It’s not the Norwegian Elkhound, the descendent of the Torvmosehund, a dog so important to the Vikings that it was an honored member of the crew for which it hunted, guarded, and herded 5,000 years ago. Its most important role, however, was as the War Dog of the Vikings. This meant that if his or her master was killed in battle, s/he, too, would be killed and and put on the famous burning burial ship for the journey to Valhalla, companion to his master even in death. No warrior was welcomed to Valhalla if he came without his earthly possessions, and this included his dog.
Five thousand years later, the value of the Elkhound is not lost on the Norwegian Government: It gave the Norwegian Defense Minister the power to commandeer all privately owned Elkhounds in times of war.
“Over The Garden Gate” by Joy Glasspool
This print is available here
On what evidence do you say it is the war dog of the Vikings. Especially if the breed is around 500 years old. It would need to date back at least 1000 years to be used by Vikings.
I believe that the 500 year remark was a typo, the Norwegian Elkhound goes back to at least 5000 BC.
Thanks for writing, Jim. We think you misunderstood the post, but understandably so. The post began with a clue about a feature called the “Purebred of Interest” that is run on our Facebook page and highlights a particular breed. The clue suggested that the featured breed was NOT the Elkhound, and therefore, not 500 years old (which was, as you spotted, was a typo, to boot). We’re reworded the post and appreciate you taking the time to bring it to our attention, thanks for that!