The Vicarage at Stokksund

The island of Herøy was a Church town, but the brutal truth was that the churchyard had so little earth, that the coffins were not buried deep enough. The smell in the summer was downright nasty. And in the end the Priest moved to Raftenes in Stokksund. The vicarage at Raftenes has had several famous occupants. One of them was Magdalene Thorsen. Later, she and her husband moved to Bergen, there Magdalene became a renowned author. She moved in circles where she was surrounded by people such as Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson and Henrik Ibsen. In fact Magdalene was Ibsen’s mother-in-law, and Ibsen’s wife Suzannah also grew up in Herøy. Some have even claimed that meeting the stong fisherwomen of Havlandet inspired Magdelene a great deal, and that it was she who pursuaded Henrik Ibsen to write the suprise ending of «A Doll’s house», when Nora went against her husband Helmer in violation of 19th century etiquette. Maybe it is just a good story, but the fact that Havlandet raised strong and independent women who managed the work and family life on land whilst their husbands were at sea is completely true. Here at the vicarage, Ivar Aasen also came to visit the Thoresen family, to receive teacher training. It is no wonder therefore, that the people of Herøy recognise themselves in the song «Between hills and mountains and out to sea» which has been voted Norway’s second National Song.