SACRED TREES OF NORWAY AND SWEDEN: A FRILUFTSLIV QUEST Douglas Forell Hulmes Professor of Environmental Studies Prescott College 220 Grove Avenue Prescott, AZ 86303 Arizona, U.S.A.
[email protected] Prepared for: Henrik Ibsen: The Birth of “Friluftsliv” A 150 Year International Dialogue Conference Jubilee Celebration North Troendelag University College, Levanger, Norway Mountains of Norwegian/Swedish Border September 14-19, 2009 1 SACRED TREES OF NORWAY AND SWEDEN: A FRILUFTSLIV QUEST Abstract What began as a curiosity about the traditions and folklore related to trees planted in the center of many farms in Norway, „Tuntre‟, and Sweden, „Vårdträd‟, led me to a recognition of a tradition that can still be observed in the cultural landscape today. The tradition can be traced as far back as the Viking period, and directly linked to the mythology of the World Tree, Yggdrasil. I have been studying these traditions as they relate to the field of environmental education as an example of mythopoetic stories and folklore that influence moral and ethical regard for nature. Two areas that I feel are relevant to perspectives of „Friluftsliv‟ are: *How does the mythology and folklore of a culture influence their perception of place? *How does ecological knowledge of a landscape compare with „kjennskap‟, or what is sacred in a landscape? Key Words: „Tuntre/Vårdträd‟, Cultural Landscape, Mythopoetic traditions, „Kjennskap‟, Sacred. Introduction: A special tradition that is shared by many Scandinavians is the planting or the knowing of a special tree in Swedish called a „Vårdträd‟, and in Norwegian a „Tuntre‟; a sacred tree planted in the center of the yard on a family farm that reflects an intimacy with place.