Prillar Guri Lodge #30, Daughters of Norway, Olympia, WA

Prillar Guri Logo Prillar Guri Lodge #30
Olympia, Washington

Preserving our Norwegian heritage...

Prillar Guri Lodge #30 was founded on October 30, 1985 in Olympia, Washington, the capitol city of the state. The lodge is active in the regional Scandinavian community and frequently has many interesting speakers.

Prillar Guri Lodge #30 meets most months on the third Monday of the month at 7 PM at the Church of the Good Shepherd at 1601 North St in Olympia. For up-to-date information, contact the lodge.

The story of Prillar Guri is one of war. Sweden and Denmark-Norway were rival powers in Northern Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries. In August 1612 Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Ramsay was in overall command of a company of Scots, along with two other companies commanded by George Hay and George Sinclair. The force totaled about 350. They were on their way to Sweden to enlist as mercenaries in the Swedish service of King Gustav Adolf. They had chosen the land route across Norway to Sweden because the port at Kalmar, Sweden, was blockaded by the Danes.

But the Norwegians were angry. Earlier the capture of the fortress in Älvsborg Län, Sweden, had cut the Swedes off from the Kattegat (the strait between Sweden and Denmark), so the Swedes massacred 300 Danish conscripts from Gudbrandsdalen, Oppland, Norway, at Ny Lödöse, northeast of Göteborg, Sweden.

The Scots landed first on August 2, 1612 on Ramsdalfjorden, and took a pilot on board. He landed them at Klungnes, the roughest terrain along the north shore of Isfjorden, opposite modern Andalsnes. It took time to work around the eastern end of Isfjorden. By August 19 0r 20, 1612, the Scots headed inland.

The Scots marched approximately along the modern route of highway E136 through Oppland Fylke from Andalsnes, up through Romsdalen along the Rauma River, over the pass and down through Gudbrandsdalen along the Lågen (Laagen/Laugen) River to Dombås. Then they continued along the of modern route of highway E6 still through Gudbrandsdalen Valley along the Lågen (Laagen/Laugen), arriving in Dovre on August 24, 1612, where they stopped to rest.

A Norwegian force of about 400 farmers from Lesja, Dovre, Vågå, Sel, Fron and Ringebu kommuner (counties) in Oppland Fylke, assembled at Kringen (the bend in the Lågen River between modern Otta and Kvam in Oppland). Finally, the Scots left Dovre and headed south toward Kringen still along the Lågen (Laagen/Laugen) (which eventually flows into the north end of Lake Mjøsa at Lillehammer).

The Scots reached Kringen on August 26, 1612, where they were ambushed by the Norwegian militia at the narrowest part of Gubrandsdalen valley. In Kringen the route was so narrow that the Scots could barely pass single file. The Scotish column may have been spread out about 500 meters long. Recent research has shown that the farmers' militia had blocked the way at the south end and had another block inside the passage. The battle was fought for one and a half hours. All the Scots had been shot, drowned or beaten with exception of 134 men, of whom 116 were executed in Kvam the next day. Three officers and 15 soldiers were sent as prisoners to Oslo, Copenhagen or Varberg, Halland, Sweden. The Norwegian loss was only six men.

Prillar Guri Statue by Arne Mælland in Otta.

The warning to the waiting Norwegian militia was said to have been provided by Prillar Guri, a young woman from Sel Kommune, who rode parallel to the Scots force on the other side of the valley. A prillarhorn is a buck horn with tongue and finger holes, which she supposedly used to signal the militia when the Scots were in position. But only in 1832 did we hear for the first time about Prillar Guri with the horn. Whole songs have been written about it and new traditions were added long after the battle.

In 1998 a new Prillar Guri statue, created by the Norwegian sculptor Arne Maeland, was unveiled in Otta. Prillar Guri is also the motif on the Sel kommune (county) crest. The Battle of Kringen is remembered each year in Otta, Sel Kommune in Gudbrandsdalen, in an event called Pillarguri Dagene. It is held each summer on the weekend closest to the anniversary date of 26th August with a parade, races and a program. Note that in Norway her name is usually concatenated.

The Gudbrandsdal War Museum at Kvam, Oppland, has a display commemorating the battle. Kvam is just to the north of Lillehammer, the center of the Winter Olympics in 1994. See more details about the Sinclair family and the Sinclair Club which help sponsor the Prillar Guri festival every August.