Some 3,300 people escaped from Norway via small boats—with heavy losses—and close to 50,000 people crossed the border on foot, largely into Sweden.
After five bitter years of German occupation in Norway, Winston Churchill declared over British radio that peace had come at last to Europe. On May 8, 1945, bells rang out joyously across Norway. The Norwegian flag shot up every flagpole. Radios came out of hiding. On May 17, children marched throughout Norway in their annual Children's Parade on Independence Day, which had been banned since the occupation. Finally, on June 7, fireworks filled the sky as Norwegians celebrated their greatest symbol of freedom—the long-awaited return of their exiled king.
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Glossary
Norwegian Words:
alt for Norge (ahlt forr nor-geh) all for Norway
Bestemor (behss-tah-moor) Grandmother
Bestefar (behss-tah-faar) Grandfather
bunad (boo-nahd) traditional costume of Norway, consisting of blouse, vest, and skirt for women and girls; and shirt, vest, and knickers for men and boys
dyne (dee-nah) a down-filled quilt, or eiderdown filled duvet
fattigmann (faht-tih-mahn) twisted and fried dough flavored with cinnamon and cardamon seed
frokost (froo-kost) breakfast
God Jul (goo-yewl) Merry Christmas
god morgen (goo-maw-ern) good morning
god natt (goo-nahtt) good night
hei (hay) a greeting; hey there
hytte (hit-ah) cabin
ja (ya) yes
jakke (yak-keh) jacket or coat
jøssing (yuhs-sing) a Norwegian patriot
Julaften (yewleh-ahf-tern) Christmas Eve
Juletid (yewleh-teed) Christmastime
kaffe (kahf-feh) coffee
Kaptain (kahp-tayn) captain
klippfisk (klip-fisk) klipfish; split, salted, and dried cod
kraken (krah-ken) a sea monster of Norwegian folklore, an enormous octopus/crab creature said to pull ships down with its tentacles
krumkake (kroom-kah-keh) a cone-shaped cookie baked on an iron, similar to a waffle iron
lefse (lef-sah) a thin potato pancake
lutefisk (loo-teh-fisk) a type of dish made from air-dried whitefish, prepared with lye, soaked many hours, and served with butter
Marit (Mahr-it) a first name
Mor (moor) Mother
Nasjonal Samling (NS) (nah-shoo-naal sahm-ling) national gathering; or Norwegian Nazi Party
nei (nay) no
nisselue (nissah-luah) red stocking cap
Norge (nor-geh) Norway
pensum (pen-summ) syllabus of classwork
quisling (quiz-ling) a traitor; a term used for Norwegians who collaborated with the Nazis, so named because of Vidkun Quisling, a Norwegian who worked with Nazis during the occupation
risengrot (rees-ehn-gruht) warm rice pudding sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar
sandkaker (sahn-kaa-ker) almond cookies in fluted tins
sølje (suhl-yeh) type of Norwegian silver broach
takk (tahkk) thank you
tekopp (teh-kopp) teacup
tusen takk (two-sehn tahkk) a thousand thanks, or many thanks
uff da (oohf-dah) an exclamation of dismay
vaffel (vahff-ell) waffle
velkommen (vehl-kom-mehn) Welcome
vesla (vehs-lah) "little one"
Norwegian Places:
Ålesund (ohleh-sunn) city on the western coast of Norway
Alnes (ahl-nes) fishing village on the north of Godøy Island
Åndalnes (ohn-dahl-nes) a city at the end of Romsdal Fjord in west-central Norway
Giske (gih-skeh) an island off Norway's western coast near Ålesund
Godøy (goo-dey) an island off Norway's western coast near Ålesund
Isfjorden (ees-fjorh-ehn) a village at the end of Romsdal Fjord
German Words:
Fräulein (froy-leyen, or froy-line) girl; miss
Gestapo (Geh-stah-poh) Germany's secret police
Halt! Was ist los? (Halt, pronounced as in English; Vahs ist lohs) Stop! What's the matter?
Heil (heyel, or hile) Hail
Herr (hehrr) man; mister
Reich (rahyk) empire; German Nazi state
Was ist das? (Vahs ist dahs) What is that?
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For Further Reading
Folklore Fights the Nazis: Humor in Occupied Norway
by Kathleen Stokker
Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1995
Norway 1940
by François Kersaudy
New York: St. Martin's Press, 1990
Norway 1940–45: The Resistance Movement
by Olav Riste and Berit Nokleby
Oslo: Tanum-Norli, 1970
The Shetland Bus
by David Howarth
New York: Lyons Press, 1951
Snow Treasure
by Marie McSwigan
New York: E. P. Dutton, 1942
War and Innocence:
A Young Girl's Life in Occupied Norway
by Hanna Aasvik Helmersen
Seattle: Hara Publishing, 2000
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