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.
Norwegian ski history | Hunting in deep snow
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Norwegian history
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.