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Humanities
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What do the animals in stave church ornamentation signify?
The richly decorated portal at Urnes stave church has often been interpreted in light of paganism. That’s wrong, according to a new stave church study.
Toss it if it’s 481 years old – but not if it’s a year older
Norway conserves archaeological finds from 1537, but not when they’re from 1538 or later. That means we know less about people’s everyday lives during the last 481 years.
Little words are better than their reputation
“Meaningless” little words create nuances and meaning in our language and can make our communication more effective.
A language app for working life
Speaking Norwegian is important for many Norwegian jobs, but conventional language classes may not prepare people with the kinds of words and expressions they need. A new app now provides training in specialized expressions.
Digital glove returns control to conductor
A digital glove crafted by an Icelandic conductor/composer allows composers to combine electronic music with regular instruments.
Finn-Kirsten Iversdatter: Norway’s Forgotten Witch
Finn-Kirsten Iversdatter was the last person to be executed for witchcraft in Central Norway, but her story was mostly forgotten. Until now.
Do archaeologists have to dig to uncover the mysteries of the past?
Which method works best for archaeologists when surveying an area? In the case of a recent archaeological survey in Halden municipality, georadar turned out to be good enough to discover a Viking ship.
When life is put on hold, volunteers can make a difference
When someone’s life is suddenly turned upside down, a volunteer’s helping hand can mean a lot.
Prison garb? No thanks!
Inmates are issued a starter pack of prison clothes upon arrival. Many would rather use their own clothes as a way to reclaim some power for themselves.
Viking house remains found along planned E6 road route
Archaeologists at NTNU have discovered the remains of a Viking house from the early Middle Ages. It is a “very rare find,” says project manager Merete Moe Henriksen.
From royal crown to a crown of thorns
Church art from the Middle Ages reflects the dramatic societal changes that were underway during this period. Artists changed the way they depicted Christ from a regal figure with a crown of gold to a suffering Christ with a crown of thorns.
Using new technology to find shipwrecks on the ocean floor
An estimated three million shipwrecks lie in seabed graveyards around the world – with as many as 1000 of them around Svalbard. Each of them has their own unique story — one that’s made much more accessible with new technology.
What is community, really?
A community can be anything from people gathered at the same type of music festival to commuters who recognize each other on the train, a quick meeting with colleagues in the cafeteria or an online chat group.
Name change in the United States brought economic payoff
Many immigrants changed their names when they came to the United States at the turn of the last century. People who changed their first names often landed better-paying jobs.
Museums can give us better beer, paint and omega-3
Natural history collections aren’t just dusty financial sinkholes. Actually, they can be gold mines for industry.
Unique Middle Age tapestry gives insight into medieval times
Norwegian churches in the Middle Ages were decorated with embroidered tapestries that told Bible stories almost like a comic series. The Høylandet tapestry is the only one of its kind that has survived the march of time.
Japan’s cuteness phenomenon is hundreds of years old
You’ve seen the pictures and the products: Japanese teenage girls in a pastel little-girl world, and children and adults who love Hello Kitty products. They’re all part of the Japanese kawaii phenomenon, which actually started several hundred years ago.
Boys still lag behind in reading
When boys start school, they recognise fewer letters and their corresponding sounds than girls do. The difference is just as great at the end of the school year.
Cheerful Madonna with a lot of bling
A Madonna figure from Grong municipality is one of the best preserved and special church sculptures in Norway from the Middle Ages. She looks like a sweet, friendly girl who’s been asked to model for the sculpture.
How forgetting about Middle Age treasures saved them
One of Scandinavia’s finest collections of church art from the Middle Ages lay hidden and forgotten in Norwegian churches for centuries. Indeed, this long forgetting is precisely what preserved the unique church art.
Improve your Norwegian with tailor-made language app
Choose from 77 mother tongues and 6 Norwegian dialects. A new app offers customized Norwegian language exercises based on your native language. The newly launched app could prove a useful tool in adult education, too.
So what is “gand” sorcery – really?
Some people may have heard about the magical phenomenon of gand. When life seems to be against you or you’re plagued by one misfortune after another, you might jokingly say that you’ve been ‘ganda’ if you’re Norwegian. But what did gand really look like and why do we associate it with the Sami people?
Men are men and women have to watch out
Women who work on ships have to take responsibility for not being sexually harassed. This is the message according to a new book on gender, sexuality and power structures in large organizations.