Norwegian Saga

One of Anne’s friends went to Iceland for a week, she brought back some coins and I got two of them. They were worthless then but now, with the market correction in full swing, they’re even more so. The value of these coins isn’t the point though, I just want everyone to see them.

First some Norwegian coins (50 ore, 1 krone, 10 kroner, 20 kroner; front and back photos):

See the cool stave church and the Viking ship on the 10 and 20 crown piece?

Ok and now the Icelandic coins (1 and 10 crown, front and back):

Do you notice anything about the Icelandic coins? How about the curious absence of any monarchical symbolism. It may not be entirely obvious because the Icelandic coins do have a face on them. However, that face is of a Viking, not a king. The pictures on the ten crown piece (tiu kronur) are a Viking ship bow, a bull, and an eagle. The bull was a symbol of wealth and often used in court proceedings as payment etc. The eagle… well like every other nation that uses the eagle. The fish on the other side are representative of the sea based society of the Vikings.

But to return to the concept of a kingless nation. Iceland, from its beginnings (c.900), did not have a king or monarch of any sort. It’s viewed as one of the few (or only depending who you ask) examples of a society that ordered itself without the need for a single supreme ruler. They had an elaborate system of courts that determined laws and settle suits. Iceland did fall under the Norwegian crown in about 1250, and later under others. The point being, that unlike even America, there was no ruler, no single office. All men were technically equal. Quite a feat for the 900s, if you ask me.

Alright, enough history. Things have been going very well for me. I teach English every Saturday for four hours and I tutor on Monday’s and Wednesdays. Manuscript class is fabulous, Old Norse is a little bit difficult and my thesis is coming along very slowly. I have to have a ten page thesis outline finished for 21 November and I’m getting nervous about it.

Fall has come to Norway and quickly at that. The days are getting colder and shorter. I have to run out and buy myself a comforter because the blanket I brought from Canada will not be enough for winter. Ikea: a student’s best friend.

More to come. In a week I’m going to visit three more stave churches, so there will be photos of that. And I’m planning on doing a walk about of downtown Oslo which will include photos for ya’ll.