This is the dragon roof on Borgund stave church. We took a 500 mile drive over the weekend and saw 8 of the 26 stave churches. Borgund was not my favourite (that was Øye, which has been rebuilt after it was dismantled in the 16th century and the parts 'stored' under the new church floor) but it is one of the largest and most original. Given the climate, making a wooden church - and a softwood too - which is still in good condition (though they are doing some maintenance work on it now) after 800 years is pretty impressive. Apparently it matters a great deal that you choose trees grown high in the mountains (shorter, colder growing seasons make for harder wood) and use the heart wood for exteriors because of the higher resin content.