Primstaven

The primstav is the old Norwegian calendar stave, used from the Middle Ages until well into the 19th century. Every day was a notch in the wood, and the important marked days had their own carved symbols: St. Olaf’s axe, St. Lawrence’s gridiron, St. Peter’s key and many more.

Primstaven brings this calendar to your iPhone and iPad. Browse the year on a beautifully carved stave that opens at today’s date, or use the list, divided into a summer side and a winter side – just as the stave was turned on Summer Day, 14 April, and Winter Day, 14 October.

For each marked day you get:
• its name, and the original Norwegian name
• who or what the day commemorates
• the symbol from the primstav and what it means
• the story behind the day, with folk beliefs, weather lore and old customs

Features:
• A carved primstav showing the whole year – tap either end to jump back to today
• A list of all marked days, with search by name, saint or symbol
• Optional daily notification on marked days, at the time you choose
• Two symbol sets: traditional woodcarving or simple carved signs
• Wood or plain background, and the option to show only marked days on the stave
• Share a marked day with others
• English and Norwegian
• Works offline – no ads, no accounts and no data collection

The texts are based on Store norske leksikon (the Great Norwegian Encyclopedia) and other sources on the primstav and the Norwegian tradition of marked days.