Posts under History

Roald Amundsen (1872-1928)

Posted by Kari
Nov
16
2009

AKA the last of the Vikings, Roald Amundsen was a heroic Norwegian explorer of the polar regions.  He was the first to reach both the north and south poles and the first to traverse the Northwest Passage (the stretch of Canada between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans).  His success in these endeavors is even more apparent considering the failure of those before him.  Amundsen made quite the name for Norway in terms of exploration of extreme regions.  Unfortunately, his last whereabouts were on a rescue mission of 3 other explorers who crashed on their way back from the north pole. 

Amundsen, one of four brothers, was born into a family of Norwegian shipowners and captains in a small town called Borge, which lies between Fredrikstad and Sarpsborg.  While his 3 older brothers entered the maritime industry, his mother’s desire was to keep Roald out of it; she wanted him to become a doctor.  Being the good son he was, he kept his promise to his mother until she died when he was just 21 years old.  At this point, he left the university and took to a life at sea.  Amundsen’s secret desire was fueled by Fritjof Nansen’s (another famous Norwegian explorer) crossing of Greenland in 1888. 

When Amundsen was 25 years old, he was first mate on a Belgian Antarctic Expedition on a ship called Belgica, which became frozen in sea ice off of Alexander Island near the Antarctic Peninsula.  The crew endured a tough winter and barely survived to return home. 

Since the time of Christopher Columbus, he and others had attempted to traverse the Northwest Passage.  It wasn’t until 1903 that this mission was accomplished by Roald Amundsen with a small crew in a seal hunting ship called Gjøa.  The trip took several years, during which time Amundsen learned important survival skills from the natives, including the use of sled dogs and animal skins (rather than a cumbersome parka) to keep warm.  It wasn’t until December of 1905, after having successfully traversed the Northwest Passage and on his way back, that Amundsen was able to send a telegraph to Norway announcing his triumph.  At this point Amundsen was informed of the dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden; Norway was fully independent with her own king!  Amundsen was ecstatic and fueled his drive even more to explore new territory as a proud subject of the king of Norway.

In 1910, Amundsen left Oslo heading south for Antarctica on Fram, the ship that Fritjof Nansen had used in an earlier expedition.  After one failed attempt to reach the pole, Amundsen’s success was made public on March 7, 1912.  The expedition certainly did not happen without hardship.  Of the 52 dogs the group originally started with, only 11 survived the trip. 

Amundsen endured other polar adventures throughout his life, and as mentioned earlier, the arctic claimed his life when the plane he was in went down while flying over the Arctic Ocean on a rescue mission (1928).  He had always said that he wanted to do in the arctic.   

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Vikingskipshuset

Posted by Kari
Nov
8
2009

The Viking ships house.  Vikingskipshuset and det Historiske museet (the Historical Museum) form Universitetets Kulturhistoriske museer (the University Museums of Cultural Heritage) under the University of Oslo.  The main attractions at Vikingskipshuset are the famous Viking ships Gokstad (found in Sandefjord), Oseberg (found in Tønsberg), Tune, and Borre (which is a burial mound cemetary).  Prior to the building of Vikingskipshuset, the ships were stored in temporary shelters at the University of Oslo.  There was an architectural contest to see who would be chosen to build the permanent home for these ships.  Arnstein Arneberg, one of Norway’s most well-known architects, won the contest and with funding from  Stortinget (Parliament), the hall for the Oseberg ship was built and it was moved in in 1926.  The halls for Gokstad and Tune were completed in 1932.  World War II delayed the building of the last hall until 1957, which houses the majority of the other finds, in large part from the Oseberg ship.

Although there is a lack of artifacts that remain from Vikingtiden (the Viking Age), Vikingskipshuset is home to the majority of remaining artifacts.  Objects found in the museum include sledges, beds, carts (horse carts), wood carvings, jewelry, weapons, and other household items.  It was tradition during that time to bury the dead with grave goods, often in a boat or ship.  Like the ancient Egyptians, the kind of burial depended on the deceased social status.  It was important to send the deceased off into the afterlife with the same kind of social standing that he/she held during life.  Some people of high social standing were buried with slaves.  If you haven’t been to Vikingskipshuset yet, I highly recommend making the visit.  It is breathtaking to see the large ships and imagine how they were built, what it was like to sail them, and the people and places the ships and their crews encountered. 

Vikingskipshuset is located on the Bygdøy peninsula, a 10-minute drive from Oslo Sentrum (the city center of Oslo).  It is very easy to get to, by trikk (tram), bil (car), buss (bus), fot (foot), or drosje (taxi).  The T-bane does not go out to Bygdøy.  Once you are out there on the peninsula, there are other places to visit as well.  The Norwegian Museum of Cultural History, the Kon-Tiki Museum, and The Norwegian Maritime Museum are all in the vicinity.  There are also several nice beaches, including the nude beach that I mentioned in an earlier post (the one that my dad and I stumbled upon).  Enjoy your visit to Bygdøy!

 
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Antisemitism in Norway

Posted by Kari
Aug
24
2009

My guess is that most of what you hear or read about Norway is positive.  Land of the midnight sun, a country where gender equality is a major priority, a place that encourages a healthy lifestyle, environmentally friendly.  Rarely are there negative images of Norway portrayed in the media.  Whaling is definitely one of the very controversial activities Norway engages in.  Another, some will say, is antisemitism.  Based on both historic accounts and current issues, some argue that Norwegians are an antisemitic people.  The foreign minister of Israel is the most recent example of criticism of Norway with regards to antisemitism.  First, a brief history of antisemitism in Norway.

Although the population of Norway is becoming more diverse every day, for most of its history as a people, the population was very homogenous.  As Norway began to encounter mainland Europe through Viking travel, opinions were formed about Jews based on what was said about them.  A bit later on, after the Protestant Reformation settled in Scandinavia, Norway (under the rule of Denmark) adopted religious restrictions, some of which were against the Jews in particular.  In 1814, although Denmark (and thus Norway as well) had recently lifted all bans against Jews, Norwegians gained indepedence from Denmark and actually reinforced the negative treatment of Jews, “banning them from Norway’s borders.” 

Oddly enough, Henrik Wergeland, son of Nikolai Wergeland, a member of the constitutional assembly who strongly supported banning Jews, for years fought to repeal the ban.  In 1851, the ban was repealed.  The younger Wergeland is known to this day as the champion for the Jews in Norway.

Some of you may have read an earlier post about Vidkun Quisling, leader of the national socialist party in Norway, who supported Hitler and Nazism to the fullest extent.  There is no doubt that Hitler had a strong following of Norwegians (whether passive or active) during the Holocaust, but it must be known that there were also many brave Norwegians that actively opposed the Nazi movement and risked their lives to save Jews. 

Today Norway is accused of antisemitism because of her stance on the Arab-Israeli conflict.  Norway supports Palestine.  I will save the bulk of this issue for another post.  So, back to the earlier mention of the most recent criticism of Norway as antisemitic, there is an article in Aftenposten online today titled “Isreals utenriksminister beskylder Norge for antisemittisme” (Israel’s foreign minister accuses Norway of antisemitism).  The reason that prompted this headline is Norway’s celebration of the 150th year since the birth of Nobel winning author Knut Hamsun.  Hamsun is believed to have been a Nazi sympathizer and thus Avigdor Lieberman, Israel’s foreign minister, is appalled that Norway would celebrate such a person.  As you can see, this is certainly a controversial issue.  However, regardless of Knut Hamsun’s political beliefs, he was one hell of an author.  I read his book Sult (hunger) for one of my Norwegian classes and I can say that it was one of the most vivid stories I have ever read.  Absolutely amazing.  I will write a separate post on Knut Hamsun as well. 

What is important to know about antisemitism in Norway, in my opinion, are the reasons for it’s place in Norwegian history, and the many instances of support for Jewish tolerance and cohabitation.  I welcome your comments on this issue!

 
Posted under Culture, History, Norway and the world, Politics 4 Comments | Post a Comment

seter

Posted by Kari
Aug
16
2009

place of mountain pasture.  In other words, a traditional seter is a simple wooden cottage in the mountains with a barn where Norwegian bonder (farmers) bring their livestock herds (cattle, goats, and sheep) to be milked after a day of grazing in the mountain pastures.  Historically, young women (ei seterjente = a dairymaid) brought the animals to the seter and remained there for the summer, caring for the animals and making cheese until September, at which point they return to the valleys.

  Norwegians (including the Sami population), as well as Swedes, Turks, the Italians, French, and many more peoples still practice transhumance-the seasonal movement of people and their livestock to a place away from the home farm (to somewhere in the mountains) to graze. 

There are several characteristics of modern life in Norway that have changed the tradition of å setre-the verb for “going to the summer pasture.” For one, the arrival of automobiles has changed the whole feel of going to the seter for the summer.  More importantly though, it is becoming less common for people to have their own, individual setre (seters).  It is now common for several bonder to have a fellesseter (shared seter).  There is roughly one seter for every four farms today in Norawy.  It is becoming less and less economical to own and maintain a seter.  In fact, farming in general has been on the decline for a long time. 

Many of the old setre have either decayed or turned into summer homes.  Some owners have taken to renting them out as vacation and tourist destinations.  There is an organization called Norsk Seterkultur that is dedicated to the preservation of the norsk seter.  This has proved to be quite a successful endeavor.  A woman named Jorunn Hagen has turned her family’s original seter into a historic tourist destination where she sells jams, coffee, and special pancakes called lapper.  For a modest fee, the guests can hear the history of the property back to the early 19th century, pet the animals, and even milk them. 

There are seter all over the country, but there is a concentration of them in Valdres, Gudbrandsdalen, og Nord-Østerdalen.  If you get a chance, check one out next time you’re in Norway.  Pay the NOK 100 (100 crowns) to support the preservation of norsk setre and enjoy the experience!

 
Posted under Culture, Food, History, Traditions 0 Comments | Post a Comment

begravelser

Posted by Kari
Aug
3
2009

funerals.  I know that this is a depressing topic, but I have spent the last week mourning the death of a very close friend and thus got to thinking it is a topic worth learning about in terms of language and traditions for people learning a new language. 

Begravelser in Scandinavian history were similar to many cultures throughout history in that they buried their dead with objects and sometimes sacrifices to prepare them for afterlife.  Nordmenn often cremated their dead in ship burials (which supposedly reached a temperature of 1400 degrees celsius, much hotter than crematories burn bodies today).  Especially in hard times (famine, disease, war), people would fear death and the repercussions of improper burial and preparation of the deceased for afterlife.  It was extremely important to bury the dead with objects and other sacrifices that made sense according to their social status so the deceased would remain in the same social class in the afterlife.  I find it quite interesting to learn about how people throughout history viewed death and responded to it.

Begravelser in Norway are very similar to begravelser in the United States, as I understand.  I have only attended one begravelse in Norway (for an elderly relative), but through talking with another relative I got the impression that they are fairly similar to begravelser here in the United States.  Of course the type of begravelse for the deceased depends largely on religious beliefs of the deceased and close family members.  Therefore the arrival of immigrants to Norway has meant an increase in cultural differences regarding funerals.  However, the vast majority of begravelser take place in en kristen kirke (a Christian church), followed by the actual burial (same word-begravelse) in a graveyard (en kirkegård), where the deceased (en avdøde) is buried (begravet) with a gravestone (gravstein).  Typically a pastor or priest (minister or prest) speaks at the begravelse and the congregation (forsamling or menighet) sings (synger).  There is also usually a soloist (solist) who sings and someone (perhaps the minister or priest) who shares Scripture (gudsord-literally “Gods word).  Following the service (gudstjeneste) there is often coffee (kaffe) or a meal (måltid) served to close friends and family. 

The following are more words and phrases involving death and what kinds of things we think about and say during a time of mourning:

en død or et dødsfall is a death

en dødsulykke is a fatal accident (which is what happened in the case of my best friend)

døende means dying

døsleie means deathbed (å ligge på dødsleiet is to lie at death’s door)

dødelig means fatal or deadly

dødsstraff means death penalty (refer to previous post for information on this)

et minne is a memory

en historie is a story

å gråte is to cry

sjokk is shock (sjokkerende is shocking)

sørg is sorrow (å sørge is to grieve or mourn)

sympati is sympathy (å sympatisere means to sympathize)

dårlig nyheter means bad news

med vennlig hilsen means yours sincerely

trist means sad

å brenne or å kremere means to cremate

Again, my apoligies for such a depressing topic, but good stuff to know.

 
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