Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Appendix:
Norway in Depth
I
magine a headless sea horse hanging over Denmark, with an elongated tail
curving northward along the Swedish border—beyond the Arctic Circle—the
tip of its tail brushing against Russian Lapland. This is the shape of Norway, a
land that features porcupine ridges of mountain broken in spots by unladylike
fingers—fjords—that gouge into the rocky surfaces of the earth.
Norway is a land of waterfalls and rapids, majestic mountains, majestic gla-
ciers, green islands, crystal lakes, pine and spruce forests, steep-sloped farm-
steads, secluded valleys, craggy cliffs, peaceful fjords, and fishing villages.
In the north the coastline is dotted with brightly painted houses, their
sparkling colors contrasting with the somber grandeur of fjords and mountains.
The northern slice of Norway—Finnmark, or Lapland—is low and hilly, bleak
and forlorn, peopled in part by nomadic Lapps with reindeer herds.
Norway is an ancient land of myth and legend, mountains, and nature. It also
has a strong folklore tradition. As children, Norwegians grow up on stories of
huldres (see “A Long-Tailed Seducer,” below) and trolls. Trolls—who can be
both good and evil and who come in all shapes and sizes—have become part of
the folklore of the country. And in their secret hearts, many Norwegians still
believe in them.
Trolls have very long noses—but often only one eye per family. To compen-
sate for this lack of vision, some trolls possess as many as 12 heads. In case a
Norwegian farmer should chop off one of the troll's heads, three more will grow
back in its place. Mrs. Troll has a bigger nose than her husband. She uses it for
everything from stirring porridge to whipping the children. Trolls never come
out in sunlight. If they should happen to make a sudden appearance during the
day, they burst and are petrified as mountains. That's why Norway has so many
mountains, so the legend goes.
And mountains Norway has—and fjords and waterfalls unlike any in Europe.
Go to Norway for an experience not only with folklore, but also with the
great outdoors. Spain and Italy overflow with legendary, treasure-filled cities.
Norway has nothing to equal them. England has preserved the crooked old
architecture from the days of Samuel Johnson. Norway's wooden villages have
burned to the ground for the most part. Many of Norway's towns along the
coast—such as Bodø—were destroyed during World War II. But in sheer scenic
beauty, Norway is about the greatest thing this side of Valhalla.
Norway is a blend of the ancient and the modern. How curious but how com-
mon it is to see a Lapp grandmother—attired in a brightly colored braided cos-
tume, bonnet, and deer-hide moccasins with turned-up toes—waiting to board
an airplane at the Tromsø airport.
Search long and hard enough, and you might turn up a sod-roofed house,
where old Grandfather Per—wearing high trousers—sits in a tub-chair in the
corner downing his curds-and-whey. On the other hand, his grandson, clad in
swimming trunks, will probably be sunning himself on a rock, listening to
American music on his transistor radio.
