THE
NORWEGIAN FJORDS

PAINTED AND DESCRIBED

BY

A. HEATON COOPER

ARTIST OF "THE ENGLISH LAKES"

WITH

TWENTY-FOUR FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS
IN COLOUR

LONDON
ADAM AND CHARLES BLACK
1907

Published September, 1907

Black's Smaller Series
of Beautiful Books

THE NORWEGIAN FJORDS

BY THE SAME ARTIST

THE ENGLISH LAKES

PAINTED BY
A. HEATON COOPER

DESCRIBED BY
W. T. PALMER

CONTAINING 75 FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS
IN COLOR

PRICE 20s. NET

"Every lover of the Lake District will do
well to secure a copy of this beautiful
book."—The Guardian.

"This very handsome and acceptable
volume."—The World.

"The book is one to pore over at leisure, and
to enjoy either when on a holiday or after
returning from one."—Yorkshire Post.

"This beautiful book is a triumph of local
literature and art which will be a treasure to
all in whose way it comes."—Whitehaven News.

Published by
A. & C. BLACK . SOHO SQUARE. LONDON . W.

AGENTS

AMERICA. . THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
                      64 & 66 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK

CANADA . . THE MACMILLAN COMPANY OF CANADA, LTD.
                      27 RICHMOND STREET WEST, TORONTO

INDIA . . MACMILLAN & COMPANY, LTD.
                      MACMILLAN BUILDING, BOMBAY
                      309 BOW BAZAAR STREET, CALCUTTA

NOTE

The fjords of Norway, by their unique charm, annually attract an increasing number of English and American tourists.

This volume, the artist hopes, may be found useful to the traveller who desires a more intimate acquaintance with the country and its people than may be acquired from a casual visit to its shores.

It is the outcome of periodical visits to Norway extending over the last fifteen years, including two winters spent among the fjords and mountains of that delightful and interesting country.

In claiming for this volume no literary merit whatever, the artist trusts that the reader, whilst accepting it as perhaps a feeble statement of bare facts, will find compensation for any lack in this respect by appreciating his efforts in the illustrations. A.H.C.

CONISTON, R.S.O.,
    LANCASHIRE.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I

Bergen—The Hardanger Fjord—A peasant's homestead, and home industry—Horticulture—Land tenure—Boat-building from ancient times—The staple food of the peasants—"The Gothenburg system"

CHAPTER II

The Hardanger Fjord (continued)—Means of communication—A drive by "kariol" from Vossevangen to Ulvik—Ullensvang, the fruit-garden of Hardanger—The ancient and national arts of wood-carving, tapestry weaving, and embroidery—The Hardanger violin—Waterfalls—Glaciers—Fjord formation

CHAPTER III

The "Eddas" and "Sagas"—Heathen mythology—A pagan temple—An ancient "Stav-kirke" at Vik—Folklore and superstition—"Balder's Baal," or midsummer's eve fires, of pagan origin—Wedding customs

CHAPTER IV

The Sogne Fjord—Balholm and the "Frithjof's Saga"—Life at a "sæter" or mountain out-farm—A bear-hunter's tale—Sea-fight between King Sverre and Magnus Erlingssön, A.D. 1184—An ancient farmstead in Næröfjord—A wedding at Gudvangen—The Nærödal

CHAPTER V

The Sogne Fjord (continued)—Forestry

CHAPTER VI

The mining industry—Lærdal and the Borgund church—The Vettisfos—Lyster Fjord and Jötunheimen—The Norwegian Tourist Club—Jöstedalsbræ, the most extensive ice-field in Europe—Urnæs "Stav-kirke," the oldest church in Norway

CHAPTER VII

The Nord Fjord—The approach from the sea-coast—Typical fjord scenery—Three beautiful lakes: Loen, Stryn, and Olden—Glaciers and avalanches—A drive from Falejde to Öie—The magnificent gorge of Nordangsdal

CHAPTER VIII

Thee Norwegian Established Church ("den Norske Stats-Kirke")—The Reformation—The Lutheran creeds—The Bishops and clergy—The dioceses, deaneries, and livings—Church missions—Free education obtains in Norway—Schools and colleges—The University

CHAPTER IX

The Hjörund Fjord—Öie to Hellesylt—An evening idyll—The Geiranger Fjord and its waterfalls—An ancient farm near Meraak—By steamer to Næs—The grandeur of the Romsdal—The River Rauma—Salmon fishing—The great sea fisheries—The midnight sun—Winter sports in Norway—Wild animals and game—Molde, the most beautifully situated town in Norway

Index

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

SOGNE FJORD, GUDVANGEN (missing from book) . . . . . . Frontispiece