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In the Middle Ages lengths were measured in the tomme, fod and alen. The tomme (thumb) and fod (foot) are self-expalantory. The alen was origianlly the distance measured from the elbow to the point of the thumb finger. Lare it came to be equal to two feet and 3/4 inches. Grain was measured in Mæler or (skjepper) and so on. The first ordinances in "modern" times for Norway and Demark came May 1, 1683; and January 10th, 1698, when it was decreed the fod was to be the same as the Rhineland fuss (foot) for linear measure, 1 pott equal to 1/21 of a cubic fod; and 1 handelspund equal to 1/62 of the weight of 1 cubic fod of fresh water. | In the Middle Ages lengths were measured in the tomme, fod and alen. The tomme (thumb) and fod (foot) are self-expalantory. The alen was origianlly the distance measured from the elbow to the point of the thumb finger. Lare it came to be equal to two feet and 3/4 inches. Grain was measured in Mæler or (skjepper) and so on. The first ordinances in "modern" times for Norway and Demark came May 1, 1683; and January 10th, 1698, when it was decreed the fod was to be the same as the Rhineland fuss (foot) for linear measure, 1 pott equal to 1/21 of a cubic fod; and 1 handelspund equal to 1/62 of the weight of 1 cubic fod of fresh water. | ||
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On Julyl 24, 1824, Norway got a new system, much more detailed than the earlier laws, in which 1 fod = 12 tomme; and 1 alen = 2 fodder; 1 mil = 18,000 alen; 1 rode = 5 alen; and 1 maal (mål) of land = 10,000 square fodder. One korn tønne (barrel of grain) was to be 41/2 cubic fodder or 8 skjepper. One tønne = 144 potter = 130.974 liter. And one fisketønne = 120 potter or 115.811 liter. A kanne had 2 potter each of which had 4 liter pel. In weights one pund had two mærker. One pund - 498.112 grams. One skippund = 20 lispund = 320 pund. (A lispund = 16 pund). One vaag = 3 bismerpund (one bismerpund=12 pund). | |||
When the metric system was introduced there were some new words to learn: the meter was the basis for linear measurement, the liter liquid and dry, they are for areal, and the gram for mass or weight. But some of the old terms were retained and given metric equivalents. | |||
Thus: | |||
1 mil = 10 kilometer | |||
1 skjeppe = 20 liter | |||
1 mål = 1 dekar | |||
1 pund = 500 gram | |||
The terms for weights and measures occur most frequently since they are the terms used in daily commerce. | |||
In NOrway's barter economy, and in any economy in which the value of the currency fluctuated, the taxes were set in terms of what the gaard (or farm) produced so that if the taxes of one gaard with a lot of grazing land had its txxes as "one hud, two skinn" it meant that the ta was the value of one hud and two skinn when the taxes were due. Along the coast the taxes might be vevied in the value of the fish, in the mountains, butter. In actuality the farmer usually did not deliver tanned hides, fish or butter to the official but rather the currency obtained from the sale of such. | |||
by comparing the tax of one farm with those of neighboring farms a relative size can be imagines. | |||