Saga: A narrative from Norway (or Iceland) or a long and complicated series of more or less loosely connected events
This is another one that you could easily miss. She’s tucked down a passage (Sehesteds gate) just off the route of tramlines 11, 17 and 18. The statue is also a fountain and is called Evig Liv or in English Eternal Life.
It was sculpted by Ørnulf Bast (1907 – 1974) in 1948/49 and is one of several works of public art by Bast. During the Second World Ward Bast and his wife, also provided a secret flat for the Norwegian Resistance Movement. He was awarded the King’s Medal of Merit.
Here is a statue that is very close to statues of the week 48 – 51 but he’s quite easy to miss if you’re walking towards the centre of Oslo down Tullins gate. Turn right (as if you’re going to the Radisson Blu Hotel car park) and he’s there just past the traffic lights. His name is Olaf Bull (1883 – 1933) and he is a Norwegian poet. His most well known poem is Metope.
The final man in the group of four is Andreas Munch (1811 – 1884). Andreas was a poet and he wrote the words to accompany Kjerulf’s music Brudeferd i Hardanger. He is buried in Vår Frelsers gravlund, as are Halfdan Kjerulf, and Hans Gude.
Hans Gude (1825 – 1903) painted Brudeferd i Hardanger together wth Adolph Tideman in 1848. He studied abroad, like many other painters, but due to revolutionary events in Europe both Gude and Tideman were back in Norway.
Halfdan Kjerulf (1815-1868) is the person the grassy area is named after. He was a Norwegian composer and conductor of choirs. He composed the music for a piece for a male voice choir called “Brudeferd i Hardanger”, which premiered in the Cristiana Theatre in Oslo, with Adolph Tideman’s painting as the backdrop.
The next 4 statues of the week are residents of a small (very small) park (actually I don’t think you can call it a park it’s that small). It’s called Halfdan Kjerulfs plass and trams number 11, 17 and 18 pass by it on their way between Holbergs plass and Tullinlokka. There are actually 5 statues in the grassy area but because it’s winter, one is covered up to protect it from the cold, so that will appear once it’s little wooden house is removed.
So number one of the other 4 is of Adolph Tideman (1814 – 1876). Adolph was a Norwegian painter, who studied in Oslo, Copenhagen, Dusseldorf. He is the painter of one of the most well known Norwegian paintings (apparently, well maybe in Norwegian circles) Brudeferd i Hardanger, together with Hans Gude. In fact Brudeferd i Hardanger connects all of this group of four statues
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Hello,
It’s been a while, I know. But at long last here is statue 47. The photo was taken before Christmas, but I just haven’t felt like blogging. But now spring is here!!!!!! I was out in my sandals today – everyone else was still wrapped up in winter boots, wool and puffa jackets. Even David decided it was spring – go check out his blog post.
So, statue 47. It’s a fountain as well, but all water to fountains is turned off during the winter, due to the tendency of water to freeze at 0 degrees. It’s located near the T-bane station at Tøyen, but if you’re going to Tøyen to visit the Munch Museum or the Botanic Garden then you’re likely to miss it because it’s in the opposite direction, located near the shops
The statue/fountain has 3 figures who are collecting water from a pump. There was no information attached, and my google searching has turned up no results. Anyway here it is.
BUTTER!!!! Please send some. Norway has run out – about 2 weeks ago.
No I am not joking, Norway really has run out of butter. This is a big problem because it’s baking season. It’s traditional to bake 7 types of cakes/biscuits for Christmas. Why has Norway run out of butter? Tine (the biggest dairy product producer who to all intents and purposes have a monopoly) are giving lots of excuses – low carbohydrate diets are the main excuse (these are in fashion – Atkins apparently didn’t get to Norway). So the government has reduced the tax on imported butter from 25% (yes really!) to 4%. Hopefully some will arrive soon.
There has been some knitting happening over the last few months and quite a lot of it has been for babies – my new niece (Maisie) and nephew (Ruan). Having now knitted 3 (another for my cousin’s son Harry and I now have to knit another for his sister/brother!) of these in the last year I am now very fed up of knitting these Hamishes but they are quite cute.
So here are Hamish number 8 together with Maisie) and 9 – I’ve no photo of him with Ruan 😦
September was a busy month is Oslo. The holidays are over and the normal (as opposed to tourist) population has returned from their summer holidays, schools are back and the snow has not yet come. This therefore makes it a good month for outdoor events. On the same Saturday in September it was both the Majorstua markeds dag (market day) and an event celebrating old buses and trams.
Market day involves the whole of Hegdehaugs veien and Bogstadveien (the main road, and large shopping district, from Slotsparken to Majorstua) being closed to all traffic (including the trams) and the shops that line the road put out stalls and sell reduced price/special offer goods. It’s very busy.
The buses and trams are normally found in the transport museum at Majorstua but on this day they were located between Rådhusplass and Aker Brygge. They had old trams and buses from Oslo and elsewhere in Norway.
An Oslo Saga 