Faroes (sheep)
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The Faroese sheep () is a breed of
sheep Sheep (: sheep) or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are a domesticated, ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to d ...
native to the
Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ) (alt. the Faroes) are an archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean and an autonomous territory of the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. Located between Iceland, Norway, and the United Kingdom, the islands have a populat ...
. First introduced in the 9th century, Faroese sheep have long been an integral part of the island traditions: The name ''"''Faroe Islands" has been argued to ultimately derive from ''fær,'' the word for sheep in
Old Norse Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...
, and the animal is depicted on the country's
coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...
. One of the Northern European short-tailed sheep, it is a small, very hardy breed. Faroes ewes weigh around at maturity, and rams are . Rams are horned and ewes are usually polled, and the breed occurs naturally in many different colours, with at least 300 different combinations, each of which has its own unique name. Faroese sheep tend to have very little flocking instinct due to no natural predators, and will range freely year round in small groups in pastureland, which ranges from
meadow A meadow ( ) is an open habitat or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non- woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as they maintain an open character. Meadows can occur naturally under favourable con ...
s, to rugged rocky mountaintops and lush bird-cliffs. They are most closely related to the Norwegian Spælsau and
Icelandic sheep The Icelandic is the Icelandic breed of domestic sheep. It belongs to the Northern European Short-tailed group of sheep, and is larger than most breeds in that group. It is thought to have been introduced to Iceland by Vikings in the late nint ...
. Ears are usually cut with various simple designs, to denote ownership and what pastures the sheep belong on. There are 54 different official cuts, which can be paired in a vast variety of ways; it is not permitted to use the same combination twice on the same island. The first known law regarding earmarks is in the Sheep letter from 1298, where it is stated among other things in the fifth section: The agricultural policies of the Faroe Islands, have over the centuries divided the
pasture Pasture (from the Latin ''pastus'', past participle of ''pascere'', "to feed") is land used for grazing. Types of pasture Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, c ...
into 463 different
land lot In real estate, a land lot or plot of land is a tract or parcel of land owned or meant to be owned by some owner(s). A plot is essentially considered a parcel of real property in some countries or immovable property (meaning practically the sam ...
s, with a value measured in mark, and between 40 and 48 ewes going on each mark has resulted in the total prescribed number of ewes that the land can support, being 70.384. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Scottish sheep were imported, mostly in order to produce better wool. This has resulted in some Faroese sheep being of a mixed breed; the majority are still pure.


Economic value and traditional usage

Traditionally, wool and wool products have been the leading economic factor for the Faroese households. A considerable number of knitted sweaters were exported with standing orders to the Danish army, specially during the
Napoleonic wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...
, when several thousand sweaters were exported yearly. Wool socks, and measures of wadmal were used during the 1600s as some of various products taxes were permitted to be payable with. The Royal Danish monopoly received 100,000 home made sweaters and 14,000 pairs of socks in 1849, at a time when only 8,000 people lived on the archipelago.
Storting The Storting ( ; ) is the supreme legislature of Norway, established in 1814 by the Constitution of Norway. It is located in Oslo. The Unicameralism, unicameral parliament has 169 members and is elected every four years based on party-list propo ...
et (The Norwegian parliament) in
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
made a decree in 1898 that all Norwegian infantry should wear Faroese sweaters under their uniforms in winter time. The meat would be consumed locally over the winter. "Ull er Føroya gull", meaning "wool is Faroese gold", is a saying which hails from this time and is sometimes heard in modern times when it is lamented how little value the wool has today. The wool is still used but at a much reduced rate compared to its historic use, with much of the wool being burnt, or in some cases sheep are left unsheared to molt naturally on their own; this is however frowned upon by many. There are a few spinning companies around the islands producing
yarn Yarn is a long continuous length of interlocked fibres, used in sewing, crocheting, knitting, weaving, embroidery, ropemaking, and the production of textiles. '' Thread'' is a type of yarn intended for sewing by hand or machine. Modern ...
, mostly for domestic use and for the tourist industry.
Sweater A sweater (North American English) or pullover, also called a jersey or jumper (British English, Hiberno-English and Australian English),
s,
sock A sock is a piece of clothing worn on the feet and often covering the ankle or some part of the Calf (leg), calf. Some types of shoes or boots are typically worn over socks. In ancient times, socks were made from leather or matted animal hair. ...
s and
shawls A shawl (from ''shāl'') is a simple item of clothing, loosely worn over the shoulders, upper body and arms, and sometimes also over the head. It is usually a rectangular piece of cloth, but can also be square or triangular in shape. Other sha ...
are the most popular items. There have been some attempts to kick start a fashion industry based on Faroese wool, with Guðrun & Guðrun being the most successful. The time of year the sheep will start shedding their wool, is heavily determined by the weather. A good warm spring, with good growth may trigger the shedding as early as late May, whereas a long cold and wet spring and summer, might not trigger the shedding until late July or in a few instances early August. If the sheep are gathered for shearing at a prime moment, then the fleece will easily part from the body by only sliding a hand betwixt the old and new fleece layers. The shorn fleece consists of two layers, the inner layer being fine,
lanolin Lanolin (from Latin 'wool', and 'oil'), also called wool fat, wool yolk, wool wax, sheep grease, sheep yolk, or wool grease, is a wax secreted by the sebaceous glands of wool-bearing animals. Lanolin used by humans comes from domestic sheep br ...
rich wool, perfect for underwear and other fine garments. The outer layer made up of coarse long hairs, traditionally used for heavy duty clothing, such as thick sweaters for
fishermen A fisherman or fisher is someone who captures fish and other animals from a body of water, or gathers shellfish. Worldwide, there are about 38 million commercial and subsistence fishers and fish farmers. Fishermen may be professional or recr ...
, or even some early arctic explorers. Today, the breed is mainly kept for its meat, with a wide variety of local dishes being favoured heavily over foreign inspired culinary art. Skerpikjøt, air dried meat; and ræst kjøt, meat which has dried and has become fermented, are the most popular, with fresh meat valued somewhat less
Búnaðarstovan
(Office for Agriculture) has calculated that locally produced mutton and lamb has an estimated value of 35 million Dkk yearly.
Offal Offal (), also called variety meats, pluck or organ meats, is the internal organ (anatomy), organs of a butchered animal. Offal may also refer to the by-products of Milling (grinding), milled grains, such as corn or wheat. Some cultures strong ...
is still consumed by many, but it has been considerably losing support among the younger generations in recent years. Every autumn, Búnaðarstovan(Office for Agriculture) has showings where rams and young potential breeding males are on show. These take place out in the various districts and villages.


See also

* Faroe Islands domestic animals *
List of sheep breeds This is a list of breeds of domestic sheep. Domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are partially derived from mouflon (''Ovis gmelini'') stock, and have diverged sufficiently to be considered a different species. Some sheep breeds have a hair coat and a ...
* Lítla Dímun sheep


References

{{Commons category, Faroe sheep Sheep breeds
Sheep Sheep (: sheep) or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are a domesticated, ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to d ...
Sheep breeds originating in Denmark