In a recent paper by Szelwis (1980) microseismic surface waves were inverted with respect to modal contribution and direction of approach. Array cross spectra of two observational runs were analyzed. The microseismic energy peaking in a frequency range of about 0.13 Hz to 0.17 Hz was found to be essentially transported in the two lowest Rayleigh modes and the fundamental Love mode, approaching from one directional interval. In the present paper, the direction mode structure is related to the sources of microseisms. The Rayleigh waves are attributed to ocean wave interactions at the Norwegian coast. This is verified on the basis of Hasselmann's (1963) theoretical concept of the generation of microseisms, by estimating the corresponding source spectrum in two different ways. On the one hand, it is computed from the mode structure observed and a model of the wave-carrying medium including refraction and attenuation. On the other hand, it is computed from a model of the ocean wave field subject to specular reflection from a planar coast. The ocean wave model is taken from sea wave generation research, the input parameters-wind velocity and fetch-are read from the weather charts. The two source spectrums estimates agree within reasonable limits of the model parameters, thus supporting the assumed Rayleigh wave generation mechanism. The Love waves appear to be coupled to the Rayleigh waves, as (1) both wave types approach from the same directions, and (2) their modal spectra relative to the subsurface transfer functions show a high frequency-by-frequency correlation, implying corresponding peak frequencies. A common origin, examined in terms of the spectra of one source, is not compatible with the underlying models.