It was October 1349; an English ship was sailing to Europe to deliver a shipment of wool and other trade goods. At the midpoint of their voyage, a deadly stowaway emerged, infecting the crew with a horrific disease. Despite their best efforts, none survived. Had fate been kind, the sea would have claimed them, but that was not to be. The ghost ship carried on, running aground near Bergen on the west coast of Norway. Pesta had arrived, and within a year, half of Norway would be dead.
Ultimately, two-thirds of Europe’s population would be lost to the plague. It was an age of hopelessness and despair, where humanity’s survival was in grave doubt. The Black Death swept across borders, consuming the rich and the poor; none were safe. From these dark days, a legend began to develop, personifying the plague in the image of Pesta, the plague crone.
Pesta is a hideous, gray-faced hag clad in a tattered red skirt and rags. It is said that she carries either a broom or a rake. If she brings her broom to your village, all will be swept away, and none will survive. However, if she brings her rake, some might escape through the tines. Pesta is tireless in her labor. She cannot be disrupted, negotiated with, or hidden from. Her broom will find every corner.
One legend that persists through the ages is the Grouse of Jostedal. Rumors of Pesta’s impending arrival inspired mortal feat in a community in old Sogn, in Fjordan County. Desperate, the villagers abandoned their town and fled to the Jostedal Valley with all their possessions. They walled off the narrow entrance to the valley, barricading themselves inside. At the mouth of the valley, they placed a large rock called the “Letter Stone,” where communications could be exchanged with the outside world.
This worked well for a while, but eventually, letters from the valley ceased to appear at the Letter Stone. Months later, after stray livestock were found wandering into other communities, a party was formed to investigate. They arrived at the valley and went door to door. None were left alive. As they left the valley, they saw a girl running feral in the forest. After a considerable effort, the party convinced the wild girl to come home with them. They called her “The Grouse” after the mountain bird, known for its elusiveness. She told them of the horrible crone that came with her broom, tirelessly sweeping at every door. They took pity on her, brought her back to their village, and treated her well.
Eventually, people began to settle in the Jostedal Valley again, reclaiming the old buildings and expanding. When the Grouse came of age, she returned to the Valley, fell in love with a man, and raised a family there. This epilogue is typical of plague stories, emphasizing humanity’s resilience to overcome grief and death.
Another story from the Jostedal Valley describes the reconstruction efforts. As the community grew, it was decided that a church should be built. They picked a site and began construction. Strangely, their tools were missing every morning when they came to work. Later, they would discover them piled on a nearby hilltop. After a few days, one of the workers noticed something odd about the hill. He dug into the soil and unearthed the bell of the former church. Interpreting it as a divine message, they recovered the bell and built the church on the spot. The church still stands, its ancient bell intact.
During the plague, it was common for the entire population of a community to be killed, leaving empty towns and villages to be reclaimed by nature. Some remained lost forever, while others, like Jostedak Valley, were reclaimed. Another Pesta story that emphasizes this type of tragedy and redemption is that of the lost hunter.
Once, a man got lost while hunting in the forest. As his situation became dire, he stumbled across an ancient farming community overgrown with shrubs and trees. He went through the ruins, going house to house. In every home, he found the bones of the former occupants. While exploring one farmhouse, the bones of a dead farmer come to life. The ghost tells him how Pesta came to his village and swept their souls away with her broom. Then, the ghost offers the hunter a bargain. He will bequeath the land to him if he reclaims the farm from the forest and makes it prosperous again. The hunter agrees, and after burying the bones of the farmer and the other villagers, he rebuilds the farm.
These myths evoke a primal reaction in their telling, galvanized into the human consciousness by a few generations of those who faced annihilation and survived. It’s a profoundly sobering message that has resonated over the centuries. Pesta is still out there, and if she returns, there is nothing anyone can do to stop her. However, for those who slip through the tines, it is incumbent upon them to reclaim and rebuild the world in her wake.
Jason Roberts is a Seattle-based author noted for his acclaimed Western Horror series The Dead Wind Trilogy and other works of cosmic horror infused with historical fiction. His web-based series, Dark Distractions, examines paranormal mysteries, unexplained phenomena, and all things strange.
