Maria Olsdotter (1763–1856), was a

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 ...

miner. She owned and managed the

iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the fo ...

mine Mine, mines, miners or mining may refer to: Extraction or digging * Miner, a person engaged in mining or digging *Mining, extraction of mineral resources from the ground through a mine Grammar *Mine, a first-person English possessive pronoun ...

of Stråssa in

Bergslagen Bergslagen is a historical, cultural, and linguistic region located north of Lake Mälaren in northern Svealand, Sweden, traditionally known as a mining district. In Bergslagen, the mining and metallurgic industries have been important since th ...

. She actively participated in the mining herself and has been described as the first woman mining inspector (''Gruvfogde'' or Mining Vogt) in Sweden. She became a famous figure in local folklore, and was known as "Gruvmora i Stråssa" ('Miner Mother of Stråssa') and "Gruv-Mor" ('Miner Mum').

Life

She was the fourth of five daughters of the miner ”Mosis-Olle” Olof Ohlsson and Anna Israelsdotter. She and her siblings worked with their parents in the mine as children. In 1783, she married Erik Larsson (d. 1817), with whom she had one child, their daughter Anna-Stina Ersdotter (d. 1876). Her husband was the son of the owner of the Stråssa mine. The marriage was reportedly very happy. After the death of her husband in 1817, she took over the management of the Stråssa mine: brought up as a miner, she did not merely own the mine but personally led the work as overseer and inspector, and was as such a pioneer as probably the first woman in Sweden to have done so. Maria Olsdotter was became known in her own time as well as in history for the many stories which were told about her. She was known as a bold hunter, accompanied her husband during the hunt and then hunted alone with all-male hunting companions, and was known for her achievements as a hunter. Apparently, she enjoyed using spells to enhance her success and to affect the weather: this was a common practice in traditional folk belief, but whether she believed them or simply used them as a habit is unknown. Nevertheless, they were a part of her eccentricity, though she laughed about them when the stories were reported to her. She was the maternal aunt of the famous con artist

Lasse-Maja Lars Larsson Molin, alias ''Lasse-Maja'' (Djupdalen, Ramsberg, Västmanland, 5 October 1785 – 4 June 1845, Arboga), was a notorious Swedish thief and memoirist. He was famous in history for disguising himself as a woman during his tours as a t ...

, who described his aunt:

She was a true heroine of her sex, dressed herself in the clothes of a hunter, was an accomplished rider, loved to hunt and have other adventures of her own and was in effect more of a man than a woman.

Lasse-Maja later blamed his aunt and her daughter Anna-Stina Ersdotter for having enticed him to his criminal activity, and it is clear that they played an important role in his life.Lars Larsson (Lasse-Maja) Molin, urn:sbl:9430
Svenskt biografiskt lexikon (art av Edvard Matz)
, hämtad 2019-05-28.

Legacy

Maria Olsdotter became a famous figure in Bergslagen folklore. She has figured in many books as well as a novel. She is portrayed by Barbro Larsson in the film ''Den byxlöse äventyraren'' (1971) about her nephew Lasse-Maja.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Olsdotter, Maria 1763 births 1856 deaths 19th-century Swedish businesswomen Swedish mining businesspeople Women in mining