Section 1
In the past, during the time of our ancestors, when there were only poor-quality boats in the Nordland region and people had to buy favorable winds from the Gan-Finn, it was dangerous to sail in the open sea during winter storms. During those times, fishermen rarely lived to old age. It was mainly women, children, and those who were physically disabled who were buried at sea.
Once upon a time, there was a boat crew from Thjöttö in Helgeland that set sail and ventured as far as the East Lofoten Islands. However, that particular winter, the fish refused to take the bait.
The crew waited patiently for weeks, hoping for a change in their fishing luck, but the fish remained elusive. As the month came to an end, they had no choice but to accept their empty boats and head back home with their fishing gear.
However, Jack of Sjöholm, who was among them, laughed confidently and suggested that if there were no fish in that area, they should continue further north. He believed that they hadn't rowed such a great distance just to consume their provisions without a catch.
Although Jack of Sjöholm was a young and inexperienced fisherman, the head-fisherman couldn't help but see the logic in his words. Despite his lack of experience, there was a glimmer of truth in Jack's suggestion, the head-fisherman considered the possibility that venturing further north might yield better fishing opportunities.
And so they set their sails northwards.
On the next fishing-ground they fared no better than before, but they toiled away so long as their food held out.
And now they all insisted on giving it up and turning back.
"If there's none here, there's sure to be some still higher up towards the north," opined Jack. "And if we've gone so far, we might surely go a little further still," quoth he.
So they tempted fortune from fishing-ground to fishing-ground, till they had ventured right up to Finmark. But there a storm met them, and, try as they might to find shelter under the headlands, they were obliged at last to put out into the open sea again.
There they fared worse than ever. They had a hard time of it. Again and again the prow of the boat went under the heavy rollers, instead of over them, and later on in the day the boat foundered.
There they all sat helplessly on the keel in the midst of the raging sea, and they all complained bitterly against that fellow Jack, who had tempted them on and led them into destruction. "Oh, Jack, you've brought us to our doom! What will become of our wives and children now? They'll surely starve without us to provide for them," they lamented.
As darkness fell, their hands grew stiff and numb, and one by one they were swept away by the relentless sea, their cries for help faded into the night, and soon there was only silence, broken only by the relentless roar of the waves.
Jack, filled with despair and guilt, heard and witnessed everything, from their desperate cries to their final moments of anguish, the haunting echoes of their reproaches and lamentations pierced his heart until the very end. He was burdened with the weight of their misery and his role in leading them to such a tragic fate.
"I must hold on tight now," said Jack to himself, "for I'm better off here than in the sea."
With sheer determination, he tightened his knees on the keel, refusing to let go even as his hands and feet grew numb.
In the midst of the coal-black and gusty night, Jack thought he heard desperate cries coming from the other remaining boat crews.
"They also have wives and children," he pondered. "I wonder if they, too, have someone like me to bear the blame!"
As Jack lay there, drifting and drifting, he sensed a powerful current carrying the boat towards the shore. And indeed, he eventually reached land, however, no matter which direction he turned his gaze, all he could see was the vast expanse of black sea and white snow
As he stood there, scanning the surroundings, Jack spotted a distant plume of smoke rising from a Finn Gamme, a traditional Sami dwelling, nestled beneath a cliff. With great effort, he managed to climb up to reach it.
The elderly Finn appeared incredibly frail, barely able to move. He sat amidst the warm ashes, murmuring to himself while clutching a large sack. He seemed oblivious to Jack's presence and did not respond to any attempts at communication. The snow was filled with numerous large yellow bumblebees, buzzing around as if it were the middle of summer. The only person present to maintain the fire and provide food for the old man was a young girl. Meanwhile, his grandchildren were tending to the reindeer, situated far away on the Fjeld.
Jack managed to effectively dry his clothes and fulfill his other pressing needs. The Finn girl, Seimke, did her best to take care of him. She nourished him with reindeer milk and marrow-bones, and he found comfort in resting on luxurious silver fox-skins as he drifted off to sleep.
