Oslo, the Fjords & Southern Norway

Travel Adventures

Oslo, the Fjords & Southern Norway

Henrik Berezin

HUNTER PUBLISHING, INC,

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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.

This guide focuses on recreational activities. As all such activities contain elements of risk, the publisher, author, affiliated individuals and companies disclaim responsibility for any injury, harm, or illness that may occur to anyone through, or by use of, the information in this book. Every effort was made to insure the accuracy of information in this book, but the publisher and author do not assume, and hereby disclaim, liability for any loss or damage caused by errors, omissions, misleading information or potential travel problems caused by this guide, even if such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident or any other cause.

Introduction

"To travel is to live." H.C. Andersen, My Life's Adventures, 1855

The purpose of this book, as with all of Hunter's Adventure Guides, is for the reader to truly experience the destination, not just see it. This is what makes these guides different from others. We focus more on the activities, the attractions and how to make the most of your stay through a wide variety of adventures.

An adventure, however, does not necessarily mean something that gets your adrenaline flowing; it could be anything from sightseeing to visiting a museum or going shopping. It can also mean something more physically demanding such as hiking, biking, climbing or skiing. That all depends on who you are and what you're in the mood for. At a minimum, this book should give you some good leads.

Satellite image of Scandinavia

What is Scandinavia?

The word Scandinavia probably derives from two ancient words meaning danger and island. Today, Scandinavia is neither regarded as dangerous nor an island. So how do we now define Scandinavia?

The Oxford Dictionary describes Scandinavia as: Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Iceland.

The Encyclopedia Britannica defines it as: comprising Norway, Sweden and Denmark, but adds that it is sometimes used more broadly to include Finland and Iceland. It also points out that Denmark technically is not part of the North European Plain and the Scandinavian Peninsula.

Webster's Online Dictionary defines it as: 1. The peninsula in northern Europe occupied by Norway and Sweden. 2. A group of culturally related countries in northern Europe; Finland and Iceland are sometimes considered Scandinavian.

Sweden and Norway are the only countries included at all times. Geographically speaking, the Scandinavian Peninsula consists of Norway, Sweden and a section of northern Finland. Considering the similarities and ties between the first two countries in history, language, culture, environment and political system, they should both be included. Denmark is technically not part of the peninsula but is nevertheless close to both Norway and Sweden, geographically as well as historically, and can therefore not be omitted.

Finland has the geographical link but their language is completely unrelated. Iceland has many links to Sweden, Norway and Denmark, mostly because of the Vikings, and Icelandic is also in the same language group (North-Germanic) as Swedish, Norwegian and Danish. On the other hand, geographically, Iceland is remote.

So Sweden, Norway and Denmark will be the focus of this guide. The History section that follows will explore the strong ties connecting the three countries, starting with the legendary Viking Age.

History

The first inhabitants of Scandinavia are believed to have been tribes settling in the southern regions, currently Denmark and southern Sweden, more than 10,000 years ago. They lived off hunting, fishing and most likely farming.

Sweden and Denmark were probably named for the prehistoric Svear and Daner people, while Norway, which simply means the way to the north, was named for its location.

Today, the Scandinavian countries get along fairly well with each other, but it wasn't always that way. Throughout history there have been numerous wars fought and alliances formed, separating and uniting areas of this region.

The three countries have each had their respective eras of greatness, though none of the empires was able to remain powerful. The more each country expanded, the harder it was to defend.

The Viking Age (800-1050)

Before the Viking Age began around 800 AD there was a time of great migration in Europe and many found their way up to Scandinavia. The people who moved here between 400 and 800 AD developed great skills as craftsmen, traders and sailors. Gradually, they became known as Vikings.

The Vikings generally lived near the sea around bays and fjords on the coastline and the word Viking probably means from the bay as vik was the word for bay in the Scandinavian languages of the time.

The Vikings are much better known worldwide than, for example, the Scandinavians of the Middle Ages even though that era lasted longer, was more recent and is probably of greater significance in Scandinavian history. The fascination with the Vikings probably derives from the myths and stories surrounding them, as well as their dramatic and violent history.

Myth: In contemporary art as well as in movies, the Viking helmet is often shown with horns. The real Viking helmets, however, did not have them.

When the Viking Age began, there were no kingdoms in Scandinavia. Although borders separated the countries, there wasn't much difference between the languages spoken and there was not a distinct political separation between them.

The real leaders were chiefs who ruled over the areas they conquered. These areas would often shift in size and chiefs would be replaced quite frequently during these violent times as battles and fighting was part of everyday life. Most fights were man-to-man and usually didn't end until one of them died. The Vikings were also proud people and they lived by the eye for an eye rule, meaning relatives of someone who died in a fight would often crave revenge and kill the victim's superior.

There was a more tranquil side to Vikings as well. They were known to have a great sense of humor and storytelling was an important part of their lives. A great storyteller was highly respected by his peers.

Most Vikings were illiterate and the ones who could write didn't have much to write on. Probably the most common media for writing in those days were leather and wooden sticks. Unfortunately these materials were not resilient enough to last through centuries. The evidence that has lasted is on rune stones, which can still be found in several places in Scandinavia.

There are countless theories about these pirates of Scandinavia. One of the more common misconceptions today is that all Vikings were ruthless barbaric sailors who pillaged and plundered everything in sight. The truth is that only a small number of Vikings actually went on these famous crusades. The majority were farmers, craftsmen, traders and diplomats. Even a lot of the sailors were peaceful discoverers simply exploring new areas and making new contacts for trading. They were skilled sailors and built boats that could travel long distances at high speeds.

There were also the Vikings that set out to pillage and plunder. They used the successful routes of their colleagues to find their prey.

The Vikings went all over Europe and beyond. The Norwegians were the most ambitious sailors and went to Iceland, Greenland, Ireland, Northern England and Scotland. They were probably the first Europeans to discover America, several centuries before Columbus.

The Swedes went to Russia, Turkey and other parts of Eastern Europe as far down as the Caspian Sea. The city of Constantinople in Turkey, present-day Istanbul, was known to the Vikings as Miklagård and became an important trading point for the Vikings.

The Danes went to Southern England, France and Germany. Some even went as far down as the Mediterranean Sea.

At the time of the Viking Age, there were no large empires in Europe and most countries were small kingdoms trying to become bigger and more powerfnturies later, the Vikings didn't care for kingdoms. This made most of Europe an easy target for their crusades.

The Vikings were also trained to fight from an early age and it was considered better to die in battle than at home. The boats, perhaps the biggest reason for their success, were built from oak and could take a crew of up to 200. With the wind at their back, the ship could travel as fast as 15 knots (17 mph) and, if there was no wind, the large crews could still reach high speeds by rowing.

The End of the Viking Age, 950-1050

In the early part of the ninth century, a French monk named Ansgar would make his way up to Scandinavia. Most of Europe was now Christian but the Vikings were stubborn people and not easily persuaded. They firmly believed in their gods, known as Asar. But where Christian missionaries in the past had failed, many of them killed before they were even given a chance, Ansgar would succeed. He is widely known as the man who brought Christianity to Scandinavia, although it would take many years until it was officially accepted. One of the reasons the Vikings started to convert was because many countries in Christian Europe forbade their people to trade with non-Christians. As more and more Scandinavians converted, the believers in Asgård (the realm where the gods lived) would become a minority and felt left out. Eventually, with help from the Scandinavian kings, they would all follow.

The Christian faith brought many changes. All new-born babies would be baptized, marriages would be arranged by the church and the dead had to be buried in the ground, rather than cremated as the Vikings did.

It's difficult to determine exactly when kings started gaining power in Scandinavia. We know that they existed even in the early days of the Viking Age but, since the Vikings had chiefs ruling over their respective areas, the kings didn't have much influence in the beginning. In order to take control of their countries, the kings realized that they needed help.

Denmark is one of the oldest monarchies in the world and the country with the longest list of uninterrupted monarchs. The present royal family can be traced all the way back to Gorm the Old, who lived in the mid-10th century. Gorm had his residence in Jutland (western Denmark) and probably didn't have much power or influence in the other parts of the country. Harald Bluetooth, who was the son of Gorm the Old, was the first Scandinavian king to bring Christianity north of the Danish-German border. It would take another couple of decades before Sweden and Norway followed. The runic stone shown below on the left was ordered carved and erected by Harald about 980 and shows the oldest Nordic picture of Christ. It weighs about 10 tons. 

The oldest Nordic picture of Christ

Harold Hairfair preparing to cut off the head of one of his enemies (from a 14th-century manuscript)

In Norway, Harald Hairfair is known as the king who united the country at the end of the ninth century, though he probably only controlled the southwestern part of Norway, i.e., the county of Rogaland. When King Hairfair died around the year 930 the country was split yet again. Olav Tryggvason, a Viking, who had spent a great deal of time in England, where he converted to Christianity, became the first Christian Norwegian king in 995. He was determined to establish his new faith in Norway and, by doing so, restore order and rule all of Norway as a united country. 

Olav Tryggvason (995-1000)

Olav fought many battles for his cause and was eventually killed in the year 1000. But he had established a foundation for