A Deep Dive into the Primstav - lecture and demo by Kari Tauring

New to this perpetual calendar of Scandinavia? You will absorb a lot in the first session about how our ancestors in Norway thought about time from the Iron Ages through Christianity. This is a repeatable class!

If you would like to make a primstav, join us for an afternoon studio session.

Below is more information to get you acquainted with the primstav:

Primstav: The ancient calendar stick of Norway has been a rudder in these changing times for teacher Kari Tauring. Much like in Norway in the 1300’s, our modern times are full of culture changes, political upheavals, pandemics, and a changing climate. This transitional calendar stick marked the church and saint days of the new religion and also preserved land-based rituals and lore relied upon by wool workers, keepers of the farmsteads, and fishermen of ancient Scandinavia.

The oldest examples of these calendars date to the 1300’s. Symbols, saints, and lore was widely different in different areas of Norway and between Norway and Sweden. It is a tool meant to shift and change with the needs of the people and the land. But winter always starts on October 14 on the Primstav calendar. And the symbol is always a mitten. Learn about the two winter solstices and why a drinking horn always marks Christmas. Using the Primstav can help arrange our priorities, inspires new celebrations, and leads us into the dark half of the year with new insights.

Students will receive directions to make a paper template for a primstav. We will explore the symbols and pre-Christian lore and ritual held within. Bring a notebook!

Major Resources:

“The Primstav Explanations: Norwegian legend, lore, and history” by Alfred Miller, 59 Nick Road, Middlebury, CT 06762 (2006) - No longer in print. A learning pdf is available to students.

Kari’s primstav poetry book: “The Day Begins at Sunset: Primstav Poetry” (2023) will be available to purchase KariTauring.com

Primstav Project Norway: Questions about climate and culture https://www.uib.no/en/calendars-project/139057/making-primstav-today#:~:text=The%20primstav%20is%20a%20perpetual,Alver%201981%2C%20Kismul%201979).

Primstav: Time, Land, and Unsettling OurselvesLearning Group on Facebook was begun in 2019 specifically for this study. Sara Axtell continues to lead the group as we discuss the relevance of primstav lessons in our lives as European Americans.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2354134371472956/Kari Tauring is a founding member and frequent contributor.

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