The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-12-24

or these "staVekirker," the BOrgund
church is the tiniest most primitive and
ancient; the Hitterdal church is the
most uniqe and symmetric, If not indeed
beautiful; and the church of Urnes most
interesting from its proximity to prehis-
torlc surroundings. Borgund, in the
heart of a deep valley set round about
with snOw-capped mountains, suggests a
toy church dropped there in the vagrant
play of some infant god of Morse mythol-
ogy. 1t has almost the true pagoda form;
diminishing, square, and steep-slanted
roofs, rising above each other; the third
extremely protruding and prominent.
This is in turn surmounted by distinct
structure with disproportionally large
roof, from which rises central pinnacle,
very like the minaret of mosque, the
peaked gables of the highest two
stories being provided with most dis
tinctly oriental outwardly curving, horn
shaped ornamentations. Its entire out
ward appearance is barbaric and grotes-
que, and but for its quaint half-Gothic,
half-Norman porches, strikingly like the
sunny south porches of the very ancient
parish churches of England, would sug-
gest that its dark interior was fitting
housing only for some1gigantic tire-belch-
ing Hindoo god. Its inner dimensions
are ridiculously small. The nave is but
twenty-three feet long, and about twenty
Ntu6s bilS CIuHGOl 10 Du1H SAAlGCl 4GG6
long and eleven in width; but is one mass
of carvings-strange old crosses, horrible
delineations of the passions, grotesqpe
dragon heads, and loathsome interviewed
serpents, interspersed with Runic in
scriptions as though in the stern olden
days, none might near the sacred pres
ences without visible tokens of those
earthly powers Which delight in conjur-
ing an ever-present hell.
al sc
than that of Borgund. It's dimensions are
somewhat greater; and its six steep
shingled roofs are carried to far greater
height. Three curious towers rise to
equal gradient. The lowest above the
apse, and the second above the chancel
are circular in form; have cone-shaped
peaks, like neatly matched English hay
stacks; and the third, above where the
nave is separated from the chancel by the
diminutive transept, is sharply peaked
from above a square tower The
three towers sustain huge carved
wooden crosses. An interesting pc
culiarity Of its interior is that the cen
trail tower is supported by wooden col
umns of tremendous hight, each one of
which is single tree of Norway pine,
stripped of its bark, and whose dimen-
sions have never been equaled in any
trees since found in Norwegian forests.
Among other curiosities of the uHitterdal
church is a chair of remarkable solidity,
standing beside the altar. Its carvings
are amazing in their character and pro-
fusion and iii pretty well settled by an
tiquarians that it was made in the year
900. This leavessib among the oldest, if
not the oldest of. wooden chairs in exist
ence. Two facts should be kept in mind
regarding these ancient "stavekirker,"
which certainly add greatly to their an
tique interest. No other material but
pine has been used in their construction
or reservations; and every one was orig
inally built after the true church form.
Each one possesses a nave, q chancel and
side aisles, usually transepts giving the
outlines of the cross. and they all stand
east and west with the altar and apse at
| the head or east end of the cross.
On the east bank of the Lyster F'iord
opposite Solyern, is perched the lonely
hamlet of Urn8s. But tiny patch of
tillable land surrounds it, ana then come
the mountains which pierce the clouds
above. Jutting out into the gloomy ford
is a little cone-like promontory Upon
the peak of this stands the lonely ''stave-
kirke' of Urnes. Antiquarians tell US
that here once stood temple to Thor.
Scattered all about are huge mounds,
called ''K9mpehouge, !" where mighty vi
kings and prehistoric heroes lie buried.
| One feels at weird old UrnRs as though
he has come to the very inner temple of
Morse antiquity and mythology. The
! church itself intensihes this weirdly fas-
cinating feeling. To my mind its lonely
situation and sombre interior pique the
| fancy to a more intense and searching
grasp upon the mighty past of the Morse
land than any other spot or scene in Nor
way The pine beams of the interior
| are tremendous in size and black with
age. The carvings are even more fanci-
full and gortesque than at Borgund or Hit
terdal. Behind the altar are rude pict-
ures of the twelve apostles, 400 years old.
no one knows how old is that most curious
| candelabrum ever seen, to be found here
| a rudely wrough tiny iron ship; the chalice
is $50 years old; beside the alter hang the
| priests vestments dated 1851; but all
| these things are comparatively modern
| bellishments. A curiosity of earlier
| date is a hugh beam across the chancel to
! which are yet attached some rotting pull
| leys. This was the ancient 'gabe stok y
or pillory, from which in those dear old
times many long to have returning
were strung up in sight of the congrega-
tion which had gathered for consolation,
| forgiveness and prayer!
While the entire agricultural popula-
tion of Norway may be regarded as of the
peasant class, by far the larger portion of
these are what are known as bonders or
udalmen These own absolutely their
lands free from all rents, tithes or condi-
tions of tenure The original titles TO
many of these landed possessions are so
ancient that they are written in an extinct
language. Inheritance of land and per-
sonal property has lately been made
equal among sons and daughters. If prop
erty is alienated from its original possess
ors through mortgage sale, the next of
kin has the right of redemption, at any
time within three years, on payment of
foreclosure or purchase price, with actual
cost of such improvements as have been
made. All lands passing out of the hands
of original family ownership do not again
become udal-lands until they have been In
possession of a new proprietor for PEE
riod of twenty years; and the subdivision
of these old Norwegian estates is largely
prevented by one heir purchasing the in
herited rights Of the others, when their
purchase Of reclaimed lands, and emigra-
ton, do the rest.
The almost universal spectacle Is there
fore presented in Norway of land of
farmsteads, old as the forests above
them, housing a folk rooted with the
affections, the legends, the customs and
the noble independence of centuries Of
growth to the soil beneath them with q
strength of love which amounts to their
grandest passion. There is no other
country in Europe--and American love OF
land, OF a landed home-spot with the sa-
credness of generations Of toll and Joy and