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....
Horse history in the land of the Vikings vol 2
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Norwegian farm animals
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 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 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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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) |...
Reindeer | An ancient presence in the Norwegian mountains
Followed the melting ice In Scandinavia, the last ice age ended some twelve thousand years ago, and the early Norwegians were hunter-gatherers....
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:...
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...
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 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 history timeline | The ice ages
The ice expanded and retreated Massive sheets of ice once covered the land that we call Norway today. The glaciers were up to 3,000 metres tall, and...
Norwegian food and drink | The Viking pizza
Norway’s new national dish In today’s Norway, people eat pizza like never before. Jokingly, it is said to be Norway’s new national dish. But...
Night fishing using a spear and a torch | Lystring
A leister is an ancient tool Lystring is the gerund form of the Norwegian verb å lystre - pronounced [ly`strə]. The word comes from the Old Norse...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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 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...
Kløvhest | Means packhorse in Norwegian
Pronunciation Kløvhest The grammar A compound word made up of: kløv + hest | noun | masculine | the indefinite form: en kløvhest (a kløvhest) | the...
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,...
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...
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...
A Norwegian emigrant and his sweetheart | Norway AD 1895
In 1868, a 22-year-old poor young man from a small cotter’s holding - husmannsplass - under a farm in Romerike, Norway, emigrated to America. The...
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 wood | The art of chopping, stacking, and drying firewood
In addition to writing bestseller historical novels and more, Norwegian writer Lars Mytting has...