Kirkjubøur and other Faroe Islands Local Custom Tips

Kirkjubøur, the residence of the medieval Bishop of the Faroe Islands (12th to 16th century) and cultural and religious centre, is a village today, situated 13km south-west of Tórshavn. Kirkjubøur has among many other historical relics an old wooden farmhouse from medieval times (Roykstovan), one of the oldest wooden buildings in Northern Europe. This farmhouse is still intact and is now a museum. Amongst other interesting sights is a medieval church (St. Olav's Church), the remains of the Bishop’s palace and walls of a 13th century St. Magnus Cathedral that was never finished.

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Website: http://www.patursson.com/

The Saga of the Faroe Islanders was written in Iceland by an unknown author in the 13th century. The two main caracters are the sly and evil Þrándur í Götu (Thrand of Gata) and the christian hero Sigmundur Brestisson, friend of Olav Tryggvason king of Norway. The story describes the resistance of Faeroese leaders to Norwegian interference during the first part of the 11th century.

George Johnston,: Two Icelandic Sagas, Porcupine's Quill, ISBN 0-88984-180-2 - contains:
The Saga of the Faroe Islanders (Færeyinga saga);
The Saga of the Greenlanders (Grænlendinga saga).

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Website: http://www.squirrel.com/asatru/translations.html

The Faeroese have a rich oral tradition in music and they have managed to preserve great many ballads (some 80.000 verses) and other types of traditional songs, some of these from the Middle Ages. Others are more recently composed in the traditional style. Religious songs and rhymes for children are also important. The distinctive Faeroese dance is widely practiced. Look out for Faeroese jazz music and folk music in particular and artists such as the pianist Kristian Blak, his band of folk musicians Spælimenninir and the singer/actress Annika Hoydal, or the band Harkaliðið from the 60´s and 70´s. - A few years back, the rock group Týr, heavily inspired by Faroese traditional music, began to impress. They are great performers of old traditional tunes, such as Ormurinn langi (The Long Serpent) and Regin smiður (Regin the Smith). Another highly rated product of the Faroe Islands is the young and talented singer/composer Eivør Pálsdóttir. Watch out for her new CD in shops in the Faroe Islands and Iceland in particular. The CD is called Krákan, and the band (Icelandic except for Eivør) bears the same name.

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In traditional Faeroese food meat is the basis of every meal, and one of the most popular is skerpikjøt, well-aged, wind-dried mutton. The drying shed, or hjallur, is a standard feature in many Faeroese homes (as it was in Iceland in the old days), used for drying meat and fish. Other favorites are boiled mutton, boiled fish and seabirds, such as puffins, and their eggs. Whale’s meat and blubber (grind og spik) is a favorite, which I for my part could not stomach. The traditional grindadráp (slaughter of pilot whales) is a bloody event, but an integral part of the Faeroese culture.

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