Constantia Eriksdotter

At the table

Two meals and morning beer

Ordinary households typically ate two main meals a day, dagvard and kvällsvard, often starting their mornings with a warm beer drink known as the morning drink.

What people wore

Utility items worn on belts

Both men and women wore belts where they kept knives and leather pouches; women additionally used their belts to carry the keys to the farm.

Getting around

Winter Travel Efficiency

Winter travel was significantly faster than summer travel, as sleds could glide over frozen lakes and rivers, covering 70 to 80 km in a single day. In contrast, summer journeys were often limited to 30 to 50 km per day, depending on whether one was walking or riding a horse.

What it cost

Price of bread and meat in Ångermanland

In Ångermanland, a single loaf of bread was valued at 2 öre, while 1 liter of meat cost 24 öre.

Music

Chanting the mass in Swedish vernacular

During mass, priests chanted biblical texts in the Swedish vernacular using melodic formulas known as accentus, a practice that helped convey scripture to the laity.

Daily life

Education and work at home

Formal schooling was not available for ordinary children; they learned life skills and Christian catechism at home or through work, as schools were generally reserved for a few boys of higher status. Children were expected to contribute to the household economy from a young age through tasks like spinning wool, tending animals, or manual labor.