BERNHARD NORDH
BERNHARD NORDH
In theShadowofMarsfjäll Mountain
Publishedbythe BerhardNordh Societyin2015. The coverimage andprologueare takenfromthe edition printed in 1939 andthe rest of thetextfromthe linguistically edited editionprinted in 1967. Themap on thebackcover is from Marsliden’svillagemap of 1903. Amap of theareawhere thebookis set hasbeenadded as an appendix. This editionhas been made possible by the voluntaryefforts of membersofthe Bernhard Nordh Society, aliterarysociety foundedin2000 that worksto increase interest in anddistributionofBernhardNordh’s literaryworks amongreaders of allagesand to stimulatescientific research on hiswriting.
Original title: IMarsfjälletsSkugga
Englishtranslation by Emma Davis.
©BernhardNordh 2024
Publisher: BoD–Books on Demand,Stockholm,Sweden
Printer: BoD–Books on Demand,Norderstedt,Germany
ISBN:978-91-8097-403-5
Translator’s Notes:
In theoriginaltextbyBernhardNordh,hereferredtothe indigenouspeopleofNorthernSwedenasLapps,orthe Lapp people. TheSamiregionwas formerly knownasLapplandand theSami people have historically been knownasLapps,however this term is regarded as offensive by theSami, whopreferthe area’s name in theirown language.Since theoriginaltextusedthe term Lapps, it wasdecided that thetranslation should reflect this,and theterm Lappswas kept.Inmodernday Swedishthe term wouldbeSami.
TheSwedish Riksdaler wasthe name of aSwedish coin first minted in 1604.Between 1777 and1873, it wasthe currency of Sweden.
TheSamiword Muorke meansa portageareabetween twobodies of water.
AGoahtiisaSamihut or tent.
Emma Davis
PROLOGUE
Whenyou travel thenearlytwo-hundred-kilometer routealong theÅngermanälven Riverbetween Åseleand KultsjöLake, youpassthrough alandthatafew hundredyears agowas pure, unadulteratedwilderness. Here bearsroamedthe vast forestsand marshes. On bitterly cold nights,the hungry criesofwolfpacks roseagainst thesky,shimmeringwiththe Northern Lights.On warm summer evenings,swarmsofmosquitoesdrifted like clouds abovethe wetlands of thewaterlogged marshes. By streamsand forest lakesthe beaversbuilt theirstick huts anddams, thelynx creptsoftlyamong theirhidingplacesinthe bushes,and thepine marten wreakhavoc amongthe squirrelschatteringinthe treetops.Innarrowrockcrevices, thewolverine hadits denand venturedout boldly,as it hadsince days of old, on bloody nighthunts, wherethe reindeer,three timesits size,wereeasyprey. Forest birds abounded –black grouse,woodgrouse, hazelgrouse… Theptarmiganjumpedand flewamong thecrooked birchesofthe forest,and at thetop of aruggedcliff thegoldeneagle wasperched,broodinglike an ancientshadowoverthisvastlandwhich wasscarcelytouched by humanfeet.
It wasonlythe Lappswho passed throughherewiththeir reindeer,the Lapps, whowithsuperstitionand sorcerycoursingintheir veins, stolethrough this wilderness of marsh, forest,and mountain. Here,insomehiddenplace,strange things mighthappen–but be quietabout it!noone couldsee or hear,for woetothose poor wretches,ifthe meninpower should hear anyone whisperthatrings hadbeenrattlingoverthe dirtyskins of amagic drum!But away in themountaincaves thehighand mighty wouldn’t hear,and here a Lapp in timesofneedcould retreatinsolitudetoconsult with their
ancientgods. Here themagic drum waspulledout from itsdark hiding-place into thelight.Under thedullbeats of thereindeer-horn hammer,the ringsperformed afateful danceamong themysterious figures andsymbols of thedrum. Butthe youngerones, thosewho knew that theold gods hadlongsince lost alltheir power–they sometimesheldheatedcouncilsaroundsmoky fires,shaking their fists towardsthe east andbrandishing theirbearspears…
Theeastiswhere they came from…tall, grim men, determined to take on thewilderness. Onebyone they came rowing up the ÅngermanälvenRiver,pulledtheir boat alongthe shorepastthe foamingwatersofthe rapids,and were constantly on thelookout forasuitableplace to clearsomeland. If they sawasimple hutalong theriverbank,theyhad no choice butto keep going. Thenearest neighbor hadtobeat leastten kilometers away,for thewell-being of everyone.
Theyears went by.Smoke from thesettlers’ primitivechimneys begantorisefurther andfurther inland, whilethe occasional shot from fire-spraying muzzle loadersdisturbed thesilence of thewilderness. Year afteryearwas carved into thehistory of thesettlement of southwestern Lapland. Råsele wasestablished as agovernment settlement in 1741,Nästansjö in 1777,Laxbäcken andStrömnäsin 1781,Malgovikin1788, andsoon.
At thebeginning of the19thcentury,the shores around thewide waters of Lake Malgomaj were overpopulated, forwhere it wasmost crowdedthere washardlyten kilometers betweenthe smallone room cottages.
It wasnot fishing, andcertainly nothunting,thatwas in dispute. Butapersoncould become so angryiftheymet aneighborinthe processofmowinga field of marshgrass,which they themselves hadhad theireye on.You hadtohavegood hayfields if youwanted your cows to stillbestandingwhenspringcame.
Newmen came from theeast, andthe first settlers around Lake Malgomaj begantohavechildrenold enough to marry, who, in competitionwiththe newcomers, went westward.New areas, each like asmall kingdomwereestablished,and fornew land-clearers theonlyoptionwas to continue up thealmostimpassablestretch of theÅngermanälven river, whichliesbetween Lake Malgomaj and KultsjöLake(thedifferencein altitude betweenthe lakesisabout 200m), past DimforsenFalls,and across theLakeVuolleliteand Lake Bielite…
Here wasKultsjö Lake,540 meters abovesea level… awild, brutal lake,surroundedbymountains.Tothe north– thewildMarsfjällen Mountains, to thesouth –BorgafjälletMountainand Burgfjället Mountain with itseternal glacier; in thewest– mountains– hardly anythingelsewas to be seen.
Butnothingseemedtodeter thesettlers. Saxnäs wasincorporated, andoveratthe westernend of KultsjöLake, treeswerefelledfor thefirstcabinsinLövberg andKlimpfjäll. Otheradventurers made theirway across thebay to Fatmomakke (anold site used by the Lappsfor religiousgatherings) andcontinued up Lake Ransaren, whichat582 meters abovesea levelspreadout itswatersinthe middle of theinaccessiblemountainrange,which wasconnected by RansaråRiver to thesmall spring lakesofthe Ångermanälven River, locatedinNorwegian territory.
Here,atlast, furtherprogressseemedimpossible. Themountainousareabecameincreasinglydifficulttoovercome. At leastthe establishmentofa boundary beyond whichthe cultivationofnew land wasnot allowed, spared thepolicechief andhis assistants from week-longtrips to theoutermost hiding places in thewilderness. Thecultivation boundary wasfixedin1867, andnew settlements wouldnot be inspectedbeyondit. Theboundaryran across Ormsjö, Strömnäs,Nästansjö anduptowards Lake Storuman,and nowa largearea, whichthe settlers hadalready builton, wasbeyondthe boundary.Klimpfjäll, forexample,lay aboutone hundredkilometers west of theboundary, whichthe authoritieshad drawninthe
firmconvictionthatbeyonditthe conditions were unsuitable for people to make aliving.
Butthe boundary wasnot drawnwithonlythe settlers in mind Over theyears,there hadbeenenormousencroachments on areas that hadbelongedtothe Lappssince ancienttimes.The autumn and spring grazinggrounds hadtobemoved higher andhigherupthe mountains, andinmanypastures, previously grazed by thereindeer,the settlers hadsnatchedupall thefeed. Theauthorities also hadtheir viewsabout hunting. Forexample,aroyal regulation of 1749 stated that huntingfor furs wasthe domain of theLapppeople; thesettlerswerenot to engage in “hunting andrunning about theforests forgame” as this distracted them from thecultivation of theland. Henceforth,settlerswereonlyallowed to hunt within fivekilometersoftheir homes.
If thesettlershappenedtolearn that this regulation existed, their harshreality forced them to ignore it.It wasnecessary to venture into thegreat huntinggrounds if they were to survive. If their farminggavethema fewbushels of potatoes,theyhad to be grateful.
It wasfairto saythatnot allofthese wilderness warriors were OurLord’sbestchildren. Andifstarvationtoreattheir stomachs, it mightbetemptingfor someonetoshoot areindeer, whichcame within firingrange.But revengewas lurking, andwoe to thepoor settlers whohad haystacksstill standing in themowingmarsh, whenthe reindeer came down from themountains towardsthe woodland!Thenthe resultofweeks of work andsweat couldbe wipedout in afew minutes, andthe settlerhad to standthere in anger, pulling hishair, notknowing howhewas goingtofeedhis cows forthe winter.
Theseriousness of thesedisputescan only be partly seen in the courtrecords.Mostthingsweredealt with outsidethe law, andthe rumors aboutwhathappenedinthe shadow of MarsfjälletMountain nevertraveledthe long road back to Åsele…
CHAPTER ONE
One July dayin 1852.
Thesun wasalready settingin thewest, andthe Fjällfjällen Mountain cast long shadowsdownontothe lowerareas of Mount Lill-Gemon andthe waterloggedmarshes of Stormyran. Asunny haze rested over thehighpeaks of MarsfjälletMountain, andover in thesouthwest,the snow on MountBurgfjället sparkled,greatly vulnerable to theheatthatprevailed down in thevalleys.Kultsjö Lake glittered, partly framed in blackshadows.The lake protrudedout from shoreridgesand tree lines, andbeyondMarsfjället Mountain it spread outeastwardintoavastdelta,brokenupbysmall lakes.
On this July evening, ayoung mancamewalkingthrough the storm-whippedand stuntedbirch forest west of ÖstraFjällfjäll Mountain,along thefaint path that ledfromKlimpfjällvillageto Norway.Ahugebundlewas attached to hiswood-framedpack. In frontofhis chesthungabag of shot andapowderhorn, andathis side dangledagrim, threateningmuzzleloader. Sweatran outfrom underhis squirrel furcap.However,thisdid notinany wayaffect thegentle, plodding gait that wasso common to thesewilderness folk.Theyhad been thrown into awildernesswhere aman without strong legs wasdoomedtoperishpitifully.
It wasAbraham,afarmhandfromKlimpfjäll, whocamewanderingalong like aploddingpackanimalofthe mountain ranges.In themorninghehad left theNorwegian villageofKroken, waded over gushingstreams andrivers, andhad climbeduplongtoiling ascents. With fortykilometersofarduous hiking behind him, he still hadmorethanten kilometers left to reachKlimpfjäll.
Thepathhereled rather steeplyuptothe treeless stonywasteland of Dårronskalet Pass,and Abrahampausedtorest. He leaned
hisloadagainst arock, dugintohis pocketsand bitoff apiece of a juicybrown tobaccobraid,straightenedthe piecewithhis tongue andthenspatout asatisfyingspray outoverthe whitebarkofthe nearestbirch
As Abrahamsat tuggingat apiece of grass, he wondered if this mightbea good spot to have anew settlement inspected, although he should have been awarethatattemptingtosettleuphereinthe mountain forest wouldbesheer madness. Butitwas an oldhabit. Wherever Abrahamwenthelookedfor asuitableplace to clearsome land of hisown.Being afarmhandwas notfor him. Hisfatherwas astately farmer from Hälsingland, andAbraham wouldnot have been sittinghereifhehad notgoneuptoÅsele market afew years agowithabundleof foxskins.
Afterafight, whichhe hadonlya vaguememoryof, sinceithad been fought in thehazeofliquor; he hadfled west in thecompany of Jon, themountainfarmer, whohad takenpartinthe bloody fight on Abraham’sside.
Ever sincethen, Abrahamhad been afarmhandinKlimpfjälland wasunaware that thefur trader whohad been stabbedbyAbraham’slongknife betweenhis shoulder blades,had recoveredfrom hismisfortuneand wasconningpeopleout of theirfurs, just as cheerfully as before.
Thereweretimes when Abrahamlongedintensely forhome, and on lightsummereveningshewould sometimessit outonthe stone stepswithhis face turned to thesoutheast,asifheweretryingto catcha glimpseofthe flaxen-haired Anna-Stina,who mightatthis moment be standing on thehillbythe mountain pastures,blowing herbirch trumpetout over thevalleys of herhome. Buttogoback therewould mean goingtojailand perhapsevenhavingtomake theclimb up gallowshill,fromwhere no prisoner returned alive.
Abrahamconsideredhimself sentencedtolifeinthese harsh mountains, butthatsentencewas notasbad,and he knew he could endure it.Withthe exceptionofthese evenings on thestone steps, which, by theway,werebecomingmoreand more rare,the boy
from Hälsinglandfound himselfquite comfortablehere. He had been wild andhot-temperedbeforethatfateful dayinÅsele,but nowthe mountain worldhad givenhim thickskin. If he were to settle here in theseparts,the wilderness wouldfind himtobea fiercetrespasserwho wouldnot give in withouta fight.
At Lake Västra Marssjön,justbelow MountMarsfjället,Mount Ropenand MountSåttan, therewas awonderful placewhere asettler’s firehad notyet sent up smokeintothe blue sky, buteventhat placewas notavailable.Fouryears ago, Jonhad appliedtothe authoritiestobuild asettlementatLakeMarssjön. As of yet, however, no inspectors hadset foot in theshadowofMarsfjället Mountain.Jon seemed to be in no hurrytoacquire legalclaim to thelushsurroundings of thelake. ButwhenAbraham hadasked acoupleoftimes if he couldtakeoverthe claim, Jonhad been harshlydismissive.
Abrahamcontinued hiswalkand climbeduptothe tree line,and just aheadwas thehugestone mass that wasDårronPeak. It wasa still evening, andall theway up to theedgeofthe birchforest, the swarms of mosquitoes danced,asiftheyconsideredthe manaprey to be followed at allcosts.
Suddenly,the silencewas broken by apiercingcry,which brought Abrahamtoastandstill.Hestood tensefor afew moments, butthen wriggled outofthe pack’s carrying straps and, rifle in hand,crept down throughthe foliageof thedwarf birchtrees.
Suddenly he threwhimself behind abush. Across aclearing, fifty meters away,alarge mancamepulling something. Abraham’seyes narrowed,and hisbreathhissedthrough hiswideningnostrils. The hand holdinghis rifle trembled noticeably from theintense suspense.
Theman whowas pulling somethinghad disappearedfromthe clearing.Abraham hurriedafter him. In afew minuteshehad caught up with theother man, whohavingsuddenlydiscovered that he wasnot aloneonthe mountain,dropped hisloadtothe
ground.Abraham drew adeep breath,and thelookhefixedonthe manbeforehim wasfullofdisgust
–Whatisthe meaningofthis, Jon? he said dully. Jonshruggedhis broadshoulders,and hiseyessharpened
–The meaning?!Well, Mikael here,felldownacliff over there.
Jonpointed,and Abrahamcastalongglanceatthe dark mountain walls. It wasinconceivable that Jonwould have been able to carry theLappboy this farin such ashort time.Abraham’s temper began to rise,but theeventsin Åselehad taught himtocontrol himself.
–Ishedead?
Jonnodded. He satdownona rock andtoldAbraham that he had been walkingdownthe slopeand that theLappboy hadsuddenly come tumbling down at hisfeet. Abrahambarelylistenedtohim butjuststood staringat Mikael,who laythere limply with hisface to theground. Abrahamwalkedafew stepsforward to examinehis injuries more closely.
–Iguess we’llhavetomakeastretcher andcarryhim home with us,hesaid, when Jondid notseemto have anything else to add.
–What’sthe point?
Somethinghot andpressingtightened around Abraham’sforehead like an iron band,and histongueseemedtobestuck at the roof of hismouth.
–The point! he repeated slowly.ALappisapersontoo,and either we have to take himto Fatmomakke or send word to hisfamilyto come andget him.
–And getabearspear betweenour shoulders, when we turn our backs, eh?
–Ican go if youlike! said Abrahamgrimly. Isaw reindeer this morningonthe othersideof theborder.
Jonsat chewingonablade of grass, histhoughtsturning heavily behindhis broadforehead. He knew better than theinexperienced Hälsinglandboy what it meantto bringthatkindofmessage to a Lapp camp.Abraham listened quietlyasJon explainedthatgoing to theLapps wasnot goingtohappen.
–Well, then we’llhavetocarry himhomeand rowhim over to Fatmomakke
Jongavethe farmhand alookas if he hada childinfront of him.
–ToFatmomakke? he exclaimedangrily.The Saxnäs farmerswill findout,and thosefools will scamperoff to tell thepolicechief.
–Well, what of it?Noone can be held responsiblefor an accident! Jonshrugged.
–Well, if you’re allfor bringing thepolicechief outhere, then I won’tstand in your way. He mightcomeright away when he finds outyou’reuphere!
Abrahamfelta chillrun down hisspine,but hisfacedid notmove amuscle.
–You maytakeovermyclaim at Lake Marssjön,saidJon,but then this will have to stay betweenus. It is best forall partiesinvolved that Mikael hassimplydisappeared.Heisnot thefirsttodoso, and he will notbethe last.
An hour later, Abrahamand Jonwalked throughthe bleakvalley of theDårronskaletPass.
AbrahamfollowedsilentlyinJon’s footsteps, andevery nowand then agroan seemed to forceits wayout of hischest.Healmost expected that themountainwalls wouldfalldownonthem, or that something, anything,would come bursting outfromsomecrevice andhurlitselfwitha hellish screech, down upon itsdefenseless victims.
Aftertheyhad left thePass, Abrahamfeltmoreatease. TheLake Kultsjöarealay before him, andbeyonditthe last rays of evening lightglittered on thepeaks of theMarsfjället Mountain.There on thesouth side of thesunnymountain, wasthe placehehad been promised.
Youcouldn’ttellbyJon’s face that he hadgiven away an area whichifithad been locatedfurther southinSwedenwould have been aprime area forfarming.Perhaps he didn’t even countitas aloss. It wasaniceareawhere someonecould settle alongLake Marssjön,but theLapps traveled throughthere everyspringand
autumn.There were whispers aboutmagic andheadlessdeadbodies, whichinthe autumn darkness traveled secret paths, joiningtheir sounds to thehoarsecries of thebuzzards. Andafter what hadjust happened on themountaintoday,it wouldbeperilousfor someone to settle at Lake Marssjön
Abrahamhad half-fearedthatJon wouldgobackonhis promise, once they hadleftMikaelbehind, butastheysat at thetable at home in Klimpfjäll in thelateevening,sipping theirthick fishsoupfor supper,Jon confirmed hisoffer.
Jonwas somewhat literate,and aftertheir meal he andAbraham went to theirneighbor’shouse,where he andhis wife witnessedJon transferring hisclaim to thefarmhandAbraham Jacobsson. There were no termsofsalerecordedinthe agreement. Abrahamhad been giventhe shorearoundLakeMarssjön– completely free!
CHAPTER TWO
InKlimpfjäll, thehaymaking kept everyone busy forthe next fewweeks,and Abrahamdid nothavetimetoapply to theauthoritiesfor asettlementpermitbyLakeMarssjön. Therewas no hurryeither, foritwas toolatein thesummerfor theinspectors to make it.Soon, thesnowwould make theinspectionimpossible. Abrahamwas also alittleuncertain.Hewonderedifthe police chief in Vilhelmina knew what hadhappenedinÅsele afew yearsago.
When thehaymaking wasover, AbrahamborrowedJon’s boat androwed to northern area around Lake Kultsjön.Hewas gone foralmosta week.Hespent thenightsonthe bare ground under asprucetreeand during thedaysheexploredthe area,sometimes goingabove thetreeline. He foundquite alot of fieldsofnative grass, good forhaymaking.Inthe streamscomingdownfromthe mountains, therewould be places formills andsawmills. In thepine needle forest betweenthe hills, he sometimesheard grouse.Further up themountain, Abrahamencountered severalwoodcock birds, andonthree occasionsin oneday he noticedfresh bear droppings.
To getagood view of hissurroundings, he climbedupthe ravine of abrook up thesteep andnearlytwelvehundred meters tall Ropen mountain.The KultsjöLakearealay exposedand bare belowhim.
At thewestern side of thelake, he thoughthecould just glimpse Klimpfjäll’s greenareas,eventhoughthe distance wasclose to thirty kilometers.But therewereneighbors closer than that.There,onthe southern part of Lake Kultsjön,was thevillageofSaxnäs, inhabited by homesteaders.Abraham looked long andthoughtfullyinthat direction. Thesethree farmersweretobepresent at theinspection, andtheymay notbe so easy to deal with,whenitcametomarking thepropertylinebetween theSaxnäsfarms andhis newsettlement.
Bernhard Nordh
1900 –1972
Bernhard Nordhwas a Swedishauthorbornin Björklinge,Uppland. He beganhis writingcareer by writingshort storiesin weekly magazinesand the motiveswere oftenfromthe northern partsofSweden.
©Sjöbergsbildbyrå
SvenskaTuristföreningenobserveradhis choicesofmotives andgave himthe assignment to writeabout Lapplandintheir year¬book of 1937. He traveled by train, Inlandsbanan,toVilhelmina, asmall town in SouthLappland, andactingonadvicehewentforward to thesmall village Marsliden,close to themountains.
Therehemet JonasLarsson,who wasthree yearsold when hisparents Lars andBrita startedtodevelop thesettlement, whichshouldbe theirhome. From Jonasand othervillagers Bernhard gotmaterialtothe novelInthe shadow of MarsfjällMountainwhich became hisbig breakthrough.
When Bernhard passed away in 1972, he hadwrittenmorethan300 shortstories and28novels, that were publishedinnearlytreemillion copies.His bookshavealsobeen translated to many otherlanguages andthree of thenovelshavebeen filmed.
iIn year 2000 Bernhard Nordh-societywas foundedand it’s aimisto spread knowledgeofhis works.
