Prillar-Guri

Lore & Background

According to oral tradition, Prillar-Guri placed herself on a promontory across the river from advancing Scottish troops during the Battle of Kringen in August 1612. She either played her horn to distract them and then moved a piece of clothing to signal the ambush, or she commenced playing as the signal itself. The peak where she stood is now called Pillarguritoppen, at 852 meters tall.

Reader's Guide

Prillar-Guri first appears in written form in 1838, in a work by minister Hans Peter Schnitler Krag, over two centuries after the battle. Official reports and documents describing the Battle of Kringen do not mention her, though the article notes that women seldom appeared in official records in the early 17th century. Her story was popularized in the 1880s by novelist Rudolf Muus and appears in poetry by Edvard Storm, Henrik Wergeland, and Gerhard Schöning. Hardanger fiddle dance tunes bearing her name, most not younger than 1750, suggest the tradition may predate the romantic nationalist era. Modern illustrations depict her as a young woman with long fair hair playing a lur, but the article states there are no descriptions to support this image, calling it an example of romanticized national imagination. Her legacy includes a statue in Otta, Norway, the annual Pillarguri Festival and Pillarguri Prize, a memorial from 1912, and her depiction on the coat of arms of Sel Municipality.

Did You Know?

• Prillar-Guri is not mentioned in any official reports or documents describing the Battle of Kringen.
• The peak where she is said to have stood is now called Pillarguritoppen, at 852 meters tall.
• Hardanger fiddle dance tunes named after her, most not younger than 1750, may indicate the tradition existed before the romantic nationalist era.
• She is depicted on the coat of arms of Sel Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway.