![\"Harald](\"https:\/\/avaldsnes.info\/content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Harald-og-gyda-nye-drakter-11.jpg\")
<\/a>Harald Fairhair and Gyda in Nordvegen History Centre. (Photo Marit Synn\u00f8ve Vea)<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n
Text: Marit Synn\u00f8ve Vea<\/span><\/p>\n AVALDSNES \u2013 A ROYAL SEAT BY THE SAILING ROUTE NORDVEGEN<\/strong> Common to the rulers at Avaldsnes, was\u00a0that they had close contact with other people and other countries. This international contact gave them new ideas, cultural impulses, knowledge, allies and great wealth.\u00a0Archaeological evidence show that Avaldsnes had its peaks as a centre of power when the international contact was at its strongest.<\/p>\n From the 200s until Harald Fairhair (Finehair) placed his royal seat at Avaldsnes approx. 870 AD, Avaldsnes was a seat for sea kings. Harald Fairhair started his career as a sea king, but during his long reign, he extended his realm when he also gained control over the hinterland and became a land king.<\/p>\n Harald Fairhair and his descendants had their royal seat at Avaldsnes for almost 500 years.<\/p>\n The strategic location of the royal seat by the sailing route Karmsundet was the main reason why Avaldsnes remained a centre of power for almost 3000 years. This was the best place to control the shipping traffic along the coast of Norway, and from here they sent their own ships across the sea.<\/p>\n Avaldsnes is strategically located where the strait Karmsundet is at its narrowest, The place is named after the legendary king Augvald, (ON Ogvaldr) – “the ruler of the coast” – who probably lived sometime in the migration period. (Photo Gunnar Str\u00f8m)<\/p><\/div>\n NORWAY – NORDVEGEN \u2013 THE WAY TO THE NORTH<\/strong> The “Five Foolish Virgins”. A star-shaped stone setting from the Late Roman Period, placed where the Karmsundet is at its narrowest. A similar, but larger, star-shaped stone setting was situated at the royal manor. Such stone-settings are associated with an Yggdrasil cult. These triangular monuments may also have connected Avaldsnes with Thor, the god that protected society from destructive beings. (Photo \u00d8rjan Iversen)<\/p><\/div>\n KORMT\u00a0 – THE HOLY WATER<\/strong> The ancient poems Grimnismal and Gylfaginning tell that Tor, the God of Thunder wades the strait\u00a0 Karmsund every day, until he reaches\u00a0Yggdrasil, the tree of life,\u00a0 where the Norse gods meet at their place of justice.\u00a0 Thus; the rainbow bridge Bifrost can burn and the holy water glow.<\/p>\n Kormt and Ormt Read more:<\/strong> Last update November 2022<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Text: Marit Synn\u00f8ve Vea AVALDSNES \u2013 A ROYAL SEAT BY THE SAILING ROUTE NORDVEGEN In the early Bronze Age, ca. 3,500 years ago, Avaldsnes was established as a center of power. The site continued to be a seat of chieftains and kings until medieval times, ca. 1400 AD. These rulers by the narrow strait Karmsundet […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"yoast_head":"\n
\nIn the early Bronze Age, ca. 3,500 years ago, Avaldsnes was established as a center of power. The site continued to be a seat of chieftains and kings until medieval times, ca. 1400 AD. These rulers by the narrow strait Karmsundet have given us great burial mounds, high bautas and rich finds.<\/p>\n<\/a>\n
\nMost countries are named after their land areas or after ethnic groups who live in the countries. Norway, however, has been named after the sailing route that runs along the coast. People who sail across the open sea from Lista and along the coast of J\u00e6ren,\u00a0will meet the strait Karmsundet as a protected sea-road at the entrance to the fairway northwards. For those who lived before us, this was Nor\u00f0rvegr<\/em> – the North Way – the way to the north.<\/p>\n<\/a>
\nThe name Karm\u00f8y originates from the Old Norse word Kormt<\/em> which means shelter. This long and narrow island protects the mainland from the North Sea and forms the fairway Karmsundet.<\/p>\n
\nand two large rivers;
\nthese shall Thor wade
\nevery day when
\nhe walks to deem
\nat the Yggdrasil Ash;
\nThus the bridge of heaven
\ncan burn; warm is holy water.
\n(Gr\u00edmnism\u00e1l)<\/p>\n
\nAvaldsnes \u2013 A Sea-Kings\u2019 Manor in First-Millennium Western Scandinavia. Ed Dagfinn Skre, 2017<\/a>
\nNor\u00f0vegr \u2013 Norway: From Sailing Route to Kingdom av Professor Dagfinn Skre<\/a>
\n“Vest-Norges Lejre” av Frans-Arne Stylegar<\/a>
\nNoregr tyder nok vegen mot nord, likevel. Eldar Heide<\/a>
\nAvaldsnes. From lokalhistoriewiki.no<\/a><\/p>\n