The Norwegian Fjord Horse is one of today’s oldest horse breeds. Its historical habitat is Norway’s western coast, with its deep fjords and steep mountainsides.
The Norwegian Fjord Horse | Almost as old as the mountains
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Norwegian farm animals
Norwegian Buhund | Herding dog and keeper of ancient traditions
The Norwegian Buhund – a spitz dog – is 1 of 7 registered Norwegian dog breeds. The first breed-standard came in 1926, and the modern-day Buhund was primarily bred to be a herding dog. Historically, the Norwegian word buhund had a much wider meaning, and described an all-purpose farm dog.
The old Norwegian farm | The last workhorse at Sandaker farm
When I was a boy, it was the workhorse that pulled the heaviest weight in agricultural life. And this had been the reality for as long as anyone could remember.
Horse history in the land of the Vikings vol 1
The horse settled in the Scandinavian landscape after the last ice age. Let us meet this majestic animal – and follow in its footsteps.
Horse history in the land of the Vikings vol 2
The horse no longer roams wild in the Norwegian landscape. But it still has an important place in the Norwegian psyche.
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 baking through the seasons
"Nevada Berg takes readers back into her Norwegian kitchen, offering a year’s worth of new baking recipes in this seasonally focused, gorgeously...
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,...
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...
When a bear attacked Norwegian milkmaid Kari Moen in 1836
On her way to the mountain pasture farm One early summer's day in 1836, milkmaid - budeie - Kari Moen was on her way to the Sauherad mountains, to...
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...
The muskox | A newcomer in the Norwegian landscape
Muskox fossils In 1913, Norwegian railway workers found muskox ice-age fossils in the mountainous region of Dovre. The fossils predated the time...
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 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 | Its land and surroundings
A land of plenty With her elongated shape and her position on the world map, Norway has a great many variations in landscape, tradition 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...
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....
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 words | Uekte – ekte | Illegitimate – legitimate
Old Norwegian birth records In old Norwegian birth records, you normally find one of two words recorded next to the name of every newborn child:...
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...
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,...
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,...
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,...
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...
Queen Maud of Norway | Alexandra was her mother
Alexandra was born on 1 December 1844, at the Yellow Palace - Det Gule Palæ - in Copenhagen. She was the second of six children born to Christian...
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 old Norwegian farm | The old calendar-stick
Mother Nature dictated If we go back far enough in time, most of the Norwegians were either fisher-hunter-gatherers - or farmers - or a varied...
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...
Norway | What does the name of the country really mean?
The land to the north Today, the official name of the country is The Kingdom of Norway. Let us start by looking at what the Norwegians themselves...
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...
Paestum – Italy | A place of majesty and beauty
Once a Greek colonial city We visited Paestum on a warm, sunny day in late May. The first thing that hit us was the scent of flowers, so sweet and...
Folktales from the Nordic countries
“A deluxe volume of 16 traditional Nordic folk tales that is sure to impress any fan of cultural...