CALM BEFORE THE STORM: Leif Einar “Lothepus” Lothe (54) with his border collie puppy Varg (6 months) and roommate Randi Sørum before the dragon’s head met the storm. Photo: Private
The stave church dream of Leif Einar “Lothepus” Lothe (54) is a dragon’s head shorter.
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- A dragon’s head for Leif Einar “Lothepus” Lothe’s stave church was damaged by the storm “Ingunn”.
- The stave church the 54-year-old is building in Odda will have twelve dragon heads in total.
- He hopes the woodcarvers in Kaupanger can restore the broken head.
- The founder, excavator operator and TV personality talks about the fight against the municipality, his love for dogs and his fascination with cowboy culture.
Sea view
On the night of Thursday, the wind ravaged Odda in Hardanger so hard that the wooden art of around 800 kilos was broken into several pieces.
– We had secured the dragon’s head and had it on display down on the quay. At four or five o’clock in the night there were some gusts of wind so it ended up breaking.
This is what the machine driver, gunner, entrepreneur, musician and TV celebrity from Odda tells VG on the phone.
But Leif Einar “Lothepus” Lothe has not given up on the stave church dream for that reason.
SMASHED: This is what the dragon’s head looked like after the ravages of the storm “Ingunn”. Photo: Private
The dragon’s head is one of twelve that will adorn the church.
– I think we will manage to restore it. My parishioners fix most things.
– Your parishes?
– The woodcutters in Kaupanger.
Hardanger Folkeblad mentioned the matter first.
Twelve dragon heads
From his appearance in Gullrute award-winning “Fjorden Cowboys” on TV 2, via “Farmen kendis” to “Ekspedisjon Lothepus”, Lothe has charmed the TV viewers with his hard-line opinions and ability to stand his ground.
Before the opening of his new campsite, the plan is to put in place a brand new stave church at home in Odda.
Only the dragon’s head, which was destroyed, has been standing by the quay at the caravan site since last summer:
SEEKING SHELTER WITH FRIENDS: – I read a lot of history and have always wondered why the Vikings used dragons in stave churches. I think the Vikings were further east than we know today, I think they traveled the Silk Road all the way to China, says Leif Einar Lothe to VG. Photo: Private
– I’m building my own stave church and will have twelve dragon heads. They are two meters high and one and a half meters wide and it is an enormous amount of work to make them.
– Where are the other eleven?
– They are under production and stored in Sogn.
– Under the roof?
– I’ll promise you that! Everything is indoors now.
STAGE: The dragon’s head in Odda before it was swept away by the wind. Photo: Private
Weatherproof and fast
The 54-year-old – who is mostly active and working every waking hour of the day – has himself sought shelter in front of the wood stove in the living room with some friends.
It has to be when the storm “Ingunn” rages.
– We have locked ourselves in.
The road to the neighboring villages of Utne and Kinsarvik is closed, says Lothepus.
As a result, it is difficult to get to Bergen, in which case the oddings have to go around Stord and Haugesund.
But even Hardhausen Lothe advises against it. Now he just waits for the mountain sides to collapse, while he warms himself by the wood stove with good friends
HOTTER DAYS: Leif Einar “Lothepus” Lothe became close friends with Vendela Kirsebom and Petter Pihlgård when the three of them recorded “Farmen kjendis” in the summer of 2016. Lothepus ended up again as the winner. Photo: TV 2
– It will surely rage tonight. When there is snow in the mountains, mild, raining and windy, then the landslide occurs.
– Are you afraid of race yourself?
– No, I’m not afraid of anything. You have to look ahead, dammit.
Here Lothe shares some life wisdom:
– What has happened has happened. It is important to look ahead and sort things out – just shovel! Life does not go backwards. Precautions must be taken for that.
– How do you do that?
– By not twiddling your thumbs.
Country man
Work is Lothepus’ hobby and happiness in life. Idleness is a dangerous thing, he thinks. Big city life too.
COWBOY INSIDE AND OUT: While Lothepus waited for the storm to subside, he shared life wisdom with VG. Photo: Private
It is mentally important to have arm strokes, claims the cowboy from Sørfjorden. Some apples to pick. Some rocks to blast.
– If you are cursed here in Odda, you can take the chainsaw and shovel down some wood. Sitting in a cramped dormitory with nothing to screw up, no workshop or garage or place to romp around…
Hardingen Lothe leaves the sentence hanging in the air before stating:
– That is why I will never live in any city.
Tractor tanks
He himself won’t be unemployed anytime soon. Here are just a few of the projects:
- Start campsite
- Build a stave church with twelve dragon heads
- Organize the Sus & Dus festival with 26 bands.
- Restore twenty tractors
- Record the weekly podcast episodes of “Anlegg og sjau” with his friend Petter Pihlgaard.
– We must have a tractor exhibition when we open a new campsite, states Lothe.
His favorite tractor is the Ford County and Ford Super Major, he reveals.
– What about John Deere, Fendt, Massey Ferguson and not least: Gray cupGray cupThe nickname for the TE20, a light tractor type with a three-point linkage system created by Irish inventor and industrial entrepreneur Harry George Ferguson.?
– Yes, we have a Massey Ferguson MF35 with a flower box at the back that Randi can drive.
WORK HORSES: Leif Einar “Lothepus” Lothe and partner Randi Sørum from a photo taken in 2021. Photo: Paul S. Amundsen / VG
Then partner Randi Sørum would rather cruise around in a tractor than a car, he believes. In any case, one thing is certain:
– We don’t drive electric crap cars in here! We drive diesel. Hard core.
– Are you hard core yourself?
– No, I’m kind and determined. The way you raise the dogs and children, Lothe replies.
– If you are kind and determined, you will go far in life, I have found out.
COWBOYLIV: Joar Førde and Lothepus back in 2017 when the “Fjorden Cowboys” showed the Norwegian people what men from Sørfjorden are capable of. Photo: Terje Bringedal / VG
The Lord and the Dogs
He has had a few dogs throughout his life, Lothe. Border Collies. Some were taken by excavators, others were taken by landslides.
Lothe is no stranger to blue-toned land: As a 17-year-old, he lost his ten-year-old little brother in a tractor accident on his home farm.
In previous interviews, he has told how he locked away his grief for ten years. Then he collapsed at the funeral of a young, newly married man who died in the same way.
But now he has a new lifelong friend:
– The border collie I have now turns six months old today. Wolf. I’m training him to be a killing machine, but he’s social and greets everyone.
– A bit like you?
– Yes, I’m big in the mouth, but still kind.
MACHINE MAN: Leif Einar Lothe photographed in 2021 on the site that will become Camp Lothepus. Photo: Paul S. Amundsen / VG
The motivation to build a stave church started early for those interested in history Lothe:
– I’ve dreamed of it since primary school. Now I got the chance to finish it.
The church will be half a meter larger than the Borgund stave church in Lærdal, he announces. With more than twice as many dragon heads. He must also have a restaurant:
– If you are lying in your motorhome, you go and have a glass of sides at the restaurant before you come into my church and receive forgiveness – and then you go straight to bed.
CELEBRITY COUPLE: Leif Einar “Lothepus” Lothe and his partner Randi Sørum at Se og Hør’s celebrity gala in 2018. Photo: Frode Hansen / VG
– What do you want forgiveness for?
– I don’t need forgiveness, I haven’t done anything wrong. If I’m ashamed, it’s done in 30 seconds.
He is lucky that way, Lothe believes.
– It is a characteristic to be ashamed easily. Don’t go brooding. Get to work.
– Lik Kevin Costner
Stave church, campsite and festival are not enough for Lothe. He also deals in real estate.
In “Expedition Lothepus” he fulfilled his dream of going to an Indian reserve in the USA, but it is Hardanger that is Lothe’s domain.
– Kevin Costner has “Yellowstone” and I have Hardanger, so we are similar. We both have hats, horses and dogs.
Lothepus laughs before joyfully adding:
– But I have a prettier daughter than him!
LOTHEPUS FAVORITE: Kevin Costner (tv) in the role of rancher John Dutton in the TV series “Yellowstone”. Here flanked by his son Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes). Photo: Paramount
Actually, he is referring to the John Dutton character: A sixth-generation ranch owner in the popular TV series “Yellowstone” – and his capable and strong-willed, but troubled and vulnerable daughter Beth.
– My daughter is calmer than Beth, then, he assures.
– “Yellowstone” is about a power struggle?
– Yes, we do the same thing in Odda: The fight against the municipality, laughs Hardanger’s most famous cowboy.
– But we’re starting to become friends now that I’m getting approval for things.
Watch video: “Lothepus” promised revenge after this
Published:
Published: 02.02.24 at 22:22
Updated: 02.02.24 at 23:14
2024-02-02 22:14:58
#dragon #Lothepus #beaten #Ingunn
