Walborg and Karin Jota (

Floruit ''Floruit'' (; abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for "they flourished") denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indicatin ...

1350), were two Swedish women who, according to

legend A legend is a Folklore genre, genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human valu ...

, were appointed officials of the court after the great

Black Death in Sweden The Black Death (Swedish: ''Digerdöden'', 'The Great Death') was present in Sweden between 1350 and 1351.Harrison, Dick, ''Stora döden: den värsta katastrof som drabbat Europa'', Ordfront, Stockholm, 2000 It was a major catastrophe which was s ...

. Håkan Welin:
Nämndemannen: - uppdrag med förtroende
' If the legend is true, they had a unique position for their time. The legend says that when the judge of the county of

Värmland Värmland () also known as Wermeland, is a '' landskap'' (historical province) in west-central Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Dalsland, Dalarna, Västmanland, and Närke, and is bounded by Norway in the west. Latin name versions are ''Va ...

reassembled the court, after the great black plague had passed Sweden in 1350, they were two members short. Instead of the stipulated twelve officials, they were only ten left. It was not possible to elect two new men to fill their places, because of the great death numbers of the plague. The judge therefore decided to call upon these two women, Karin Jota from Kallhyttan and Walborg from Nordmarkshyttan, to fill the places of the court to make the number complete. These were not only formal positions; the two women took an active part in the affairs of the court. According to the legend, the judge had great respect for their judgement and wisdom, he often asked for their opinion and advice, and often followed it.

References

* Wilhelmina Stålberg: '
Anteckningar om svenska qvinnor
' ('Notes on Swedish women') (in Swedish) 14th-century deaths Legendary Swedish people Medieval legends Year of birth unknown 14th-century Swedish women Black Death {{Sweden-law-bio-stub