The old Norwegian farming society was a self-sufficient and balanced world. Coins and notes were all but an alien concept.
The old Norwegians needed no money
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Norwegian culture life art
Norwegian rose painting history | Rosemaling
For many, it may come as a surprise that the history of Norwegian rose painting, and the art form’s place in Norwegian folk art, is not as old as one might think.
Norwegian art | The mysterious boy from Setesdal
Carl Fredrik Sundt-Hansen created this fascinating oil painting in 1904. It is like a window leading into the house of history. If only we could climb through.
Norwegian folk instruments | The birch trumpet
One of the oldest Norwegian folk instruments is the birch trumpet – the lur. Originally, it was a practical tool, helping people in their everyday lives.
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...
Growth of the soil | Homesteading in the Norwegian mountains
As a young person growing up in Norway, my dream was to emigrate and become a homesteader somewhere in the North American wilderness. The problem...
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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...
10 July – let the Norwegian haymaking begin
Focussed on animal husbandry The historical farming in Norway was very much based on the keeping of livestock, for two reasons in particular: Only...
Uff da! | What does the Norwegian expression mean?
Pronunciation Uff da! Variations Uff da! is usually said in a deep voice, and in a drawn-out and comforting way. But the response can also be quick...
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...
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...
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...
1895: a dead man in the Oslofjord
It started with a strange note in an old record The following strange and simple entry in the 1895 death record for Moss, Østfold, Norway came up...
Norwegian folk instruments | The birch trumpet
Using sound as a tool Since time immemorial, humankind has used sound to: signal danger, pass on a message, call people and farm animals back home,...
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 | A land of water
With its mountains, fjords, and forests, Norway represents one of our planet’s many majestic faces. The Kingdom of Norway, located on the western...
The old Norwegian farm | How machinery changed the landscape
A patchwork of fields When we travel through today's Norwegian agricultural landscape, we often see large and undulating fields with well-sifted...
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...
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...
Remembering schoolteacher Eilert Wulff | Norway AD 1904
According to his obituary, published in the newspaper Nordkap on 28 October, Eilert Andreas Wulff was born in Kvæfjord, Troms, Norway, in 1874....
Heddal stave church | A divine building built by a troll
A house of the new religion Christianity came to Norway with the Viking kings, around AD 1000. The Norwegian kings and the Catholic Church did its...
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...
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....
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...
Folk medicine | As used by the Norwegians
Long before doctors Long before doctors and modern-day laboratories, our ancestors used plants and other natural remedies to help cure their...
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...
Norwegian wooden buildings | One thousand years old
The old log house technique In 2002, Peter Kvernland Thomsen wrote a book about how to build wooden log houses; what the Norwegians call lafting. He...
Norwegian history timeline | From the ice ages until today
Norwegian historians divide the thousands of years between then and today into sub-periods, characterised by how people lived and the cultures that...
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 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...
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,...
Growth of the soil | Homesteading in the Norwegian mountains
As a young person growing up in Norway, my dream was to emigrate and become a homesteader...