Confinement "To do List"

If anyone has not clicked on @svessien ’s photos, you should not miss them. Somewhere I probably have some photos on slides of Flekkefjord from that trip, or maybe I just remember it that clearly because it was such a pristine and unspoiled town. My time in Stavanger was mostly in an office, but we did get out a little bit. Other than walking all over to find the one restaurant that was open, my memories are much more vague.

 

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Several uncles went to Stavanger a number of years ago to find their grandmother's grave but found out that a main highway was built where the cemetery once was.

 

Beautiful country, glad to see your pictures!

 

Try again. Traffic. Worked for me

 

Now thats no respect

 

Your a GOD employee

 

Wish my largest segment would be sleeping. But all your are on my list naturally

 

Wish my largest segment would be sleeping. But all your are on my list naturally

 

That’s too bad. I would expect that the graves were moved? I could try to do some research.

 

My uncles spent some time going through the archives to learn more about their dad's ancestry and found that those that were buried in the old cemetery were moved to a mass grave. I think this was done sometime in the 1960's or 1970's. Two of my sisters, along with some cousins and my late mother's youngest brother spent several weeks in Norway this past summer. They visited the Nesheim ancestral home and had a nice visit with some distant Nesheim cousins.

 

It’s pretty amazing how you can trace your family like that, my family has been in the Americans for a while. The last person arriving due to the potato famine.

 

I think it’s admirable how many Americans research their family background, and take this as some of their cultural heritage. It’s great to meet Americans coming here to see some of their roots.
In general, my impression is that a lot of people in the USA have a great insight in European and ancient history. I can’t say the same about «my» people. I usually just get eye rolls when I start ranting about the Romans and the 400 year night under Danish rule.

 

That’s a shame honestly, Norway and all the Nordic counties for that matter have interesting history.

 

There are quite a few people who really go into it too. We have an expanding Viking heritage group of people here, who learn the ancient skills of refining iron and making tools and weapons the old school way. Tree carving in viking dragon patterns and ancient boat building are also alive and well. There is a huge gap, however, between them and «the rest». I blame the educational system that has become too concentrated on politically preferred subjects like the development of the democracy in the 19th century, universial suffrage and modern wars. (Not that this is not important.)
My experience with kids is that they love hearing about ancient civilizations and myths. But many of them don’t.

 

I’m a younger guy,(turning 17 this year) and I’ve always loved the Scandinavian region. Something about it feels almost like home. I personally learnt some old norse to read some of the prose and poetic eddas in their original tongue. I wish it was easier to get some of the more medieval Norwegian coins but they tend to be ungodly expensive or in possession of museums. Im glad you love your norse culture.

 

I’m really happy to hear that there are young people like you that have these interests.
By the time you get to my age, you will have a great collection of both coins and knowledge, if you keep it up You may find something interesting on the home page of the historical museum:
https://www.khm.uio.no/english/
or my local archaeological museum:
https://am.uis.no/?lang=en_GB

Norwegian medieval coins are very rare, and very expensive. Danish coins from the Viking age are more affordable, but still expensive.
Metal detector enthusiasts here don’t find many Viking coins. The coins they find most often here from that age, are sassanid drachms. If they are lucky, they may find a sassanid imitation with rune-like letters, leading them to believe that it has been made locally. The vikings were bandits, you know. They prefered to steal coins, not to produce them.

If you want to get the feeling of the edda myths, you should come here and go to Jotunheimen. Looking across those mountains, you can almost expect Thor and his goats to come crashing out of the sky.

 

That’s very beautiful. It reminds me of a more snowy version of my own Appalachian mountains. And yes, Vikings did prefer to to steal coinage.I have a anglo Saxon styca that was found in a horde in York (Eoforwic or jórvik) and this ring from Kievan Rus. You are lucky to live in area with lots of museum and history. My area mostly has civil war relics with some Native American poetry and arrowheads as well. We use to have a military museum which held an old Viking sword which had a piece of natural glass stuck to it. They say that was priceless to a Norseman since it had religious connotations with tyr and such.

 

My wife is Norwegian, whose family migrated to WI, USA. Her family is proud of their heritage... Much of my family is more Celtic (Scot, Irish, Scotch-Irish in Northern Eire) German, and Finnish (no we are not Scandinavian Swedes). LOL, when they get haughty on me about being Norwegian, I always quietly remind them why the Thistle is the Flower of Scotland.

And, yes, I enjoy modern Norway! Gorgeous country, wonderful people, fun to visit and work there.

Wow, lotsa yakkin’ here but no coins! Whats goin’ on???

ARCHAIC FLYING PIG
(this rare breed died out during the Greek Classical period. The Amazons kept using them as skeet.)


Ionia Klazomenai 480-400 BC AR Drachm Pentobol 3.5g 13mm Forepart winged boar r gorgoneion incuse sq Cf SNG Copenhagen 12 Rare

 

Ah, nice coin.

I'll better put up something old and Scandinavian now.... hmmm

Here's a Christina solidus from Swedish Livona (now Latvian Riga), 1634-1654:


Obverse
Vasa arms inside crowned monogram surrounded by legend.
Lettering:
CHRISTINA · D · G · R · S ·
C
Translation:
Christina Dei Gratia Regina Sveciae
Christina, with God's grace, Queen of Sweden
Reverse
Crossed keys in ornamented shield surrounded by legend.
Lettering: SOLIDVS · CIVI : RIG · 5 · 3 ·
Translation:
Solidus Civitatis Rigensis
Schilling of the city of Riga

And let's not forget the wonderful things the Scots have brought us:

 

As a scots-Irish American I cordially take your thanks lol. Here’s that styca