2013
The Christmas Gospel 1
Date Of Issue 23.09.2013
Date Of Issue 23.09.2013
Is There Room for the Message of Joy?
“And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. “
Thus ends the physician Luke's account of Mary and Joseph's fateful journey from Nazareth in Galilee to Bethlehem in Judea, to be registered in the census which was commanded by the Emperor Augustus.
The Christmas Stamps, with Edward Fuglø's symbolic motifs of the birth of Jesus, depict, together with the text, a deep human and existential reality - the longing for justice, peace and happiness in the journey of life, through an unjust, quarrelsome and unsafe world.
Luke stresses in the text that something new is about to happen, which there is no room for in human history, but which will change the history of the World. The room is not just the tangible shelter, but also the residence of the soul and spirit in the human mind.
What was the new thing, which the human mind had such difficulties to grasp?
It was the fact, that now the impossible would happen! Now the Almighty creator of Heaven and Earth would emerge as a man, under the same conditions as the suffering and searching human race, to lead the individual towards righteousness, peace and joy in the Kingdom of God. This was consistent with the deep yearning for meaning and harmony in life - for just as the new-born thirst for milk and contact, mankind yearns for meaning and harmony. Genesis also tells us that man was created for the four harmonies - harmony with the neighbour, harmony with oneself, harmony with nature and harmony with God the Creator. These harmonies mankind was set to tend and protect.
And yet history of mankind is characterized by the fact that harmony has turned into disharmonies, which are perceived as meaninglessness, emptiness, injustice and suffering.
When a ship is in distress, it is the captain’s duty, first and foremost, to attempt to rescue the passengers, then the crew, and finally himself. If necessary, he may even have to sacrifice his life in order to save others.
It is this kind of solidarity we see depicted in the new Christmas stamps: that the Almighty Creator does not hesitate to settle among the poorest - the only shelter was in a stable because there was no room for them in the inn. Eventually he died on the cross, because there was no room for him, neither in society nor in the hearts of men - all in order to save others by sacrificing himself.
When the angel Gabriel made Mary and Joseph aware that she would give birth to the one who was to be called Jesus, so that he might save humanity from injustice, they were afraid. And since he would also be called Immanuel, which meant that he was going to live and stay with every poor and distressed man, this message was too complex to comprehend. But when Mary was told, that for God nothing is impossible, she said obediently, "I am the Lord's servant" and gave space to the good news: “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
It is no wonder that this message was difficult to comprehend. The Apostle John tells us that this was also the news that the "Word", which in the beginning was with God and was God, now would shine as a light in the darkness. This was the Logos-Word, the creative, intelligent power, in which everything had been created and which continuously held the Universe together.
Was there room for the creating Word?
We read: "He came to His own, but His own did not receive him. But to those who received him, he gave power to be God's children - they who believe in His name. "
Mary said, however: "... my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant." She gave room for the new groundbreaking Savior.
Edward Fuglø manages in a masterly way, in pictures and step by step, to provide space for the Message of Joy - both in the house and the heart. At the same time he illuminates the tension in the action, since the power of God comes down from on high with its innovative message. In the first picture, it appears that there is only room for the Message of Joy in a small barn among livestock. In the space above, the star continues to shine, also through the small window of the shed, and announces the new and divine reality. The rod and ladder stand on each side of the barn and symbolize the hope for a new way onward and up.
In the next picture, Joseph holds the rod in his hand, and stands with his arm around Mary's shoulder, ready to lead his family through life - in harmony with his wife and his creator - for still the star shines from the high and leads the way. Mary and Joseph are surprised that the Almighty has settled among humans.
This is the admirable message of Christmas: that God's giving and sacrificial love can be accommodated in the heart of every single human being.
Róland í Skorini
“And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. “
Thus ends the physician Luke's account of Mary and Joseph's fateful journey from Nazareth in Galilee to Bethlehem in Judea, to be registered in the census which was commanded by the Emperor Augustus.
The Christmas Stamps, with Edward Fuglø's symbolic motifs of the birth of Jesus, depict, together with the text, a deep human and existential reality - the longing for justice, peace and happiness in the journey of life, through an unjust, quarrelsome and unsafe world.
Luke stresses in the text that something new is about to happen, which there is no room for in human history, but which will change the history of the World. The room is not just the tangible shelter, but also the residence of the soul and spirit in the human mind.
What was the new thing, which the human mind had such difficulties to grasp?
It was the fact, that now the impossible would happen! Now the Almighty creator of Heaven and Earth would emerge as a man, under the same conditions as the suffering and searching human race, to lead the individual towards righteousness, peace and joy in the Kingdom of God. This was consistent with the deep yearning for meaning and harmony in life - for just as the new-born thirst for milk and contact, mankind yearns for meaning and harmony. Genesis also tells us that man was created for the four harmonies - harmony with the neighbour, harmony with oneself, harmony with nature and harmony with God the Creator. These harmonies mankind was set to tend and protect.
And yet history of mankind is characterized by the fact that harmony has turned into disharmonies, which are perceived as meaninglessness, emptiness, injustice and suffering.
When a ship is in distress, it is the captain’s duty, first and foremost, to attempt to rescue the passengers, then the crew, and finally himself. If necessary, he may even have to sacrifice his life in order to save others.
It is this kind of solidarity we see depicted in the new Christmas stamps: that the Almighty Creator does not hesitate to settle among the poorest - the only shelter was in a stable because there was no room for them in the inn. Eventually he died on the cross, because there was no room for him, neither in society nor in the hearts of men - all in order to save others by sacrificing himself.
When the angel Gabriel made Mary and Joseph aware that she would give birth to the one who was to be called Jesus, so that he might save humanity from injustice, they were afraid. And since he would also be called Immanuel, which meant that he was going to live and stay with every poor and distressed man, this message was too complex to comprehend. But when Mary was told, that for God nothing is impossible, she said obediently, "I am the Lord's servant" and gave space to the good news: “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
It is no wonder that this message was difficult to comprehend. The Apostle John tells us that this was also the news that the "Word", which in the beginning was with God and was God, now would shine as a light in the darkness. This was the Logos-Word, the creative, intelligent power, in which everything had been created and which continuously held the Universe together.
Was there room for the creating Word?
We read: "He came to His own, but His own did not receive him. But to those who received him, he gave power to be God's children - they who believe in His name. "
Mary said, however: "... my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant." She gave room for the new groundbreaking Savior.
Edward Fuglø manages in a masterly way, in pictures and step by step, to provide space for the Message of Joy - both in the house and the heart. At the same time he illuminates the tension in the action, since the power of God comes down from on high with its innovative message. In the first picture, it appears that there is only room for the Message of Joy in a small barn among livestock. In the space above, the star continues to shine, also through the small window of the shed, and announces the new and divine reality. The rod and ladder stand on each side of the barn and symbolize the hope for a new way onward and up.
In the next picture, Joseph holds the rod in his hand, and stands with his arm around Mary's shoulder, ready to lead his family through life - in harmony with his wife and his creator - for still the star shines from the high and leads the way. Mary and Joseph are surprised that the Almighty has settled among humans.
This is the admirable message of Christmas: that God's giving and sacrificial love can be accommodated in the heart of every single human being.
Róland í Skorini
Rat And Mouse
Date Of Issue 29.04.2013
Date Of Issue 29.04.2013
Brown Rat
Rattus norvegicus
The brown rat is larger than the black rat and the male is larger than the female. An adult brown rat weighs around 200-400 g and is approx. 21-29 cm long, with a tail length of approx. 17-23 cm. The fur is an even dark brown colour and lighter on the stomach. The head is pointed and the eyes are small. The ears are short and covered in hair.
The brown rat is also called the water rat. It originates from Asia and China and came to most of Europe in 1727, when it swam in large numbers over the River Volga. It had already arrived in Denmark in 1716, when the Emperor, Peter the Great, visited Denmark by ship. From Denmark, it was easy for the rat to spread northwards to Norway, the Faroe Islands, Iceland and Greenland. The rat came to the Faroe Islands on the Norwegian ship, The King of Prussia. The ship was on its way to Dublin, when it ran aground on the island of Lewis in Scotland. The shipwreck was driven north to Hvalba on Suðuroy in May 1768. The first rats arrived on the Faroe Islands via the wreck and had already found their way to Tórshavn by 1769. The brown rat is found on the larger islands only.
The rat is found everywhere, both in built-up areas and further afield; any place where it can find enough food. It is omnivorous and does not refrain from eating mice, eggs and baby birds, young hares and carrion. The rat generally stays in the same place, and if it finds sufficient foodstuffs, it will hoard for harder times.
The rat is a nocturnal animal. It is a good climber and moves around buildings, and can also find its way to the bird cliffs, especially to puffin holes. It can destroy the nests of Manx shearwaters and storm petrels completely. It lives in individual territories made up of one male and a number of females with young.
The female rat is fertile for 22 days, and mates 3-4 times a year, each litter giving approx. 6-12 young. Newborn rats are naked and blind, and reach sexual maturity at three months old. There are often many litters from the same warren, i.e. many rats in the same hole. The average life expectancy for a rat is about 1.5 years.
Attempts have been made to exterminate the rat population in all areas it is found, as they are seen as a source of disease among both people and livestock. It moves around all over the place and causes considerable damage: on the Faroe Islands, the rat has almost wiped out a number of bird species found on the bird cliffs. On those islands where rats are found, some species, such as the Atlantic puffin and the Manx shearwater (Manx puffin), have almost completely disappeared.
There are regulations concerning rat removal, which Faroese municipalities must comply with.
The House Mouse
Mus domesticus
The house mouse is grey/grey-brown and a little lighter on the stomach. The body is approx. 7.5-10.3 cm long; the tail is 7.2-10.2 cm long. The mouse weighs approx. 12-28 g. and has a somewhat distinctive smell; it can be this smell that draws your attention to the fact a mouse is close at hand, and is caused by the mouse marking its territory with urine.
The house mouse originates from Asia and was brought west by man. The Faroese mouse is part of the species West mouse (Mus domesticus), which is also found in Ireland, Scotland, England, France, Italy, Spain and Greece. One can thus assume that the Faroese mouse came to the Faroe Islands with the Irish monks, who were the first settlers on the islands. The first written mention of the mouse here dates from 1592, but in all likelihood it had already been seen on the Faroe Islands, when the first Norse Landnam settlers came here on their way to Iceland and Greenland.
In the North Atlantic, the mouse is clearly attached to people. It lives outside in the summer, but comes inside in the autumn. On the Faroes it is only found on individual islands, and on some of the islands where there are no rats, it can find its way to the bird cliffs during the summer.
Mice are not fastidious eaters, and consume what they can find from seeds, insects and leftover human food, though they prefer corn and corn products. They can survive without water, and thus live well in granaries and pantries. In houses, they can do considerable damage to food and furniture, being adept gnawers.
Mice can climb all over the house. They live here, where there is plenty of food and materials with which to build nests, during the frostier weather, hiding food away for harder times when it is in short supply. The mouse is a mating animal, with the female building the nest which the male visits during mating season.
Mice can reproduce all year round and can theoretically give birth to ten litters a year, with 3-6 young in each litter. The young reach sexual maturity when they are one month old. Attempts are made to control the rodent population everywhere mice are found, generally with mouse traps and poison.
Extract from the book ”Villini súgdjór í Útnorðri” (Wild Mammals in Western Scandinavia)
by Dorete Bloch
Rattus norvegicus
The brown rat is larger than the black rat and the male is larger than the female. An adult brown rat weighs around 200-400 g and is approx. 21-29 cm long, with a tail length of approx. 17-23 cm. The fur is an even dark brown colour and lighter on the stomach. The head is pointed and the eyes are small. The ears are short and covered in hair.
The brown rat is also called the water rat. It originates from Asia and China and came to most of Europe in 1727, when it swam in large numbers over the River Volga. It had already arrived in Denmark in 1716, when the Emperor, Peter the Great, visited Denmark by ship. From Denmark, it was easy for the rat to spread northwards to Norway, the Faroe Islands, Iceland and Greenland. The rat came to the Faroe Islands on the Norwegian ship, The King of Prussia. The ship was on its way to Dublin, when it ran aground on the island of Lewis in Scotland. The shipwreck was driven north to Hvalba on Suðuroy in May 1768. The first rats arrived on the Faroe Islands via the wreck and had already found their way to Tórshavn by 1769. The brown rat is found on the larger islands only.
The rat is found everywhere, both in built-up areas and further afield; any place where it can find enough food. It is omnivorous and does not refrain from eating mice, eggs and baby birds, young hares and carrion. The rat generally stays in the same place, and if it finds sufficient foodstuffs, it will hoard for harder times.
The rat is a nocturnal animal. It is a good climber and moves around buildings, and can also find its way to the bird cliffs, especially to puffin holes. It can destroy the nests of Manx shearwaters and storm petrels completely. It lives in individual territories made up of one male and a number of females with young.
The female rat is fertile for 22 days, and mates 3-4 times a year, each litter giving approx. 6-12 young. Newborn rats are naked and blind, and reach sexual maturity at three months old. There are often many litters from the same warren, i.e. many rats in the same hole. The average life expectancy for a rat is about 1.5 years.
Attempts have been made to exterminate the rat population in all areas it is found, as they are seen as a source of disease among both people and livestock. It moves around all over the place and causes considerable damage: on the Faroe Islands, the rat has almost wiped out a number of bird species found on the bird cliffs. On those islands where rats are found, some species, such as the Atlantic puffin and the Manx shearwater (Manx puffin), have almost completely disappeared.
There are regulations concerning rat removal, which Faroese municipalities must comply with.
The House Mouse
Mus domesticus
The house mouse is grey/grey-brown and a little lighter on the stomach. The body is approx. 7.5-10.3 cm long; the tail is 7.2-10.2 cm long. The mouse weighs approx. 12-28 g. and has a somewhat distinctive smell; it can be this smell that draws your attention to the fact a mouse is close at hand, and is caused by the mouse marking its territory with urine.
The house mouse originates from Asia and was brought west by man. The Faroese mouse is part of the species West mouse (Mus domesticus), which is also found in Ireland, Scotland, England, France, Italy, Spain and Greece. One can thus assume that the Faroese mouse came to the Faroe Islands with the Irish monks, who were the first settlers on the islands. The first written mention of the mouse here dates from 1592, but in all likelihood it had already been seen on the Faroe Islands, when the first Norse Landnam settlers came here on their way to Iceland and Greenland.
In the North Atlantic, the mouse is clearly attached to people. It lives outside in the summer, but comes inside in the autumn. On the Faroes it is only found on individual islands, and on some of the islands where there are no rats, it can find its way to the bird cliffs during the summer.
Mice are not fastidious eaters, and consume what they can find from seeds, insects and leftover human food, though they prefer corn and corn products. They can survive without water, and thus live well in granaries and pantries. In houses, they can do considerable damage to food and furniture, being adept gnawers.
Mice can climb all over the house. They live here, where there is plenty of food and materials with which to build nests, during the frostier weather, hiding food away for harder times when it is in short supply. The mouse is a mating animal, with the female building the nest which the male visits during mating season.
Mice can reproduce all year round and can theoretically give birth to ten litters a year, with 3-6 young in each litter. The young reach sexual maturity when they are one month old. Attempts are made to control the rodent population everywhere mice are found, generally with mouse traps and poison.
Extract from the book ”Villini súgdjór í Útnorðri” (Wild Mammals in Western Scandinavia)
by Dorete Bloch
The Faroese Boat
Date of Issue 25.02.2013
Date of Issue 25.02.2013
This Issue Was Awarded With:
The Olympic Academy Prize for Culture
By The Jury of the 44th Asiago International Award for Philatelic Art 2014
The Olympic Academy Prize for Culture
By The Jury of the 44th Asiago International Award for Philatelic Art 2014
The traditional Faroese rowing boat
The traditional Faroese rowing boat is a clinker-built boat. Clinker building is the old Nordic method of building boats with overlapping wooden planks. Using this construction, Norsemen built their boats over one thousand years ago, and with them the Vikings sailed and left their mark on settled as well as yet unexplored lands in the North Atlantic.
The Faroese rowing boat has its origins in the smaller boats of the Vikings. The Faroese boat has the characteristic features of the Nordic clinker-built boat; it is pointed at both ends and of a light construction. The shape of the boat’s hull is similar to that on a Viking longship. The boat is regarded by many as the best example of Faroese craftsmanship there is, and the boat is considered one of the most attractive and flawless boats in the world. Natural conditions in the turbulent North Atlantic Ocean, where the Faroe Islands are situated, place great demands on the boat’s sea worthiness, and the Faroese boat builders have for centuries and with great ingenuity and expertise been able to develop a boat suitable for Faroese waters. The boat is extremely sea-worthy, easy to row and sails well using a sail. Although the boats are made from thin boards, the construction as a whole is very strong and well-suited to the fjords and sea around the Faroe Islands. It’s relatively light in weight, and in difficult conditions, with high waves, can be lifted up onto the beach by just a few men. The boat handles easily in the water and is easy to row in stormy waters. What makes it best suited to the sea surrounding the Faroe Islands, however, is the technology involved in rowing the boat; the long, narrow oars, the rowlock and the collar, which stops the oar from slipping; these items work together to hold the oar in place, and make them ideal for use in rough seas.
The Faroese boat can be found in a number of sizes. The Seksæringur, or tolvmannafar, can be rowed by 12 people, and is about 28 foot long; Tíggjumannafar, rowed by 10 people, is about 26 foot long; Áttamannafar, rowed by 8 people, is 24 foot; Seksmannafar, rowed by 6 people, is 22 foot; Fýramannafar, rowed by 4 people, is 20 foot; Tristur, rowed by 3 people, 18 foot; Tríbekkur, rowed by 2 people, but with 3 seats, 17 foot.
The boat, including the oars, rowlocks, floorboards and bailer, would take the boat builder between a week and 14 days to build, depending on the size of the boat. The finished boat would be treated with tar everywhere except on the thwarts, or crosswise struts.
The bailer, a container used to bail water out of the boat, is carved from a piece of wood, usually driftwood. The bailer is the most important item of the boat’s equipment.
Faroese oars are different from oars used on other boats. Characteristic are the long, slender blade and the oar loom’s rectangular cross-section, which prevents the oar from slicing the water during rowing. There is a slight incline in the blade from the loom, so the oar catches well in the water to drive it forward.
It was at one time common for the collar that holds the oar fast in the rowlock to be cut from the fins of a pilot whale. These days, however, it is made from a piece of rope.
The Faroese rowlock is made from oak, and its special appearance has compelled folk to name it after a human head; the ‘nose’ sticks forwards, the hole is for the eyes, and the top piece is the neck.
Key to a working boat is the bung, the drain plug. There is an old Faroese expression that says you shouldn’t make the bung before the boat is finished. The bunghole is drilled into the stern on the port side and the bung is put into the boat from inside.
In the old days, a loose oar was used to steer the boat, but this was switched to a fixed rudder hooked onto the stern, which functioned better.
In earlier times, the Faroese boat had a sail; this was a square sail set in the shape of a diamond, narrow at the top and broad at the bottom, as the mast was placed in the middle of the boat, but from about 1850 boats changed to two sails, a lugsail at the front thwart, and a smaller mizzen sail across the stern.
The Faroese boat is first and foremost a light rowing boat that can be propelled across the water with light, slender oars under the worst conditions imaginable. The oars have always been the primary means of propulsion, in all kinds of weather. The sail was secondary, and was only used when the wind was favourable.
There are not many communities in the world that have their history, their fate and their entire existence so closely connected to the sea as the Faroese people, and the boat has been fundamental to life on the Faroe Islands, whether used for fishing or as a mode of transport between the islands.
Andras Sólstein
The traditional Faroese rowing boat is a clinker-built boat. Clinker building is the old Nordic method of building boats with overlapping wooden planks. Using this construction, Norsemen built their boats over one thousand years ago, and with them the Vikings sailed and left their mark on settled as well as yet unexplored lands in the North Atlantic.
The Faroese rowing boat has its origins in the smaller boats of the Vikings. The Faroese boat has the characteristic features of the Nordic clinker-built boat; it is pointed at both ends and of a light construction. The shape of the boat’s hull is similar to that on a Viking longship. The boat is regarded by many as the best example of Faroese craftsmanship there is, and the boat is considered one of the most attractive and flawless boats in the world. Natural conditions in the turbulent North Atlantic Ocean, where the Faroe Islands are situated, place great demands on the boat’s sea worthiness, and the Faroese boat builders have for centuries and with great ingenuity and expertise been able to develop a boat suitable for Faroese waters. The boat is extremely sea-worthy, easy to row and sails well using a sail. Although the boats are made from thin boards, the construction as a whole is very strong and well-suited to the fjords and sea around the Faroe Islands. It’s relatively light in weight, and in difficult conditions, with high waves, can be lifted up onto the beach by just a few men. The boat handles easily in the water and is easy to row in stormy waters. What makes it best suited to the sea surrounding the Faroe Islands, however, is the technology involved in rowing the boat; the long, narrow oars, the rowlock and the collar, which stops the oar from slipping; these items work together to hold the oar in place, and make them ideal for use in rough seas.
The Faroese boat can be found in a number of sizes. The Seksæringur, or tolvmannafar, can be rowed by 12 people, and is about 28 foot long; Tíggjumannafar, rowed by 10 people, is about 26 foot long; Áttamannafar, rowed by 8 people, is 24 foot; Seksmannafar, rowed by 6 people, is 22 foot; Fýramannafar, rowed by 4 people, is 20 foot; Tristur, rowed by 3 people, 18 foot; Tríbekkur, rowed by 2 people, but with 3 seats, 17 foot.
The boat, including the oars, rowlocks, floorboards and bailer, would take the boat builder between a week and 14 days to build, depending on the size of the boat. The finished boat would be treated with tar everywhere except on the thwarts, or crosswise struts.
The bailer, a container used to bail water out of the boat, is carved from a piece of wood, usually driftwood. The bailer is the most important item of the boat’s equipment.
Faroese oars are different from oars used on other boats. Characteristic are the long, slender blade and the oar loom’s rectangular cross-section, which prevents the oar from slicing the water during rowing. There is a slight incline in the blade from the loom, so the oar catches well in the water to drive it forward.
It was at one time common for the collar that holds the oar fast in the rowlock to be cut from the fins of a pilot whale. These days, however, it is made from a piece of rope.
The Faroese rowlock is made from oak, and its special appearance has compelled folk to name it after a human head; the ‘nose’ sticks forwards, the hole is for the eyes, and the top piece is the neck.
Key to a working boat is the bung, the drain plug. There is an old Faroese expression that says you shouldn’t make the bung before the boat is finished. The bunghole is drilled into the stern on the port side and the bung is put into the boat from inside.
In the old days, a loose oar was used to steer the boat, but this was switched to a fixed rudder hooked onto the stern, which functioned better.
In earlier times, the Faroese boat had a sail; this was a square sail set in the shape of a diamond, narrow at the top and broad at the bottom, as the mast was placed in the middle of the boat, but from about 1850 boats changed to two sails, a lugsail at the front thwart, and a smaller mizzen sail across the stern.
The Faroese boat is first and foremost a light rowing boat that can be propelled across the water with light, slender oars under the worst conditions imaginable. The oars have always been the primary means of propulsion, in all kinds of weather. The sail was secondary, and was only used when the wind was favourable.
There are not many communities in the world that have their history, their fate and their entire existence so closely connected to the sea as the Faroese people, and the boat has been fundamental to life on the Faroe Islands, whether used for fishing or as a mode of transport between the islands.
Andras Sólstein
All Issues Copyright Posta, www.stamps.fo