By Per Thoresen

An important feature of Norwegian hand-crafted knives is their "dialects".  This refers to the fact that various districts have their characteristic local knives, so that we can tell the difference between knives from, for example, Trøndelag, Telemark and Toten. In addition, we have knives related to two groups of people: Tater knives and Sami knives. The Sami knives are the same in all of Lapland. Tater knives are similar in Sweden and Norway. Some Tater knife makers lived alternately in Norway and Sweden, resulting in a steady mix of Tater knife makers from these countries appearing at markets such as the Røros Market.

Very few Tater knives were produced before the end of the nineteenth century, a phenomenon which may have several explanations: either they did not produce knives earlier, or they made knives we do not perceive today as being typical Tater/Romani knives.

The typical Tater knife is not generally a utility knife, but more of a decorative one. It is more often made for sale to people outside the group than for their own use. The knives they traditionally made for themselves were often simple "Mora knives". 

The knives can be made under the humblest of conditions. Within the same time period, a knife maker can create exquisite, high-quality knives and knives that appear to have been made by a beginner. The former would be made in the workshop at home, the latter more or less by the roadside. In earlier times, when the Tater people would be constantly on the move, many of the knives were soldered in wood stoves on the farms they passed through. The knives were often made for an agreed price. When the buyer was unable or unwilling to pay much, the knife had to be simple. When the right customer came along, a skilled knife maker could flourish and create an extraordinary knife.

There is no distinction between Tater knives from different parts of the country or between one knife maker and another, but one can often tell which family the knife maker belonged to. The knives are made all over the country, but some districts have had more skilled knife makers than others. The ones most highly skilled were in Agder (for example, Lars Fredriksen); Vestfold (for example, Karl Olsen); Telemark (for example, Lars Griffenfeldt); Hedmark (for example, Mute-Karl), and Trøndelag (for example, Karl Fredriksen). For the knife maker, there was no particular point in creating his own style. If there was a great knife maker in the family, the goal was to make the knives as similar to this role model’s knives as possible, not to create a new design.

Principal knife makers:

Lars Griffenfeldt: a key name is the Tater Lars Griffenfeldt from Telemark, who greatly influenced the creation of the Telemark knife. When he made Telemark quality knives used for special occasions, he developed an engraving pattern that one can also see on the knives of some of Telemark's best-known knife makers, such as Bjørn Kleppo and Aasmund Hovden. Griffenfeldt also inspired Lars Fredriksen's knives.

Lars Fredriksen was the most significant knife maker in Aust-Agder. He steered the development of the principal utility knife in the county, called the Aust-Agder knife, the Gjerstad knife or the Fredriksen knife. Fredriksen also made Tater/Romani knives for special occasions, including some that were similar to the Telemark style. Perhaps his most important contribution, however, consisted of the simpler utility knives which are not in a typical Tater style. His utility knife typically took the form of a local knife, which was produced by many other knife makers. Fredriksen further developed this knife tradition and "perfected it ", but without including elements from Tater knives. His knife inspired many knife makers who were not of Tater heritage. This is still Aust-Agder's most common knife. Here, a Tater knife maker decisively influenced a local knife-making tradition, but the knife is not considered a Tater knife.

Johan Fredrik Hedenberg was born in Sweden in 1869 and lived and worked mainly in the Swedish and Norwegian Finn forests. According to his own records, he delivered knives to the Swedish and the Norwegian kings (hence the name knife king). According to Karl Wilhemsen, he received a note of thanks from the Swedish king, whereas he never heard from the Norwegian king. But then again, the “Norwegian” king was Danish, he notes.

Hedenberg came to Namnå in Norway in 1930 and lived there until 1934. Johan Hedenberg's knives can be divided into two periods: before and after his stay in Namnå. He is not known to have made knives while he lived there. The Hedenberg knives are considered particularly symmetrical and well proportioned, both in size and shape. There are good reasons why he was widely known and in demand on both sides of the border in his time.

The production of Tater/Romani knives is dwindling. A few knives are still being made, but you hardly ever see a freshly made Tater/Romani knife at a market or a knife meet. While in Sami communities a lot has been done to preserve the knife tradition, no corresponding effort has been made among the Tater people. Some knife makers still keep the tradition alive, but in order for the knowledge not to be lost, it must be passed on to the younger generation. Training in knife making could be an important identity-bearing factor for the younger generation, as it is for the Sami. 

By Mari Østhaug Møystad​

The following are examples of men who have produced knives in the last decade and kept the knife tradition alive: Nils Karl Magnus Karlsen at Oppdal, Nicolai Johansen (died 2015) at Skarnes, Olav Stålenblad Tollefsen in Heradsbygda outside Elverum, and Jonny Borge, a resident of Ridabu in Hamar.

Nils Karl Magnus Karlsen makes knives with finely engraved bolsters, and sheath guards made from nickel silver and silver. The shaft and sheath are made from curly-grained birch and ebony.

Nicolai Johansen mainly made all-metal knives from silver and nickel silver.

Olav Stålenblad Tollefsen also makes all-metal knives from silver and nickel silver, but he makes knives from bone too.

Jonny Borge makes knives from different materials, both from curly-grained birch and ebony, but also all-metal knives.