Faroe Islanders

Tíðin rennur sum streymur í á.   (Time flows like the currents of a river)
 -Sofus Joensen

## Føroyingar

* People of the
* Faroe Islands

## Religion or Spirituality

Church of the Faroe Islands (72%) Open Brethren (11%)

## Date When Land Was Settled

around 2,500 years ago but the exact date is unknown (Celtic line)

## Related Ethnic Groups

Celts Norsemen

**Faroese people** or **Faroe Islanders** [ˈfœɹjiɲaɹ] are a North Germanic ethnic group and nation native to the Faroe Islands. The Faroese are of mixed Norse and Gaelic origins. About 21,000 Faroese live in neighbouring countries, particularly in Denmark, Iceland and Norway. Most Faroese are citizens of the Kingdom of Denmark, in which the Faroe Islands are a constituent nation. The Faroese language is one of the North Germanic languages and is closely related to Icelandic and to western Norwegian varieties.

The name has long been understood as based on Old Norse *fár* "livestock", thus *fær-øer* "sheep islands".

Historians have understood since the time of the Færeyinga saga that the Viking Grímur Kamban was the first settler in the Faroes. The Norwegians must have known about the isles before leaving Norway. If Grímur Kamban had settled sometime earlier, this could explain the Norwegians knowing about them. Another, more logical explanation might be that the Norwegians came to know about the islands by the Gaels of Scotland and Ireland.

While Grímur is an Old Norse first name, Kamban indicates a Celtic origin. Thus he could have been a man from Ireland, Scotland or Isle of Man, where the Vikings already had settlements. Some place names from the oldest settlements on the Faroes suggest that some of the settlers perhaps came from the Scottish islands and the British coast.

    Y chromosomes, tracing male descent, are 87% Scandinavian but mitochondrial DNA, tracing female descent, is 84% Celtic.

## History (Søga)

### Celts (~500 BCE - ~800 AD) Keltar

There is some evidence of settlement on the Faroe Islands before Norse Viking settlers arrived in the ninth century AD. Scientific researchers found burnt grains of domesticated barley and peat ash deposited in two phases: the first dated between the mid-fourth and mid-sixth centuries, and another between the late-sixth and late-eighth centuries. Researchers have also found sheep DNA in lake-bed sediments, which were dated to around the year 500. Barley and sheep had to have been brought to the islands by humans. As Scandinavians did not begin using the sail until about 750, it is unlikely they could have reached the Faroes before then, and it is more likely the settlers came from the British Isles. Archaeologist Mike Church suggested that the people living there might have been from Ireland, Scotland or Scandinavia, or from all three.

According to a ninth-century voyage tale, the Irish saint Brendan visited islands resembling the Faroes in the sixth century. This description, however, is not conclusive.

The earliest text which has been claimed to be a description of the Faroe Islands was written by the Irish monk Dicuil c.825 in his work *Liber de Mensura Orbis Terrae* (description of the sphere of the earth). Dicuil had met a "man worthy of trust" who related to his master, the abbot Sweeney (Suibhne), how he had landed on islands in the far north after sailing "two days and a summer night in a little vessel of two banks of oars" (*in duobus aestivis diebus, et una intercedente nocte, navigans in duorum navicula transtrorum*).

### Norsemen (Skandinavier)

Norse settlement of the Faroe Islands is recorded in the Færeyinga saga, whose original manuscript is lost. Portions of the tale were inscribed in three other sagas: such as Flateyjarbók, Saga of Óláfr Tryggvason, and AM 62 fol. Similar to other sagas, the historical credibility of the Færeyinga saga is highly questioned.

Both the Saga of Ólafr Tryggvason and Flateyjarbók claim that Grímr Kamban was the first man to discover the Faroe Islands. The two sources disagree, however, on the year in which he left and the circumstances of his departure. Flateyjarbók details the emigration of Grímr Kamban as sometime during the reign of Harald Hårfagre, between 872 and 930 AD. The Saga of Óláfr Tryggvason indicates that Kamban was residing in the Faroes long before the rule of Harald Hårfagre, and that other Norse were driven to the Faroe Islands due to his chaotic rule. This mass migration to the Faroe Islands shows a prior knowledge of the Viking settlements' locations, furthering the claim of Grímr Kamban's settlement much earlier. While Kamban is recognized as the first Viking settler of the Faroe Islands, his surname is of Gaelic origin. Writings from the Papar, an order of Irish monks, show that they left the Faroe Islands due to ongoing Viking raids.

The name of the islands is first recorded on the Hereford *Mappa Mundi* (1280), where they are labelled *farei*. The name has long been understood as based on Old Norse *fár* "livestock", thus *fær-øer* "sheep islands".

The main historical source for this period is the 13th-century work *Færeyinga saga* (*Saga of the Faroese*), though it is disputed as to how much of this work is historical fact. *Færeyinga saga* only exists today as copies in other sagas, in particular the manuscripts called *Saga of Óláfr Tryggvason*, *Flateyjarbók* and one registered as AM 62 fol.

According to Flateyjarbók, Grímr Kamban settled in Faroe when Harald Hårfagre was king of Norway (872–930). A slightly different account is found in the version of *Færeyinga saga* in Ólafs Saga Tryggvasonar:

*There was a man named Grímr Kamban; he first settled in Faroe. But in the days of Harold Fairhair many men fled before the king's overbearing. Some settled in Faroe and began to dwell there, and others sought to other waste lands.*
The text suggests that Grímr Kamban settled in the Faroes some time before the flight from Harald Hårfagre, perhaps even hundreds of years before. His first name, *Grímr*, is Norse, but his last, *Kamban*, suggests a Gaelic origin (*Cambán*). He may have been of mixed Norse and Irish origin and have come from a settlement in the British Isles: a so-called Norse-Gael. The Norse-Gaels had intermarried with speakers of Irish, a language also spoken at the time in Scotland (being the ancestor of Scottish Gaelic). Evidence of a mixed cultural background in later settlers may be found in the Norse-Irish ring pins found in the Faroe Islands, and in features of Faroese vocabulary. Examples of such words (derived from Middle Irish) are: "blak/blaðak" (buttermilk), Irish *bláthach*; "drunnur" (animal tail), Irish *dronn* (chine); "grúkur" (head), Irish *gruaig* (hair); "lámur" (hand, paw), Irish *lámh* (hand); "tarvur" (bull), Irish *tarbh*; and "ærgi" (pasture in the outfield), Irish *áirge* (byre, milking place: Mod. Irish *áirí*). The discovery at Toftanes on Eysturoy of wooden devotional crosses apparently modelled on Irish or Scottish exemplars suggests that some of the settlers were Christian. It has also been suggested that the typical curvilinear stone-built walls enclosing early ecclesiastical sites in the Faroes (as in Norse settlements elsewhere) reflect a Celtic Christian style, seen in the circular enclosures of early ecclesiastical sites in Ireland. Indirect support for this theory has been found in genetic research showing that many Norse settler women in the Faroe Islands had Celtic forebears.

If there was settlement in the Faroes in the reign of Harald Hårfagre, it is possible that people already knew about the Faroes because of previous visitors or settlers.

The fact that immigrants from Norway also settled in the Faroe Islands is proven by a runestone (*see Sandavágur stone*) found in the village of Sandavágur on Vágoy Island. It says:

*Thorkil Onundsson, eastman (Norwegian) from Rogaland, settled first in this place (Sandavágur)*
This description "eastman" (from Norway) has to be seen together with the description "westman" (from Ireland/Scotland), which is to be found in local place-names such as "Vestmanna-havn" i.e. "Irishmen's harbour" in the Faroe Isles, and "Vestmannaeyjar" i.e. "Irishmen's islands" in Iceland.

According to *Færeyinga saga* there was an ancient institution on the headland called Tinganes in Tórshavn on the island of Streymoy. This was an *Alþing* or Althing (All-council.) This was the place where laws were made and disputes solved. All free men had the right to meet in the Alþing. It was a parliament and law court for all, thus the name. Historians estimate the Alþing to have been established from 800 to 900.

The islands were officially converted to Christianity around the year 1000, with the Diocese of the Faroe Islands based at Kirkjubøur, southern Streymoy, of which there were 33 Catholic bishops.

### Annexation to Norway (1035) Innlimaður í Noreg

The Faroes became a part of the Kingdom of Norway in 1035. Early in the 11th century Sigmund or Sigmundur Brestisson, whose family had flourished in the southern islands but had been almost exterminated by invaders from the islands of the north, was sent from Norway, to where he had escaped, to take possession of the islands for Olaf Tryggvason, king of Norway. He introduced Christianity, and, though he was subsequently murdered, Norwegian supremacy was upheld and continued.

King Sverre of Norway was brought up in the Faroes, being stepson of a Faroese man, and relative to Roe, bishop of the islands.

Norwegian supremacy continued until 1380, when the islands became part of the Kalmar Union (under de jure Danish rule). The islands were still a possession of the Norwegian crown since the crowns had not been joined. In 1380 the Alþting was renamed the Løgting, though it was by now little more than a law court.

### Annexation to Denmark (Innlimaður í Danmark)

Christian III of Denmark-Norway also introduced Lutheranism to the Faroes, to replace Catholicism. This process took five years to complete, in which time Danish was used instead of Latin and church property was transferred to the state. The bishopric at Kirkjubøur, south of Tórshavn, where remains of the cathedral may be seen, was also abolished.

The economy suffered as a result of the Dano-Swedish war between Denmark–Norway and Sweden. During this period of the monopoly most Faroese goods (wool products, fish, meat) were taken to the Netherlands, where they were sold at pre-determined prices. The guidelines of the trading agreement, however, were often ignored or corrupted. This caused delays and shortages in the supply of Faroese goods and a reduction in quality. With the trading monopoly nearing collapse smuggling and piracy were rife.

The Danish king tried to solve the problem by giving the Faroes to the courtier Christoffer Gabel (and later on his son, Frederick) as a personal feudal estate. However, the Gabel rule was harsh and repressive, breeding much resentment in the Faroese. This caused Denmark–Norway, in 1708, to entrust the islands and trading monopoly once more to the central government. However, they too struggled to keep the economy going, and many merchants were trading at a loss. Finally, on 1 January 1856 the trading monopoly was abolished.

### Present (Nú)

The Faroe Islands, Iceland and Greenland became a part of Denmark at the Peace of Kiel in 1814, when the union of Denmark–Norway was dissolved.

In 1816 the Løgting (the Faroese parliament) was officially abolished and replaced by a Danish judiciary. Danish was introduced as the main language, whilst Faroese was discouraged. In 1849 a new constitution came into use in Denmark and was promulgated in the Faroes in 1850, giving the Faroese two seats in the Rigsdag (Danish parliament). The Faroese, however, managed in 1852 to re-establish the Løgting as a county council with an advisory role, with many people hoping for eventual independence. The late 19th century saw increasing support for the home rule/independence movement, though not all were in favour. Meanwhile, the Faroese economy was growing with the introduction of large-scale fishing. The Faroese were allowed access to the large Danish waters in the North Atlantic. Living standards subsequently improved and there was a population increase. Though Faroese was standardized as a written language in 1890, it was not allowed to be used in public schools until 1938, or in the church (Fólkakirkjan) until 1939.

Following the liberation of Denmark and the end of World War II, the last British troops left in September 1945. Until 1948 the Faroes had the official status of a Danish amt (county). A referendum on full independence was held in 1946, which produced a majority in favour. This was, however, not recognised by the Danish Government or king due to only 2/3 of the population participating in the referendum, so the Danish king abolished the government of the Faroes. The subsequent elections Løgting were won by an anti-independence majority and instead a high degree of self-governance was attained in 1948 with the passing of the Act of Faroese Home Rule. Faroese was now an official language, though Danish is still taught as a second language in schools. The Faroese flag was also officially recognised by Danish authorities.

In 1973 Denmark joined the European Community (now European Union). The Faroes refused to join, mainly over the issue of fishing limits.

## Religion (Átrúnaður)

The **Church of the Faroe Islands** (Faroese: *Fólkakirkjan*, lit. 'people's church'; Danish: *Færøernes folkekirke*) is one of the smallest state churches in the world. Prior to becoming independent on 29 July 2007, it was a diocese of the Church of Denmark, a Lutheran church. As of 2019, 79.7% of the Faroe Islanders belonged to the state church.

The Celtic ancestors of the Faroe Islanders followed Celtic Christianity during the island's settlement, while the Norse followed Paganism. According to the *Færeyinga saga*, Sigmundur Brestisson brought Christianity to the Norse of the Faroes in 999.

## Language (Mál)

**Faroese** ; *føroyskt mál* [ˈføːɹɪst ˈmɔaːl]) is a North Germanic language spoken as a first language by about 72,000 Faroe Islanders, around 53,000 of whom reside on the Faroe Islands and 23,000 in other areas, mainly Denmark.

It is one of five languages descended from Old West Norse spoken in the Middle Ages, the others being Norwegian, Icelandic, and the extinct Norn and Greenlandic Norse. Faroese and Icelandic, its closest extant relative, are not mutually intelligible in speech, but the written languages resemble each other quite closely, largely owing to Faroese's etymological orthography.

### History (Søga og Mál)

Around AD 900, the language spoken in the Faroes was Old Norse, which Norse settlers had brought with them during the time of the settlement of Faroe Islands (*landnám*) that began in 825.

Between the 9th and the 15th centuries, a distinct Faroese language evolved, although it was probably still mutually intelligible with Old West Norse, and remained similar to the Norn language of Orkney and Shetland during Norn's earlier phase.

Faroese ceased to be a written language after the union of Norway with Denmark in 1380, with Danish replacing Faroese as the language of administration and education. The islanders continued to use the language in ballads, folktales, and everyday life. This maintained a rich spoken tradition, but for 300 years the language was not used in written form.

In 1937, Faroese replaced Danish as the official school language, in 1938, as the church language, and in 1948, as the national language by the Home Rule Act of the Faroe Islands. However, Faroese did not become the common language of media and advertising until the 1980s. Today, Danish is considered a foreign language, although around 5% of residents on the Faroes learn it as a first language, and it is taught in school from the first grade.

## Music (Tónleikur)

Traditions include; chain dance and ballads. The three types of dance ballads are kvæði, tættir and vísur. Many of these dance forms were revived after World War 2, when a number of dance societies were formed. The ballads were largely compiled in *Corpus Carminum Færoensium*, which collected over 44,000 stanzas.

Other songs include skjaldur, fantastic fairy tales sung by adults for children, and pitch-sliding, microtonal hymns called kingosálmar. In her magnum opus about Faroese folk singing, Marianne Clausen comprehensively described the various genres, and presented about 3,300 music transcriptions of folk singing melodies.

## Food (Matur)

Traditionally the main source of meat was the domestic sheep, the most common farm animal in the Faroe Islands. However, sheep were also used for their wool. The most popular treat is *skerpikjøt*, well-aged, wind-dried mutton which is quite chewy. The drying shed, known as a *hjallur*, is a standard feature in many Faroese homes, particularly in the small towns and villages. Other traditional foods are *ræst kjøt* (semi-dried mutton) and *ræstur fiskur*, matured fish. Fish dishes in the Faroe Islands are caught in the waters of the North Atlantic Ocean. Fresh fish can be had all year round. Islanders eat mostly haddock, plaice, halibut, herring, and shrimp. Seabirds like puffins are also game hunted.

### Whale (Hvalur)

Another Faroese specialty is *tvøst og spik*, pilot whale meat, and blubber. The meat and the blubber can be preserved and prepared in different ways. Often it is cut into long thin slices, which are called *likkja* (*grindalikkja*) in singular and *likkjur* (*grindalikkjur*) in plural, and hung up to dry. These are often used for the so-called *kalt borð* (cold table) which is a table with a variety of cold Faroese and foreign dishes. The Faroese dishes can consist of whale meat, whale blubber, dried fish, and dried lamb meat, which is called *skerpikjøt*. The *kalda borðið* (cold table) is used for festive occasions. Whale meat can also be boiled or, less traditionally, fried as steaks. There are also two ways of salting the whale meat: in dry salt or in salted water (*saltlakað grind*). Boiled potatoes are normally eaten together with the whale meat and the blubber, but this tradition is not very old, since potatoes were not common in the Faroe Islands before sometime in the early or mid-19th century.

The pilot whale has been polluted by toxins in the Atlantic Ocean and both Faroese and foreign scientists have researched the quality of the whale meat and the effect it might have on people who consume it. Department of Occupational Medicine and Public Health with Dr. Pál Weihe and international scientists like P. Grandjean have performed several years of research on the effect of mercury and polychlorinated biphenyl contamination of the pilot whale. Research has been made since 1977 in the Faroe Islands and has led to dietary recommendations regarding the consumption of pilot whale and blubber. Some years ago his advice was that Faroese people should not eat whale meat more than once a month at the most. He later changed his recommendations and, together with Høgni Debes Joensen, chief medical officer of the Faroes, said that he would not recommend whale meat or blubber for human consumption at all. However, the Faroese government has not forbidden the whale drives. The Heilsufrøðiliga Starvsstovan or "Faroese Food and Veterinary Agency" consulted foreign scientists and issued a new recommendation in 2011. They say that people can eat whale meat and blubber once a month at the most. At the same time they reported that the kidneys and the liver of the whale are so contaminated with mercury, PCB, and dioxin that they are not recommended for human consumption at all. They also recommend that women who wish to become pregnant should refrain from eating blubber, and that women who are pregnant or about to become pregnant should not eat whale meat either.

## Famous Faroe Islanders (Víðagitin Føroyingar)

**Livar Nysted** (born 27 September 1970) is an ocean rower and an artist, a painter. He grew up in the small village of Hvannasund in the Faroe Islands. Nysted has achieved five world records in ocean rowing. In 2010 he – together with three other rowers – successfully crossed the North Atlantic Ocean in a rowing boat, breaking a 114-year-old record.

**Pál Joensen** (born 10 December 1990) is a Faroese elite swimmer. He was born in Vágur, Suðuroy, Faroe Islands. He has won World and European Championship medals. His bronze medal in the men's 1500 metre freestyle at the 2012 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) in Istanbul was the first medal won by a Faroese swimmer at the World Aquatic Championships.

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