‘Meet’ Freya the Walrus

When we are in Oslo and you want to take a walk, go to Kongen Marina, where you will find a new sculpture which was just dedicated last Saturday. Titled, “For Our Sins” it depicts a life-size walrus named Freya.

This morning as I went through my daily morning rituals including reading the New York Times, a headline caught my immediate attention, “Freya, the Walrus Killed by Norwegian Officials, Is Immortalized as a Sculpture.” That’s a title I don’t see often coming out of Norway!

I found in reading the article, that Freda, a 1,300 pound walrus, showed up in Oslo last summer and become a beloved local icon. Despite warnings from government officials to stay away from her, she continued to inhabit the area and even enjoyed some rides on local boats, which threatened the boats because of her sheer weight.

Finally, the Norwegian government thought it best to euthanize Freda because of the stress that was placed on her. According to a statement, “The possibility for potential harm to people was high and animal welfare was not being maintained.” That death divided the country.

The Norwegian artist, Astri Tonoian spent months making the sculpture based on photos of the animal. “We have to ‘practice coexisting’ with people and wildlife,” she said. The fund-raising website’s organizer, Hans Erik Holm, wrote on his website, “The sculpture will always remind ourselves (and future generations) that we cannot or should not always kill and remove nature when it is in the way.”

We don’t have a lot of time in Oslo, but during our ‘free day’ if you wish to take a stroll, the marina isn’t that far from Oslo Sentrum and close to the Astrup Fearnley Museum of Contemporary Art. On that stroll, you will come upon Freya, lying on her side, and you’ll know the story behind that sculpture.