Conformation of the Country 19 



up, and then forms a sort of crest like the crest of a wave, 

 or like a backbone ; or, for another simile, we may take 

 that implied in the name which is given to it by the 

 Norwegians themselves, Kjolen, the Keel. The most 

 important part of this Keel begins about 69° north lati- 

 tude, in the diocese of Tromso, and reaches to 63°, the 

 southern part of the diocese of Throndhjem. It rises 

 in its course into certain special elevations, or groups 

 of mountains, such as Sulitelma. 



Some way south of the Trondhjem Fjord this ridge 

 turns westward nearly parallel with the trend of the 

 coast in that direction. And at the same time it spreads 

 out into a series of highland countries, the most import- 

 ant of which are the Dovrefjeld, the Jotunfjeld (which 

 adjoins the celebrated Jostedal glacier) and the Har- 

 danger Vidde. These three groups of hills give a 

 peculiarly rugged character to all the country which 

 lies between them and the coast, — that is to say, to 

 the great fjord district containing the Hardanger and 

 Sogne Fjords, whereas the country to the north of them 

 is lower-lying and more fertile. 



Before the ' Keel ' reaches the south of the peninsula 

 it gradually subsides, so that from about latitude 62° 

 the rivers, which have hitherto always run either east 

 or west, begin to run due south. Still their course is 

 very rapid, and we get nothing approaching level land 

 until we come to Lake Mjosen, which lies chiefly south 

 of latitude 61°. It is this region falling away from the 

 Keel, till we get to a more level country, that is known 

 in early Norse history as the Upland ; and the inhabi- 

 tants of it play an important part in this history. 

 South of Mjosen, and along the coast of the Skagerrak, 



