It was a mess up here, yeah! My home county, Telemark, was just a white spot with a lake in the middle on most maps at that time.

Since the Middle Ages, and when Norway was first mapped in the 17th century, Telemark had only been a white spot on the map, that is to say, no so-called learned person had traveled through the region, and the area was mostly unknown to people in the cities and along Coast. The Telemark farmers had a reputation for being quarrelsome and ‘bloodthirsty’ and would not go out of their way to kill both priest and bailiff if it suited them. The hand ax was in frequent use and the knife was loosely in the sheath!

Jeez.