__NOTOC__ The Spælsau (Old Norwegian Short Tail Landrace, Gamalnorsk spæl

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

) is a breed of

sheep Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals 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 domesticated sh ...

from

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. Many consider Spælsau to be the original breed of sheep in Norway, and it is one of the

Northern European short-tailed sheep The Northern European short-tailed sheep are a group of traditional sheep breeds or types found in Northern Europe, mainly in the British Isles, Scandinavia, Greenland and the area around the Baltic. They are thought to be derived from the f ...

breeds. It is well adapted to the climate and was a domestic animal from the Iron Age. The spælsau stock is about 22% of the sheep in Norway. In 1912, to prevent extinction of the breed, two breeding stations were established.

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 that it was introduced to Iceland by Vikings in the late nint ...

were crossed through semen imported in the 1960s and 1970s.

Finnsheep The Finnish Landrace, Finn or Finnsheep is a breed of domestic sheep native to Finland. It is one of several Northern European short-tailed sheep breeds, but is notable for its high incidence of multiple births – it is common for a ewe to h ...

and Faroe Island sheep were also used in the breeding program. This breed is raised primarily for meat.

Characteristics

Originally it is compact and lightly built and does not need much concentrated food. The meat has relatively little fat. The Spælsau gives rich milk, has a strong flock instinct, and manages well outdoors most of the year. But it is vulnerable to eye disease caused by eating the plant

Bog Asphodel ''Narthecium ossifragum'', commonly known as bog asphodel, Lancashire asphodel or bastard asphodel, is a species of flowering plant in the family Nartheciaceae. It is native to Western Europe, found on wet, boggy moorlands up to about in ele ...

(''Narthecium ossifragum''). Wool colours include black and white but common among older types (Gamalnorsk and Villsau) are many variations and shades of grey (known as `blue`) and brown (known as `red`) Adult ewes reach a live weight of to .

Uses

It gives milk and meat of good quality. The wool is characterised through having two layers: An outer longhaired glossy undulating layer of wool protecting the underlying layer against wind and rain, and an underlying layer which keeps the sheep warm. The long protective wool which is used for weaving is traditionally spun into two-strand tightly-spun yarn instead of the usual three-strand type, resulting in a beautiful lustre. This spælsau yarn was used in the Norwegian old tapestries from the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass id ...

and Baroque times. The Viking ship sails were made from spælsau yarn. The wool was also in the old days used in clothing because it was light, stable and absorbed little moisture.

References

External links

Sheep-Isles
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spaelsau (Sheep) Sheep breeds Sheep breeds originating in Norway Sheep landraces

Characteristics

Uses

See also

References

External links