Day 3   The Soul of the Trolls

The first thing many people think of when thinking of Norway is probably the Salmon exported to other countries, but actually the first cultural ambassador for Norway is not the salmon, but the many artists who painted Norway and later showed their paintings to the outside world. Norway is also full of mythologies and folk stories. The Trolls are one of the characters so dear to Norwegian culture. Yinan is back with more on Norway.

Trolls are imaginary monster-like creatures living in the mountains. They are believed to have supernatural powers and can only be seen after sunset. The trolls had very distinct features. They had long crooked noses, only four fingers and toes on each limb, and most of them have long bushy tails.

Stories say Trolls capture human beings, but they are slow-minded and generally perceived as naive and good-natured so they are easily tricked by human beings.

To me, trolls come from the imagination of the rustic Mountain people so the stories about trolls represent vividly what average Norwegian mountain life is like. There are so many mountains in Norway and the form of rocks appear to turn to different troll features every second as we drive along the mountain road from a different angle.

Chinese people like to say somewhere that one has to travel a long way in order to see something precious and worth visiting. Here in this small village, by the mountains and fjords, is a place just as precious as you can imagine. The morning sunrise in a small village called Balestran, by the longest Sonegfjord, is still etched in my mind. I just cannot have enough of it.

No wonder artists from all over Europe settle down in this little village where they are inspired by the magnificence of mountains and the fjords.

Balestran is a Viking-influenced community where buildings bear traditional Viking architectural style with dragon heads stick out on both sides of the rooftops. I was told Balestran was frequently visited by painters all year round. Some stay and others become cultural ambassadors for Norway when they carry their art to other places of the world. There is even a Chinese artist living in the community I was told. It's a pity I didn't get to meet him because of my strict itinerary, but I definitely believe Chinese artists would find their inspirations here. Not only because of its majestic landscapes, but the spirit and the traditional atmosphere surrounding the area.

A woman artist in Balestran introduced us to a little wooden church, where she sang a beautiful hymn. 

This is the real Norway I am talking about, not a country people often get acquainted from just the beautiful landscape magazines. That's the Norwegian spirit, the soul behind the trolls. Everyday as I explored deeper into the heart of the country, I was surprised by how deep the culture is, and just as Ellen Horn, the former Norwegian Culture Minister says, it's like peeling an onion, and there are always more layers as you peel down through. 

It's amazing to find women taking a large proportion of Norway's upper administration and government institutes. An actress and former culture minister is one of them. Why are most women in Norway independent and share more powers with men? I will be talking to Ms. Sunmeng, a researcher and lecturer who has been studying Ibsen's theatrical play "A Doll's House" tomorrow here on Real Time Beijing.

I am Yan Yinan, bye for now.