått | noun | masculine | the indefinite form: en budrått (a budrått) | the...
The old Norwegian farm | A nation built on porridge | Grøt
Grain and water Porridge, flatbread, and lefse - a soft grain-based flatbread - were staple foods on the old Norwegian farm. Historically, today’s...
The old Norwegian farm | The last workhorse at Sandaker farm
Pronunciation Horse = hest This is a story told and owned by Trygve Sandaker (1918-2014) - and by permission written down and passed on to...
The old Norwegian farm | The hour of twilight
Mother Nature The old Norwegians followed the rhythm of the day, they adapted to the landscape they lived in and the changing of the seasons. The...
The old Norwegian farm | Making butter the old way
Pronunciation Butter = Smør Food preservation The short and intense summer was all about food production - and food preservation. What we see...
Skoklefallsdagen | The old Norway’s last day of spring
Pronunciation Skoklefallsdagen No sowing after this day Skoklefallsdagen was the day in the spring that the farmers had to have all the cultivated...
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 clothing | The sweater from Setesdal
Wool is the thing The Norwegians still turn to wool when preparing for the might of the cold winter. The woollen material breathes, and you usually...
Åre | Means open fire on the floor in Norwegian
Pronunciation Åre The grammar noun | masculine | the indefinite form: en åre (a åre) | the definite form: åren (the åre) | comes from the Old Norse...
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...
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 | Memories from Langfjordbotn in Finnmark
We find the small community of Langfjordbotn in the municipality of Alta, in the region of Finnmark. Tourists sometimes make a stop here on their...
Stabbur | The food storehouse on the old Norwegian farm
Keeping the rodents out The Norwegians placed the stabbur on top of wooden stilts or boulders; specifically designed to keep rodents and other...
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...
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:...
Kantslått | Means cut grass in Norwegian
Pronunciation Kantslått The grammar A compound word made up of: kant + slått | noun | masculine | the indefinite form: en kantslått (a kantslått) |...
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 -...
A Norwegian’s take on the lead-up to the Black Death
The Black Death may have been one of the worst disasters ever to have hit humankind. In the mid-1300s, this bubonic plague went like fire across...
Norwegian rose painting history | Rosemaling
Nils Ellingsgard, born in 1928 in Ål in Hallingdal, was a Norwegian authority on the art of decorative painting – rosemaling. Through his writings,...
Muskox | Norwegian man killed in 1964 muskox attack
Driven away from the herd After several attempts, the muskox species was successfully introduced into the Norwegian fauna around 1950. Its main...
Practical farming in Norway in 1815 | The month of February
Lorentz Diderich Klüwer: In 1815, Norwegian farmer and army officer Lorentz Diderich Klüwer published a pamphlet on practical farming. In this post,...
Norwegian food history | The difference between mead and beer
Pronunciation Mjød - øl Divine qualities The making of beer and mead stretches several thousand years back. The preparation process is similar, so...
Folktales from the Nordic countries
“A deluxe volume of 16 traditional Nordic folk tales that is sure to impress any fan of cultural...