Advertisement

Leistering on the lake Krøderen. A painting by Hans Gude and Adolph Tidemand. | Børre Høstland - Nasjonalmuseet nasjonalmuseet.no - CC BY.

Leistering on the lake Krøderen. A painting by Hans Gude and Adolph Tidemand. | Børre Høstland - Nasjonalmuseet nasjonalmuseet.no - CC BY.

Night fishing using a spear and a torch | Lystring

An ancient fishing method was to catch the fish in the dark, using a multi-pronged spear and a torch. The Norwegians call it lystring - the English leistering.
By LA Dahlmann | The Evergreen Post

Advertisement

End of advertisement

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 verb ljósta, which means to hit, impale, or stab.

The verb comes from the noun lyster – pronounced [ly´stər] – which means a fishing spear with a long wooden shaft and a set of barbed prongs attached to its end.

In English, the verb and the noun are both spelt leister – pronounced [ˈliːstə].

A leister is a tool believed to go back thousands of years, back to the Stone Age and the hunter-gatherers.

Lured the prey using light

The hunter lured the prey towards her with the light from the torch. She usually used a boat, but could also stand in the water, on a rock, on the riverbank, and more.

The leistering often took place when darkness returned in the autumn. The fisher, or someone next to her, held a fire torch above the water’s surface to attract the fish.

The fisher could also attach the torch to the side of the boat – or to a pole sticking out from the boat over the water.

Speed was of the essence

When a fish appeared – to have any hope of catching it – the person holding the leister had to quickly thrust it towards the fish.

To avoid losing the leister into the water, the thrower often attached a piece of rope to the end of its long wooden shaft and tied the rope around her wrist.

When out leistering, you could catch trout (ørret), pike (gjedde), burbot (lake), eel (ål) and much more.

Lystring differs slightly from the fishing method lysing, where you wade in the water in the dark, using a torch to attract crabs, crayfish, and more, and catch the prey using your bare hands.

Please note: As a rule, leistering is prohibited by law in Norway today.

Sources: Haugen, Einar. Norwegian English dictionary. The University of Wisconsin Press 1967, 1974. | Det norske akademis ordbok. naob.no. | EGP.00031

Suggested next read:

Norwegian ski history | Hunting in deep snow

Advertisement

End of advertisement

Queen Maud of Norway | Edward was her father

Queen Maud of Norway | Edward was her father

Albert Edward, Prince of Wales and later King Edward VII, was Queen Victoria and Prince Albert’s eldest son. He was the father of Maud, who in 1905 became Queen Consort Maud of Norway.

Strandsitter | A Norwegian beach dweller

Strandsitter | A Norwegian beach dweller

In the coastal districts of the old Norway, a strandsitter was a beach dweller – a man who rented a small piece of land close to the seafront – but owned the house that he built on it. His livelihood was usually connected to the sea.

Queen Maud of Norway | Alexandra was her mother

Queen Maud of Norway | Alexandra was her mother

Alexandra, Princess of Denmark and later Queen Consort of the United Kingdom, was the daughter of Christian IX and Queen Consort Louise of Denmark. She was the mother of Maud, who in 1905 became Queen Consort Maud of Norway.

Norwegian food and drink | The Viking pizza

Norwegian food and drink | The Viking pizza

In Norway, the Italian pizza appeared as an exotic newcomer in the 1970s. But bread topped with foodstuffs is nothing new in Norwegian food history. Even the Vikings ate pizza – but they called it bread-dish.

Advertisement

End of advertisement

Advertisement