Today I had the best class I think I have every had in my entire educational career. I had my first real Individual Society and Environs class, along with my first excursion. For class today we took an all day hike in one of the local mountain ranges. We broke up into 3 smaller groups with different guides and went through the ranges. My professor was our guide. On the way she stopped us frequently to talk about the different plants around us and the various uses for them. We also discussed the changes in the way people are experiencing nature, specifically in the sense of cabins. The size of cottages here in Norway are changing drastically- traditionally the idea of a hut in Norway are to be very small and the focus attention on the surrounding nature; however, now most are becoming more like houses. We then made a fire and spent lunch at an old summer farm, where we made bread and learned about some Norwegian myths.
Farmers used to bring their livestock to a summer farm to spend the season in the mountains, however they were very strict about being out by September 14, because it was thought that that was the time in which the trolls, huldra and people of the mountains returned. The huldra were beautiful women, with long blonde hair, dressed in long skirts. The way you knew it was a huldra was the tail which stuck out of the bottom of her skirt. These women would enchant men to follow them to a beautiful farm and then they would never be able to leave. You could break the huldra's spell by either throwing a knife over the head of the huldra or marking yourself with a cross.
After eating we hiked to the top of a mountain, but on the way up we had to stop and give a rock offering to the troll king, because he lived in the mountain and we needed to ensure our safety. Then we came back down and that was that!
I'll end with some (a lot) pictures of my day's adventure. More will end up on facebook soon. Miss and love you all!
The beginning
My professor- Tune
Where we had lunch
Old summer farm
Most of my group
Cooking bread
Finished bread with blueberry jam
Offerings to the Troll King
Finally made it
The view down (if you look close enough you can see the summer farm where we ate lunch)
Walking back
The view of Bø from another peak
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