Gertrud Olofsdotter Ahlgren (1782–1874), known under the name ''Hejnumskäringen'', was a noted

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

cunning woman Cunning may refer to: * Cunning (owarai), a Japanese comedy group * Cunning folk, a type of folk magic user * Cunning (surname), a list of people with Cunning as a surname See also * Cunningham * * * Sneak (disambiguation) Sneak or Sneaky m ...

, active on

Gotland Gotland (, ; ''Gutland'' in Gutnish), also historically spelled Gottland or Gothland (), is Sweden's largest island. It is also a province, county, municipality, and diocese. The province includes the islands of Fårö and Gotska Sandön to the ...

in 1813–1870. She is a well-known figure in the folklore of Gotland.

Early life

Ahlgren was born in

Hejnum Hejnum is a populated area, a socken (not to be confused with parish), on the Swedish island of Gotland. It comprises the same area as the administrative Hejnum District, established on 1January 2016. Geography Hejnum is situated in the northe ...

in 1782, as a descendant of the famous cunning woman

Brita Biörn Brita Biörn, or ''Brita Biörns'' (1667–fl. 1745), was a Swedish cunning woman. She was active on Gotland and as one of the most reputed cunning women in contemporary Sweden, accused in two court cases. Life Brita Biörn married boatswain ...

. She succeeded her mother, Greta Olofsdotter Enderberg, as cunning woman in 1813, and was like her, known under the name Hejnumskäringen, ("The Crone of Hejnum").

Work

She lived in a small cottage at a three-way crossing east of Hejnum church. She assisted her mother and replaced her when she stopped working in 1813, and continued herself until her eyesight begun to deteriorate in 1870. Mother and daughter were both known for their herbal medicines, but were also attributed magical powers. In a

Letter to the editor A letter to the editor (LTE) is a Letter (message), letter sent to a publication about an issue of concern to the reader. Usually, such letters are intended for publication. In many publications, letters to the editor may be sent either through ...

in Wisby Weckoblad (The Weekly Visby Paper) in 1836, the local doctor in Visby, Andreas Andrée, critically described her and her mother's activity in a warning against cunning women in general: :"The cunning woman of Gotland: The Crown of them all, the so called Hejnum Crone, mother and daughter, has for many years without protest continued their fraudulent Confidence trick... Should you ask who these wise women are, you will usually find them to be from the worst class of people, rough, ignorant and often ill reputed females..." Despite the fact that legitimate medical doctors started to become more accessible to the public, Ahlgren herself commented on her own success and popularity with the words: :"The doctors cure by new ethods illnesses are old and I cure by old ethods.Wall, Jan-Inge (1989). Hon var en gång tagen under jorden-: visionsdikt och sjukdomsbot i gotländska trolldomsprocesser = Once she was taken into the earth- : visionary tales and healing in Gotland witchcraft trials. Skrifter / utgivna genom Dialekt- och folkminnesarkivet i Uppsala. Ser. B, Folkminnen och folkliv, 0348-4483; 19. Uppsala: Dialekt- och folkminnesarkivet. Libris 7750067. (inb.)

References

Sources

* Wall, Jan-Inge (1989). Hon var en gång tagen under jorden-: visionsdikt och sjukdomsbot i gotländska trolldomsprocesser = Once she was taken into the earth- : visionary tales and healing in Gotland witchcraft trials. Skrifter / utgivna genom Dialekt- och folkminnesarkivet i Uppsala. Ser. B, Folkminnen och folkliv, 0348–4483; 19. Uppsala: Dialekt- och folkminnesarkivet. Libris 7750067. (inb.) * http://www.gotland.net/sv/kvinnfolki/hejnumkallingen {{DEFAULTSORT:Ahlgren, Gertrud Cunning folk 19th-century Swedish people 1782 births 1874 deaths