Birkebeiner

thumb|Skiing Birchlegs Crossing the Mountain with the Royal Child, by Knud Bergslien. Painting located at [[Holmenkollen Ski Museum, Oslo, Norway.]]

The Birkebeiner, Birkebeinar or Birkebein Party (; (nynorsk) or (bokmål)) were a rebel group in the Civil War period in Norway, formed in 1174 around Eystein Meyla, a pretender to the throne. The name has its origins in propaganda from the established party that the rebels were so poor that they wrapped their legs with birch bark. Although originally a pejorative, the opposition adopted the Birkebeiner name for themselves, and continued using it after they came to power in 1184.