Uvabo-Karin
Encyclopedia
Karin Jonsdotter, known as Uvabo-Karin (born 1852), was a Swedish farmer
from Hälsingland
who attracted a lot of attention in her time and became a legend
in local folklore
. Many stories where told about her during her life and after her death about her many courageous acts during critical and dangerous situations.
Uvabo-Karin was the only daughter of the wealthy farmer Jon Jonsson of Uvabo farm. Her father became even more wealthy as he, unlike most, refused to sell his forrest
s to the wood industry. Karin's mother died in childbirth, and her father dressed her in boy's clothes and had her perform tasks usually reserved to males. At the age five, she led the horses during wood transports.
There are numerous stories and legends about Karin's courageous acts. The first took place when she was ten: while she was in the village performing some errand for her father, some teenage boys threw snow balls at he horse, causing it to bolt with the sleigh and her in it. Karin fell off the sleigh, but crawled up again, tied the harness around her waist and stood up, calmly waiting for the horse to tire. Afterward, she performed her errand and left: on the way, she whipped the boys who threw the snow balls over their faces with her whip.
At the age of fifteen, her sleigh was pursued by four wolves, which she shot before the horse discovered them and bolted. After this, she ventured out on a lake, Trollsan, which was said to be haunted. When the ghost
appeared, she attacked it before the eyes of her terrified farmhand and abused it with the boat-hook and exposed it as Trollas-Erik, a cotter who wanted the fishing water for himself.
At the death of her father, she became rich, and expanded her wealth by refusing to sell her forest areas but instead used it herself until she had made a half million, which was an enormous fortune in those days. Karin disliked the tasks and behavior usually expected by her sex, and preferred tasks normally performed by men. She also dressed as a man, expect for special occasions, which draw a lot of attention. Karin was widely famous for her courage and was also described as a great beauty. She received many proposals, but rejected them all, until she, in 1876, to great astonishment, had it announced in church that she intended to marry her youngest servant, a boy from a very poor home. The marriage was described as very happy, and it was said that she dominated in the relationship.
Her most famous act of courage took place in 1877. During the haymaking, one of her maids was attacked by a bear
. Karin took the hay-fork from one of the farmhands, attacked the bear and cut off its throat artery. After having killed the bear she fainted: she was at this point nine months pregnant.
Uvabo-Karin belongs to the local legends of folklore, and are the subject of many stories.
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
from Hälsingland
Hälsingland
' is a historical province or landskap in central Sweden. It borders to Gästrikland, Dalarna, Härjedalen, Medelpad and to the Gulf of Bothnia...
who attracted a lot of attention in her time and became a legend
Legend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
in local folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
. Many stories where told about her during her life and after her death about her many courageous acts during critical and dangerous situations.
Uvabo-Karin was the only daughter of the wealthy farmer Jon Jonsson of Uvabo farm. Her father became even more wealthy as he, unlike most, refused to sell his forrest
Forrest
-Places:Australia* Division of Forrest, a federal division of the Australian House of Representatives, in Western Australia*Forrest, Victoria, a small rural township*Forrest, Western Australia, a small settlement and railway station**Forrest Airport...
s to the wood industry. Karin's mother died in childbirth, and her father dressed her in boy's clothes and had her perform tasks usually reserved to males. At the age five, she led the horses during wood transports.
There are numerous stories and legends about Karin's courageous acts. The first took place when she was ten: while she was in the village performing some errand for her father, some teenage boys threw snow balls at he horse, causing it to bolt with the sleigh and her in it. Karin fell off the sleigh, but crawled up again, tied the harness around her waist and stood up, calmly waiting for the horse to tire. Afterward, she performed her errand and left: on the way, she whipped the boys who threw the snow balls over their faces with her whip.
At the age of fifteen, her sleigh was pursued by four wolves, which she shot before the horse discovered them and bolted. After this, she ventured out on a lake, Trollsan, which was said to be haunted. When the ghost
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
appeared, she attacked it before the eyes of her terrified farmhand and abused it with the boat-hook and exposed it as Trollas-Erik, a cotter who wanted the fishing water for himself.
At the death of her father, she became rich, and expanded her wealth by refusing to sell her forest areas but instead used it herself until she had made a half million, which was an enormous fortune in those days. Karin disliked the tasks and behavior usually expected by her sex, and preferred tasks normally performed by men. She also dressed as a man, expect for special occasions, which draw a lot of attention. Karin was widely famous for her courage and was also described as a great beauty. She received many proposals, but rejected them all, until she, in 1876, to great astonishment, had it announced in church that she intended to marry her youngest servant, a boy from a very poor home. The marriage was described as very happy, and it was said that she dominated in the relationship.
Her most famous act of courage took place in 1877. During the haymaking, one of her maids was attacked by a bear
Bear
Bears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...
. Karin took the hay-fork from one of the farmhands, attacked the bear and cut off its throat artery. After having killed the bear she fainted: she was at this point nine months pregnant.
Uvabo-Karin belongs to the local legends of folklore, and are the subject of many stories.