 |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
Situated in the heart of the Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic at 62°00’N, the Faroe Islands lie northwest of Scotland and halfway between Iceland and Norway.
For millions of years the Faroe Islands stood alone in the heart of the North Atlantic. The first settlers may have been Irish monks, probably in the middle of the seventh century, seeking a tranquil refuge in these remote islands. What is better known and well documented, is the Norwegian colonization, beginning about a hundred years later and developing throughout the Viking Age, making the Faroes a central part of the Viking settlements along the coasts of the North Atlantic and the Irish Sea.
The Viking settlers established their own parliament with local things in different parts of the islands and the main thing on Tinganes in Tórshavn
The Faroese language has its roots in Old Norse from the Viking age. The Vikings, who came mainly from Norway, sailed westwards looking for new land and reached the coasts of Scotland, Shetland, Orkney, the Hebrides, the Faroes and Iceland.
The Faroese language survived as an independent language, but was threatened with extinction. After the reformation, Danish became the language of the church, also the written language and was eventually used in all official matters. When the first research into the Faroese language was started at the end of the 18th century, its aim was to collect and document the remains of the old language.
The special features of the Faroese dance are the song and story. There is no instrumental accompaniment, only the voices and feet are heard. While a single or a few singers lead the song, the others take part with their dance steps and by singing the refrain after each verse. There is a live bond between the story of the ballad and the mood of the dance. The dance steps are always the same; if the story is a sad one, the steps are soft; if dramatic, the feet tramp hard. If it is a ballad that makes fun of something, the rhythm is springy and light. It is a dance where many take part, faces pass by one another; the dance turns inwards and can be difficult to appreciate from the outside. You have to participate, and when it is at its best the chain melts together and you feel a part of something vast.
Faroe Islands Turistguide 2007
Faroe Islands
Wikimedia pictures
The Nordic Page, Faroe Islands
Danisch homepage about Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands.dk
Welcome to the Faroe Islands
The Nordic Counsils website about Faroe Islands
Frantisek Staud, Photo Gallery of The Faroe Islands
My own Wikimedia gallery
Some Memories from my Childhood and Youth” by Zacharias Müller 1910 -2006
My own photos, Faroe Islands
My own photos, Suðuroy
Holiday-arpartment in Sumba, Suðuroy 400 DKK pr day
I have also other holiday-houses in Faroe Islands
Rent a guide on Suðuroy to a human price
Erik Christensen:
marielu@post.olivant.fo
erik_fo_dk@yahoo.dk
|
|
|
|