Gustav Olofsson the Younger

What people wore

Belts as Everyday Tool Storage

Both men and women carried belts, which served as essential storage for household items like keys, leather pouches, and knives. Married women used their belts to keep keys to the farm.

Daily life

Shared meals and open cooking

Cooking was done using an open hearth or a separate cooking building, and for meals, families ate porridge together from the same bowl.

Work

Peasantry and service as primary occupations

Most ordinary people in Sweden lived on farms and engaged in subsistence agriculture, producing their own food, clothing, and tools. Serving as a farmhand (dräng) or maid (piga) was one of the most common occupations for young people, typically organized through annual contracts.

Music

Ring dances and heroic songs in public

People gathered at town squares or open fields to dance in rings or long rows, often singing songs about ancient heroes to the light of fires.

At the table

Beaver as a fast-day fish

People believed that the beaver was a fish because it swam with its tail, which allowed it to be eaten on fast days when meat was forbidden.

Getting around

Speed and daily distances

A day's journey varied by terrain: 30 to 40 km on foot, 50 km by horse in summer, 70 to 80 km by sled in winter, or up to 200 km by boat. Winter paths over frozen lakes were often significantly faster and easier than summer roads.

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.