A Reminder To Remember Pede by June Nyberg

A Reminder To Remember Pede

by June Nyberg

Nisse with goat, by June Nyberg. Used with permission.

Pede is a nisse. A nisse (plural nisser) is always Norwegian.

From that, the description varies: said to be no taller than a small child, or no bigger than your thumbnail so he can slip through a keyhole or other very small openings.

To describe him is easier if you recall stories told to you as a child. Beliefs in nisser, as well as trolls, lasted well into the late 1700s. Stories, said to be true, were told in the long winter nights and in the summer seter.

Once encounters were not uncommon, but in recent years, folk stories have been lost to action films with new characters.

I will tell you what I know to be true about nisser —or mostly true—or not—because actual sightings have been very rare in the past 100 years.

He is very small, very old, centuries old. A nisse is always a “he.” With sharp eyes, he can see in the dark. Though he is small, he is very strong, with short legs, a long white beard, and with the ability to move very fast, darting to avoid notice. He is quiet as a mouse, unless he knocks a cup from the shelf or table.

He’s not too smart, but he has a big heart. He is often detected by a foul odor. There seem to be no recorded sightings of a nisse bathing or even near soap. Clothing is ragged, a tattered jacket or vest, patched or worn pants. He’s sometimes seen in wooden shoes, furry boots, or bare feet (very large feet). Some say he has only three fingers on each hand and three toes on each foot.

It seems there are many unique descriptions, but every sighting agrees that he wears a knitted red cap that looks like a sleeve from a small red sweater tied on one end with a knot that has raveled.

Most stories tell that he lives on a farm or bondegård— rarely is he found in towns or cities. He establishes himself on a farm when it is newly built and stays there for the life of the farm, generation after generation, because a farmer never sells his farm—unless he goes to “Amerika”! The nisse stays with 18

family after family as guard, protector, and general “do-gooder,” always hoping that he will be rewarded with a meal at the end of the day, placed for him in the barn or a shed to recognize his good work.

Such is the story of Pede. Pede says he likes his name pronounced “Peedeee” not “Peda.” He says, if we are telling his story, he wants his name right.

Pede’s farm, at the time we begin, was cared for by Peder and Elsa Oleson and their children. Pede liked the Oleson family best of all the families before. So he changed his name, as he sometimes does. Now he is Pede—sort of like Peder.

Pede doesn’t know how old he is. He doesn’t know how to count. But he knows he has been on the bondegård “forever.”

Nisser are believed to be hundreds of years old. There’s no evidence that they are newborn and no nisse cemetery has been found. Pede is believed to be over 200 years old. Pede has enjoyed life with Peder and his family. He does daily rounds with the animals, seeing that they are clean and happy, checks the garden for weeds and bugs, plays with the young children, cleans the pantry—whatever he can do unnoticed to help the family. In the summer, he follows the seter jente with the cows, sheep, and goats into the mountains, where the grass is plentiful.

He finds the sweetest grass that makes the richest milk, the sweetest cream, and the richest butter and cheese, and protects everyone from wolves and thieves.

Pede was happy and Peder prospered. Every evening Pede was rewarded with a bowl of some of the family meal.

A fairy tale begins with, “Once upon a time.” This may be a fairy tale, or it may not be. You decide. It is the story Pede wants you to know!

Pede’s eventyr began in Norway, long ago—but not too long ago—back when time was not measured in numbers of minutes, hours, and days, but from sun up to sun down. Sometimes there Vesterheim

were long stretches of darkness, when the sun hid and peeked out for short periods, and times when the sun forgot the need for sleep. From celebration to celebration­—celebrations for good crop yield, healthy cattle, sheep and goats, celebrations for health and prosperity, for the birth of a child, for long days of sunshine. And The Celebration, when all work stopped for one special day of the cycle, Christmas!

Pede’s story begins when snow was covering the farmstead of Peder, Elsa, and the Oleson family, somewhere near VestAgder or Telemark, or maybe not. He wasn’t sure of the location because he didn’t care. He only cared that he lived on the Oleson bondegård and he was part of their family. But he did remember the year was 1789, because those numbers were on a very large trunk in the Oleson’s home. It was always 1789 to Pede.

This Celebration was a very special day. Pede remembers it was a very, very special day.

Daybreak was dark. Very dark and very cold. Inside the Oleson’s snug home there were good smells, happy footsteps and voices, music, and so much laughter and kindness.

Pede peeled potatoes for lefse, separated cream for rømmegrøt cream pudding (his favorite), soaked straw for straw weavings for the tree. . . . He did everything he could think of, unnoticed, to make the Celebration special, including shoveling a path to the barn, because Pede knew that in the barn that night someone of the Oleson family would bring him a lovely bowl of rømmegrøt, his very special treat. Someone always did. It made Pede realize that he was credited with the prosperity of the farm and family and that he was appreciated. He could hardly wait, as he darted in and out, up and down, to be useful.

Pede remembers so many years of the same happy, anxious feeling in his tummy—the anticipation was always the same.

He can recall 1789 and at least 100 years before that.

He tries to forget the times that he was forgotten, but he had never been forgotten by the Oleson family. They have always remembered to feed their nisse. Pede believes that good should be rewarded with good—Pede was good to the Oleson family and the Oleson family was good to Pede.

There have been times in the past when he has been forgotten, ignored, and neglected, and he needed to create awareness. Small reminders to bring attention that Pede is

Figure carving, Little Rascals, by Becky Lusk, who won her Vesterheim Gold Medal in woodcarving in 1992. Vesterheim

1993.075.001—Museum purchase.

Vol. 12, No. 2 2014

Nisse with rømmegrøt, by June Nyberg. Used with permission.

hungry: misplaced items, special foods that a cat or a mouse nibbled, soured milk, or worse, sick animals, cold winds around doors and windows left open in the winter, babies crying in the night—Pede is hungry! “That’s fair,” he thinks!

Pede savored the Celebration to come. He savored the night with his special reward, and he remembered it for a special reason.

At the dinner table, he had heard Peder say, “Times are good. The cows produce rich milk, the fleece on the sheep and goats is thick and long, the chickens lay eggs with two yolks, and the gardens and fields yielded generous crops—all is good, Elsa.”

And Elsa smiled and said, “Yes, Peder. Times are good.” And Pede was happy, too, because he had helped to make the times good.

Time went by—dark changed to no dark and one day Peder Oleson said quietly, “Times are hard.” Then Pede saw Peder put his hand on his head and say again, “Times are hard, Elsa.” And Elsa put her hand on Peder’s shoulder and said, “Yes, times are hard. Our nisse is lazy.”

Pede worked faster and longer to make the farm yield, but he could not make the rain come or the bugs go away. He didn’t know what “hard times” meant, but he did know that his nightly meals had become one night and six nights with nothing. On the nothing-nights he shared the pigs’ dinner, the chickens hid an egg or two for him now and then, the cows, goats, and sheep shared their milk, but he didn’t like begging.

On the one night the Olesons were able to bring a small bowl of dinner, he shared with the pigs, chickens, cows, sheep, and goats to repay their kindness. Not much was left for Pede. Pede shudders when he tells this. He knows the Oleson family would share if they had anything to share. Pede still helped when he could. He noticed that now Elsa baked only one loaf of bread instead of five to save flour, and she never baked goodies. Pede carved a wooden spoon and every night when the Oleson family was asleep, he ran many trips across a wide field to neighbor Signe’s flour barrel, in every kind of weather, to “borrow” spoonfuls of flour to put into Elsa’s barrel so she would have flour for the next day.

Signe did not like Pede. She suspected he was stealing flour from her barrel, because she did not bake and yet her flour barrel was nearly empty. And she was sure that he haunted her chickens so they would lay small eggs, or none at all. Signe had more food “put up” and she lived alone. Elsa had a family to 19

feed, so her “put ups” were running low, but Signe wouldn’t share. So Pede took care of that. “Fair is fair,” he says.

“Times are hard” in many areas of Norway—very hard.

News arrived at Peder Oleson’s home that there are “better times” in “Amerika.” Pede didn’t know what “better times” meant, but he was very hungry and he knew that “good times” meant dinner every night.

The Olesons sold their farm. They gave their chickens, pigs, cows, sheep, and goats to neighbors—not to Signe though. They packed their household needs in the big trunk that said “Oleson 1789” and filled some small trunks with food. Pede watched which trunk held the bread and cheese and hopped in—he was going to “better times” in Amerika with his family.

Pede recalls that times were hard for a while in “Amerika.”

But for the stray cats and dogs on neighboring farms who shared with him, he is sure he would have starved. He dreamed of that Celebration in Norway, which was so special because it was his last good one, and he thought of “good times.” When Pede raided the countrysides at night, nisser on other farms or in city homes called him “Beggar Nisse.” Then he became known as “Bagger Nisse,” because he carried a small leather bag on his back for crumbs, apple cores, whatever he could find.

Pede learned soon that nisser in “Amerika” were fed only on Thursday nights. They had to find what they could on six nights, but all agreed that on one “Special Night” everyone was happy—when the nisser were remembered with a bowl of rømmegrøt. They ate it slowly to remember how it felt as it melted into their tummies. They all agreed it was worth waiting for a long time until the Celebration came again.

Peder Oleson’s family moved to another home, and then moved again—Pede doesn’t know where. He found new friends who took him to Norskedalen, where together they found crumbs and half eaten food in the trash cans, left by visitors. Every nisse Nisse peeling potatoes for lefse, by June Nyberg.

Used with permission.

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for miles around was hungry and all came as Pede did. There were many nisser, but not enough food. The squirrels shared their acorns, but he didn’t like acorns. He found a very large farm and thought he could make a home there. The farmer and his animals didn’t know about nisser and he found nothing to eat.

Pede now is residing in Decorah at Vesterheim, where people know a lot about nisser.

There are many, many nisser there—he doesn’t know how many, because he can’t count.

He doesn’t know what he looks like himself, but he sees there are many nisser and they all do not look alike. It’s not farm life, but he has friends here and there is lots of work for him to do. He likes to work.

Pede hears that many nisser have returned to Norway, hiding in luggage. They are doing better, but not as good as in 1789. There Julenissen nutcracker carved are fewer farms, but even city people still put food by Ole Isak Bråten, Nesbyen, Norway. The figure’s left leg out—but only on Thursday cocks back to open space for nights and on the special nut. Vesterheim 2000.028.024— Celebration night.

Gift of J. Harry and Josefa Andersen.

Pede has hidden in luggage many times, but has never made it through security. When he is discovered, he is tossed in a trash bin, because he smells “funny.” He will keep trying, unless a family in Amerika adopts him.

Though many years have passed, Pede still recalls his last Celebration in Norway—the best ever, when times were good.

We have a special Celebration coming soon. Remember Pede! He will be waiting.

Folklore ebbs and flows across the water and the mountains and in the songs to the universe, from generation to generation, carried in our hearts from childhood into adulthood, told and retold. It has been the responsibility of each of us to give to the ears of the future the voices of our past, so that they may continue. Though the lore of the past sometimes seems to fall on deaf ears, at some time it will revive in our memory and beg to be told again.

Pede says if we don’t tell his story, and every nisse’s story, no one will know how he helps in many ways to make your every day easier. And he says that, if you can’t find your cell phone, a mitten, one sock, or your car keys, if your cookie jar is always empty—take notice! Put a bowl out tonight—if it’s empty in the morning, you have a nisse! Take care of him! He says he’s hungry every day, not just Thursdays, but Thursdays are better than nothing. Pede will work for you. “It’s only fair!” And don’t forget the very special Celebration Day!

Is Pede’s story true? You decide!

Vesterheim

June’s Tips for Painting a Nisse Stay removed from the finished painting, or you’ll miss the surprises! This is the most important tip.

Know your subject! As in any type of painting, you must know everything about your subject. Pede’s story is a good place to start.

Start from the feet up, so he doesn’t suspect he’s the subject of your painting. He’s shy. Whichever way his feet are directed (wooden, shoes, boots, or barefoot) tells you if he’s standing, sitting, or wandering off.

His pants and jacket follow the direction of his feet. You can choose his attire.

Make sure that his head fits low on his shoulders—chin mid-chest, ears even with his shoulders. This shows he is very old.

His face is easy because most of it is covered in moustache and beard. Eyes are squinty, no eyeballs showing. High cheeks, and let your brush go wild for the beard, uncontrolled—he never combs it, you know!

Last, he always needs a knit cap (red, of course!) pulled down low so it stays on his head!

And there you are! Wasn’t that easy?

Somewhere there is a nisse that looks just like your painting!

About the Author June Nyberg lives in a country home near the shores of Lake Superior among many Scandinavians whose families have immigrated and settled in northern Wisconsin and Minnesota. The setting in the northern woods lends itself to stories like Pede’s. She has kept alive Scandinavian folklore for over 45 years, with painting, story telling, and teaching throughout the andremember at the local She has Midwest When you thetechnical postman,college. hairdresser, your boss painting, andstudied friends in thisportrait Celebration Day,European rememberand Pede!Scandinavian painting, but is mostly self-taught.

[Laura Hoeg Box]

Laura Hoeg, the Nisse Lady It might be hard to imagine that someone nick-named the Nisse Lady lived an exceptionally adventurous life, but Laura Hoeg did! She was born in a brick house at Siewers Springs, outside Decorah, on June 18, 1904, the youngest of the 11 children of John Olson Hjelle and Anne Hjelle. Laura taught country school as a young girl, and later received her B.A. from the University of Northern Iowa, then called Iowa State Teacher’s College. Afterward, Laura taught in Algona, Iowa, and Phoenix, Arizona.

In 1924, she and her sister Marie and four other young women bought two Model A Fords and they caravanned to the West Coast. She accompanied her father and sister Marie to Norway in 1929, then traveled on through Europe. During 10 years in Arizona, she picnicked in the desert at midnight, rode horseback up a mountain to explore an amethyst mine, and performed in a rodeo. She married Victor Hoeg on New Year’s Day in 1941 in Las Vegas, Nevada, and they returned to Decorah to live.

Victor suffered a stroke in the early 1950s and Laura thought she would have to support the family, so she turned to art, something she had always loved.

She began rosemaling and by the 1960s she was painting nisser. Her pieces now almost ubiquitously adorn the windows of most Norwegian homes in Decorah, and a few non-Norwegian homes , too.

Laura hosted the first Vesterheim rosemaling workshop in Decorah in 1967, with Sigmund Aarseth as instructor. She studied with Aarseth, but said her true inspiration came from seeing a plate by Per Lysne. Laura passed away in 1994.

Papier maché nisse doll. Made by Carol Dziak, circa 1980.

Vesterheim 2002.017.001—Gift of Norma Splitt.

Vol. 12, No. 2 2014

This nisse was painted by Decorah artist Laura Hoeg, who began rosemaling in the early 1950s in the tradition of Per Lysne. By the 1960s, she had branched off into a specialty of painted nisse figures, many of which still sit in windows throughout Decorah, Iowa.

1994.033.001—Museum Purchase.

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