Childhood Christmas memories from northern Norway
In my childhood, life was simple. The small joys of Christmas lifted our spirits – and delivered us safely into the new year.
Norwegian words | Uekte – ekte | Illegitimate – legitimate
Uekte and ekte are Norwegian adjectives, which in one context mean illegitimate and legitimate – as in a child born out of or in wedlock.
James Arness | Western hero and Norwegian Viking
Are you hailing from Sykkylven in Møre og Romsdal, Norway? Well, then you might be related to the great film and television icon that was James Arness.
Norway’s King Harald V and Queen Sonja | Forces of nature
After a troubled ten-year courtship, the then Crown Prince Harald of Norway finally got his father’s blessing to marry Ms Sonja Haraldsen in 1968.
Norwegian history timeline | From the ice ages until today
In what we today call Norway, human history began some 12,000 years ago, after the ice ages. In this post, we list the main historical eras between then and now.
Queen Maud of Norway | A young lady on the Isle of Wight
On 26 August 1909, a Norwegian newspaper retold a charming story from Cassell’s Saturday Journal, concerning a certain young lady on the Isle of Wight.
Norwegian folk tales | Pesta and the Black Death
Norwegian folklore and old folk tales often depict The Black Death in the shape of an ashen-faced old woman – and her name is Pesta.
The Norwegian Fjord horse | Almost as old as the mountains
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.
Remembering schoolteacher Eilert Wulff | Norway AD 1904
After a brief illness, schoolteacher Eilert Wulff of Hammerfest died on 22 October 1904. He was survived by his wife Dorothea Sæther, 28, and son Aksel, 2.
Norwegian history timeline | The ice ages
In Scandinavia, there have been as many as 30 ice ages over the last 2.5 million years. The latest period stretched between 115,000 and 10,000 BC.
Skibladner | Norway’s oldest paddle steamer still in service
Skibladner is one of the world’s oldest paddle steamers still in regular service. Her launch was in 1856, and she sails on Norway’s largest lake, Mjøsa.
The old Norwegian cemetery | Once and always a pauper
It has been said that all people are equal in Heaven, but the historical churchyard shows us that no such equality applied here on Earth.
The muskox | A newcomer in the Norwegian landscape
The Norwegians rarely allow alien species into their fauna, with one notable exception, the muskox – first welcomed back to Norway from Greenland in 1924.
Muskox | Norwegian man killed in 1964 muskox attack
On 22 July 1964, a stray muskox bull killed 73-year-old Ole P. Stølen from Oppdal, Trøndelag, Norway. Local authorities shot the animal to prevent further attacks.
Queen Maud of Norway | The secret of the queen’s coffin
In 1938, Norway’s Queen Maud died unexpectedly during a visit to the UK. But what happened to her unentombed coffin when the Nazis attacked Norway in 1940?
The royal palace in Oslo | Built by a French general
As far as palaces go, the official royal residence in Oslo is a modestly sized building. Did you know that it was built by a French general?
A man died after being bitten by a wolf | Norway AD 1720
In 1720, in the community of Meldal in Trøndelag, Norway, Vellik Andersson died aged 37, after being bitten by a wild wolf. He was buried on 8 September.
Norwegian to English dictionary | The best for genealogists?
If you are of Norwegian descent, and are studying old Norwegian documents, then Einar Haugen’s Norwegian-English dictionary may be a tool that can assist you.
Practical farming in Norway in 1815 | The month of February
February was the month when the historical Norwegian farmer had to be vigilant about the housebound livestock’s remaining fodder. It was still only midwinter.
When the old Norway changed | The old Norwegian farm
Between 1850 and 1950, Norwegian society transformed. The age-old fishing, hunting, and farming society gradually turned into a modern, industrialised country.
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.
Norway | What does the name of the country really mean?
A loved child goes by many names, says a Norwegian expression. This certainly applies to the country Norway. But what does the name really mean?
Norwegian censuses | The 1769 census was the first
1769 was the year of the first complete Norwegian census – and the population was 723,618. Today, Norway has a population of more than 5 million.
Norwegian ski history | Hunting in deep snow
The word ski comes from the Old Norse language and means cleft wood. The old Norwegians were hunters, and have used skis to their advantage for over 5000 years.
Norway has the second longest coastline in the world
With its 102,937 km, Norway’s mainland coastline, including its many fjords and islands, is the second longest in the world, next only to Canada.
The Sami | The Sami flag days calendar
The Sami calendar consists of 12 flag days, the most prominent of them being the Sami National Day on 6 February.
Practical farming in Norway in 1815 | The month of January
6 January is the 13th day of Christmas, marking the end of the holiday season on the old Norwegian farm. Now was the time to fully return to the everyday grind.
The old Norwegian farm | A result of landscape and climate
The Norwegian geography and climate have significant variations. The old Norwegian farm was always a result of its location, and the local availability of resources.
The old calendar-stick | The old Norwegian farm
The old Norwegians split the year into two main seasons: summer and winter – and used a two-sided wooden calendar-stick to guide them.
Fridtjof Nansen and his Arctic mission impossible
In 1893, Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen and his crew set out on a three-year expedition; aboard a ship locked in by the slow-moving Arctic Ocean ice.
Practical farming in Norway in 1815 | The month of March
If the weather has been mild in the days leading up to the old Catholic Feast of the Annunciation on 25 March, then be sure that the frost will return.
A Norwegian emigrant and his sweetheart | Norway AD 1895
Neither the great Atlantic Ocean, nor time or social conventions, could crush a love meant to be.
The Sapmi and Sami flag | A symbol of unity
The Sami flag is the official flag of Sapmi. Sapmi is the name of the historical Sami territories, stretching across today’s Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia.