''Fäbodristningar'' or ''vallgångsristningar'' are carvings on trees and mountains with

text Text may refer to: Written word * Text (literary theory) In literary theory, a text is any object that can be "read", whether this object is a work of literature, a street sign, an arrangement of buildings on a city block, or styles of clothi ...

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runes Runes are the Letter (alphabet), letters in a set of related alphabets, known as runic rows, runic alphabets or futharks (also, see ''#Futharks, futhark'' vs ''#Runic alphabets, runic alphabet''), native to the Germanic peoples. Runes were ...

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and other signs, that have been found in

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

in connection with the herding of animals in the 17th century and onward, mainly left by youths who worked with the herding.Fakta Scog: Vi har tre kor borta – gamla träd som historiska arkiv
DT.se: Fler fäbodristningar funna

Origins

Dalarna Dalarna (; ), also referred to by the English exonyms Dalecarlia and the Dales, is a (historical province) in central Sweden. Dalarna adjoins Härjedalen, Hälsingland, Gästrikland, Västmanland and Värmland. It is also bordered by Nor ...

, Sweden, a few hundred carvings have been found, most of them in the Ore area (in

Rättvik Municipality Rättvik Municipality () is a municipalities of Sweden, municipality in Dalarna County in central Sweden. Its seat is located in the town of Rättvik. In 1963 the municipality was reunited with ''Boda'', which had been detached from it in 1875, a ...

) of the region.Allan Stenbomsgaten: Fotoalbum
The carvings were made with a knife and often followed the same pattern of initials, year, and often information about them, importantly the first or last day of the ''fäbod'' (summer pasture) period. The carvings are mostly concentrated in certain locations and areas such as hills and close to the water as they were good places for herding in the north of Sweden. One of these places are Hästbergs klack north of

Ludvika Ludvika () is a bimunicipal Urban areas in Sweden, city and the seat of Ludvika Municipality, Dalarna County within the country of Sweden, with 14,498 inhabitants in 2010. Overview The conurbation of Ludvika extends over the border of Smedjebacke ...

.Visf.com: Den gamla fäbodristningen
At times, a review of the herding period such as "Good" or "Bad" were found. On one tree branch in Ore, Dalarna, three girls who herded left a carving saying "We feel good as hell" (''Wi mår bra som fan''). It was customary that women made carvings on trees, while men made them on stones.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fabodristning Agriculture in Sweden Runology Social history of Sweden Transhumance

Origins

See also

References