Anna's Tale

Nestled by the sea, just a stone's throw away from the Langenes Church in Øksnes in the Nordland county, lies a cemetery where women's names reign supreme on the gravestones. While there are a few men's names, they are rarer and more recent. This is not unique to this village, as one will find similar scenarios in most coastal villages across Northern Norway and the West Coast. Yet, this is where we pause; at a simple burial cross, inscribed with the name Anna Serina Olsdatter, born in 1827, died in 1917. Anna was not a woman of status or riches, nor did she possess any exceptional artistic talents. However, she was strong, both physically and mentally. Furthermore, she was tremendously important. In fact, she was so important that without her, the coast of Norway would not have been livable during the pre-industrial era. Of course, this significance did not only occur to Anna, but to all the coastal women who kept the farms and communities going while their spouses, sons, and brothers risked their lives at sea to keep their families alive. Even the strongest, most skilled, and bravest fishermen – perhaps especially the bravest – constantly succumbed to the forces of nature. The Industrial Revolution came late to Norway, and until steamships – and especially the ones on the coastal express route – made their entrance in the late 1800s and early 1900s, life was particularly fragile.

History books are filled with men's names along with their influence in business, culture, and politics. The women stood in the background, well aware that without them, society would not function. After all, they were the ones who took care of children, the elderly, the farm, the animals, and the household. However, the mental burdens on the coastal women was just as substantial, if not greater, than the physical ones. Imagine never knowing if your loved ones would return from work or if your children would survive illnesses or accidents at sea. Such was the reality for Norwegian coastal women, and such was the reality for the coastal icon, Anna at Vinje, whom this story is about. We could not have told it if it was not for Johannes Rørtveit from Øksnes, who felt compelled to write a book about Anna – his own great-great-grandmother – based on first-hand accounts. The book, entitled "Anna on Vinje," is part of a series, "The People on Vinje," which illustrates life in the small village of Øksnes from 1824 to 1903. All the quotes in the following paragraphs are from the book about Anna at Vinje.

Childhood

Anna was only three years old when her father perished at sea, leaving the family without means of support. Anna's mother had no choice but to send Anna’s two younger sisters to foster care with others. Only Anna was allowed to stay with her mother, and the two of them went to live with relatives and friends in the fishing village of Vinje.

Despite the sorrow of losing her father, it was not long before Anna began relishing her new life. Vinje, bathed in the spring and summer sun, was a delightful playground for young explorers with new playmates around every corner.

Anna's childhood and adolescence were good, and in her first year at Vinje, her mother met a kind man named Andreas. Anna's mother took it upon herself to provide Andreas with the necessary clothing and equipment for the upcoming Lofoten fishery season in February/March. She carded wool and spun yarn, wove and knitted, taking on a responsibility that went beyond mere "friendly care."

The Lofoten Fishery

Regardless of the reliability of the cod and the great prosperity of the lucrative cod fishery, fishing with nets, lines, and hooks from an open rowboat was anything but easy. Whether it was an eight-oared "åttring" rowed by four people or a ten-meter-long "fembøring" with six compartments and as many men, these sturdy wooden boats could still take on water over the sides, especially if they were overloaded with fish, making them sit low in the water. This was a risk too many fishermen were willing to take because the more fish they caught, the higher their income, and leaving some of the catch behind was like throwing money into the sea. However, if a storm were to blow up, it did not matter how heavily loaded the boat was, as it could still capsize or be smashed into pieces by the violent waves. The only hope of survival was to travel in a group. If one boat encountered trouble, the crew could be saved by another. Unfortunately, even that hope was worth little when the water temperature hit just below the freezing point.

Andreas survived the winter fishing that year too. A couple of months after the cod had hurried past the outer side of Vesterålen, all the residents of Vinje and the neighbouring villages, Jarbakken and Ramsvika, went to Øksnes Church, where he and Anna's mother were married and were declared proper spouses. 

"What Anna remembered most from the event was the return trip when the three eight-oared boats with the entire bridal party raced to see who would arrive first at Vinje, where all the neighbors were invited to the wedding feast".

Next, followed an unusually carefree decade with stable, good fishing and when the fishing was good, most other things turned out to be good too. Anna’s life was enriched with three half-siblings to love, and she even had a good friend, Oline, with whom she shared all joys and sorrows. Oline was a couple of years older than her, so while Anna went through preparations for her upcoming Christian confirmation ceremony in 1841, Oline served at Sunderøya, a large fishing village and trading post. She had already been working there for two full winters when she and Anna headed down to the loft of a big boat house near the farm during the Easter of 1841. This is where the fishermen kept all their gear and other equipment when they were not in use. Here, Anna and Oline found peace and quiet from all the adults and nagging kids at the house, and it was here that Oline made a bleak confession: an older man at her workplace, who had been making inappropriate approaches towards her throughout the winter, had finally managed to overpower her. The assault was brutal and impossible for the young girl to prevent. 

"Oline's desperate and tearful voice was still stuck in Anna's head as she walked away from the boathouse. 'If I'm pregnant, I'll go to sea.'"

One day in early May of the same year, Anna's best friend was found drowned on the outer side of Sunderøya, where the open sea rolled in against the steep rocks.

Work

After Anna had been confirmed at church, she was sent to Tinden, a fishing village and trading post, to earn a living as a housemaid there. Before she left, her mother confessed to her that ever since they moved to Vinje, she had felt an intense longing for Anna's two younger sisters, Bergitte and Oline. She blamed herself and felt ashamed for sending them away to others. By then, Anna had been offered a job at Tinden, a fishing village and trading post nearby, and her mother and Andreas decided to make room for her two younger sisters. Anna understood her mother's despair, and the conversation led her to make a decision about her own life: if she ever married and started a family, she would never give up a child or split up a group of siblings. 

A few days later, two half-grown sisters were helped ashore from an eight-oared boat in the shallows at Vinje. Shortly afterward, Andreas took Anna to her new job in Tinden.

Falling in love

Just before Christmas in 1845, Anna received word that her mother was not feeling well, so she was given a ride home to Vinje on a six-oared boat that had been rowing on assignment for Tinden the past few weeks. On board, she found two strong men in their twenties. Anna sat at the back of the boat. She felt chilly, so she grabbed a pair of oars and started rowing with the others. Sitting opposite her was Peder Mikal Knutsen, a handsome, tall and powerful man with thick, blond hair and a steady gaze. 

The very same evening, after Peder and his coworker had taken Anna back to Tinden, Peder said something that made the young woman blush: "We must meet again, for you are truly the best woman I have ever rowed a boat with." Three years later, Anne and Peder were wed.

New Life at Vinje

The same year that Anna and Peder were married in Øksnes Church, Peder was granted the right to farm Nedrejordet at Vinje, where Anna had grown up. Her mother and Andreas had moved out of the house, but one of Anna’s sisters, Oline, stayed behind to help the young couple to get settled on the farm until she found work elsewhere. The house was neither large nor grand, but at least it was a home with all the necessary facilities. 

In the first year as farm owners, it was important for Anne and Peder to ensure that they had enough food for the animals to avoid shortage in the spring. This work was too much for Anna and Oline to handle alone, so they hired a farmhand to help them gather grass which was then dried in the fields and stored for later use. Meanwhile, Peder was busy repairing the barn at the farm alongside renovating the boathouse and shed by the sea to make enough space for the new eight-oared boat he had ordered. After all, the boat would ensure the family's future livelihood as Peder was, of course, a fisherman and also a skilled skipper.

Anna maintained strict discipline and order at the house by regularly cleaning both the home and everything related to daily tasks. She frequently scrubbed the floors with a mixture of sand and homemade soap made from animal fat. Small laundry was performed with a washboard in a wash tub, while larger cleaning jobs were done in the smokehouse, where the clothes were boiled in a large iron pot. Afterwards, the clothes were washed and rinsed in smaller tubs or in a water hole built in the stream near the house. The washing of carpets or boat rugs had to be handled by at least two people as the wet garments were extremely heavy. This work took several days. 

Midwifery

While living at Tinden, Anna had assisted her landlady with childbirths several times, for which she had a natural talent. After moving back to Vinje, she continued helping out  with several births. The old midwife in the village noticed the young woman's inherent calmness and care and began bringing Anna along as help with birth delivery. It did not take long before Anna became known as "the new midwife of the village" and gained a rare sort of authority and trust among the inhabitants. Not only was she called upon in connection with births, but also with other types of troubles, both among people and animals, that required humane care.

Starting a Family

Anna and Peder's first child, Ole Martinus Kristian, was born in 1849. "It's a boy and he will be named Ole after my father", Anna said. Peder took the newborn in his arms and looked at his son as he said: 'You will probably become a skilled fisherman when you grow up, for you have such big, clear eyes". 

One year later, a sister, Jokumina Oline, was born. The little girl seemed weak, but luckily, she quickly grew stronger. However, Ole, who had seemed so robust at birth, became ill with a whooping cough at the age of two. While Anna's sister took care of the youngest daughter to protect her from getting infected, Anna stayed with her son day and night. Later on, when Peder – who had been fishing with his boat crew for several days – returned home to Vinje, he found his wife so exhausted that he took her place in the kitchen chamber next to their son's sickbed, so Anna could get some rest.

"The resolute and resourceful skipper was confronted with a situation that he found difficult to manage at his son's sickbed. When the coughing fits came, and the boy struggled to breathe, he could not help but think that for his part, it would have been easier to weather a storm at sea in battle with the forces of nature than to be a powerless bystander in his son's battle for life".

Eventually, the strength of the little boy gave out, and Anna and Peder lost their firstborn. One week later, Peder headed back to work.

The Ten Children

One year after the death of her son, Anna gave birth to another boy, Ole Johan, and life became a little more worth living. 

“By giving the boy the name Ole, Anna wanted to name her first-born child again and give him all the love she felt she didn't have time to give to Ole Martinus while he lived". 

After that, the children continued to arrive "in quick succession," and soon there were ten people living in the small house: a mother, a father, four sons, three daughters, and an aunt. A few years later, in 1867, Anna and Peder were to be blessed with twin boys.

"The days turned into weeks, the weeks into months and years. The small house at Vinje became a home with little space but a big heart. The villagers sought out Anna for help and advice, while Peder pursued his work at sea with two five-oared crews”.

The children were accustomed to hard work from a young age. The girls tended to household chores and the care of their younger siblings, while the boys were honed in the art of fishing. The four eldest boys longed to shadow their father from dawn until dusk, jockeying to outdo one another in imitating his work with the workers at the boathouse. They yearned to venture out to sea and cast their nets, but Anna endeavoured to delay their foray into the unpredictable waters for as long as she could. Nevertheless, each member of the family had to contribute to their collective survival, for life's bounty did not come without diligence. 

Ole Johan, the oldest son, displayed a precocious talent for fishing, mastering his trade at a tender 12 years of age. His father had outfitted him with his very own boat, its sail a square rig, ideal for improving his skills. The boat could be manned by two or three men and was not only a vessel for practice but also one of the fastest in the boathouse.

"The November day was cold and rainy as Ole Johan and two other boys from nearby farms readied themselves for setting sail to Tinden to retrieve salted and dried fish. Anna allowed them to go despite the limited daylight hours of November, the weather promised good fortune with favourable westerly winds. By departing early in the morning, the trio hoped to return before nightfall”.

A few days later, boat was found on the beach at Sunderøya, capsized, with the keel in the air.

An unfortunate event rarely comes alone

The next devastating news arrived with a small boat at Vinje on the 23rd of December three years later. No one could say for certain how it happened, but it was assumed that the boat had been heavily loaded with herring and taken in water, or hit rocks and sunk. Peder was lost at sea, along with one of Anna's half-brothers and the husband of her half-sister.

Following Peder's death, Anna and all her semi-grown children persevered with the farm and the fishery business. At the age of 15, the eldest son, Andreas, became the skipper of his father's five-oared boat. Naturally, when the winter fishing commenced on the outskirts of Vesterålen and later in Lofoten, he was there. Eventually, his younger brothers also became accomplished fishermen. 

The life of a fisherman was often brief, and despite Anna's constant plea to her sons to be cautious at sea and not take unnecessary risks, they all met the same fate as their father. One by one, the young men vanished at sea.

When Anna, at the age of 75, eventually left Vinje to live with her daughter, Oline Martine Stefana Bergitte (b. 1861) in Nyksund, she had outlived a husband and six sons. Only one living son remained; Peder Richard Christopher (b. 1867). 

Anna Serine Olsdatter, or "Anna at Vinje," as people fondly called her, passed away in Nyksund on October 11, 1917. She was laid to rest at Husjord Cemetery near Langenes Church. In a way, her passing marked the end of an era; the five-oared boats and other open fishing boats had largely outplayed their role, with steamships taking over more and more of the fishery and operations at sea. Notably, the coastal express, established in 1893, ensured a resurgence of business and society along the coast. The many local motorboats that sprouted to serve the ships on the coastal express also ensured a much safer transport of both people and cargo than the open rowboats had done. The era of large and catastrophic accidents had come to an end.

Let us finish this story with an excerpt from a letter written by Anna's son, Peder Vinje, reproduced in author Rørtveit's book, Anna at Vinje: 

"Of all the joyful memories I have, it is my dear mother's memory that is the most precious and that no one can take away from me. I know that my mother passed away blissfully. Sorrow taught us, as a family, to stay together and love each other. (...) You may use whichever parts you like of what I have written, but above all, I implore you to write extensively about my mother. For there can never be enough said about her”.

Text: Havila Voyages/Josefine Spiro