Local traditions and culture in Oppland

Tor Jonsson born 1916 in Lom and died of suicide 1951(was a Norwegian writer and journalist. Like many others, he felt that life a small village can be quite terrible for a person who really doesn’t fit in there. In his writing the word (bygdedyret), or "the village animal" is created.

Bygdedyret is described as the human ability to suppress each others down. It's like the law of Jante , but it's even worse. .The village animal hates everything that's different and new. The village animal doesn't like new ideas or thoughts. When presented, these new thoughts or ideas represent a threat to the old life. People who are or want to be different will meet this animal. And it kills the mental and social life of this person.

I believe that most people living in this small villages have met this animal once in their life. And many people have moved due to this animal.

Valdres is one of the few places in Norway whereNew Norwegian is the written language and they speak a kind of New Norwegian dialect. In ouside the urban parts of the region, it can be quite difficult to understand the local dialect. In Fagernes it sounds more like the dialect of the eastern part of Norway.

Sandemo born 23th April 1924 in Valdres is a Norwegian-Swedish historical fantasy author.She has been the best-selling author in the Nordic Countries since the 1980s, when her novel series of 47 books, The Legend of the Ice People, was published, among many other books.

The events of the majority of her novels take place in Europe in the Middle Ages and in the beginning of Modern Times, especially in Norway and Iceland. I once read a book about ghosts and how to find your gardian angel, Ghost but it almost scared me to death. There are a lot of superstition among the people in Valdres.

Her most selling books

Sagaen om isfolket
Heksemesteren
Sagnet om lysets rike
De svarte ridderne
Blålys
Trollruner

our fence ord "skigard" as the norwegian term refers to is also the title of a Norwegian song.

The song is about our relationship to fences. That we all have a fence inside ourself. Some things that we want to keep out of mind.

the refrain goes like this: a fence cant last forever, it can never last forever

Heilt innåt skogen står ein skigard, mosegrodd og grå.
Han er heilt nedfalls og søkk isaman,
men som eit minnesmerke her han står.
Ein gong var dette eit viktig stengsel,
som verna åkeren mot krøterfot.

ref.:
Ein skigard kan'kje vara evig, veit du,
kan aldri vara evig.

Sour Cream porrige.

It's made from sour cream, milk and wheat flour. and with some sugar, cinnamon and a a small piece of butter in the middle.

It's good, but it's also very fat. I can't eat to much of it before getting sick.

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A ferist is a contruction that prevent the animals from crossing the road.

In English I believe itæs called cattle guard.

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usually 't have no electricity, and hot water. And they usually have a toilet outside, (utedo).

photo 3 :a norwegian cabin

this is what a typical norwegian cabin looks like inside.