Maria Faxell
Encyclopedia
Maria Faxell was a Swedish vicar's wife who, according to legend
, averted a Norwegian attack in Sweden during the Great Northern War
.
During the war between Sweden and Denmark–Norway
, a Norwegian troupe passed the border in to Sweden and was observed at the farm Gryttve by Kölns church in Värmland
. The vicar was away, and panic erupted in the parish. Faxell armed both male and female servants, told them to give up war cries and rung the bells, after which the Norwegians, according to the local legend, where frightened off believing there was a real Swedish army nearby.
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...
, averted a Norwegian attack in Sweden during the Great Northern War
Great Northern War
The Great Northern War was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in northern Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedish alliance were Peter I the Great of Russia, Frederick IV of...
.
During the war between Sweden and Denmark–Norway
Denmark–Norway
Denmark–Norway is the historiographical name for a former political entity consisting of the kingdoms of Denmark and Norway, including the originally Norwegian dependencies of Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands...
, a Norwegian troupe passed the border in to Sweden and was observed at the farm Gryttve by Kölns church in Värmland
Värmland
' is a historical province or landskap in the west of middle Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Dalsland, Dalarna, Västmanland and Närke. It is also bounded by Norway in the west. Latin name versions are Vermelandia and Wermelandia. Although the province's land originally was Götaland, the...
. The vicar was away, and panic erupted in the parish. Faxell armed both male and female servants, told them to give up war cries and rung the bells, after which the Norwegians, according to the local legend, where frightened off believing there was a real Swedish army nearby.
See also
- Brita OlsdotterBrita OlsdotterBrita Olsdotter was an old Swedish woman who, according to legend, saved the city of Linköping from being burnt by the Russians during the Great Northern War....
- Lovisa von BurghausenLovisa von BurghausenLovisa von Burghausen was a Swedish memoirist who became famous for her story about her time in captivity as a slave in Russia after being taken prisoner by the Russians during the Great Northern War...
- Ulrika Eleonora StålhammarUlrika Eleonora StålhammarUlrika Eleonora Stålhammar was a Swedish corporal and crossdresser who served during the Great Northern War. She was put on trial for having served as a military posing as a man and for marrying a woman...
- Anna ColbjørnsdatterAnna ColbjørnsdatterAnna Colbjørnsdatter Arneberg was a Norwegian national heroine, known for her participation in the Battle of Norderhov in Norway during the Great Northern War 29 March 1716.She was the daughter of the vicar Colbjørn Torstenssøn Arneberg Anna Colbjørnsdatter Arneberg (1667–1736) was a Norwegian...