Bente Christine Broberg, known as Beinta Broberg, (1667 – 15 February 1752), is perhaps the best-known woman from the history of the

Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ) (alt. the Faroes) are an archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean and an autonomous territory of the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. Located between Iceland, Norway, and the United Kingdom, the islands have a populat ...

. She has been the inspiration for novels and a film.

Biography

Beinta was born in

Tórshavn Tórshavn (; ; Danish language, Danish: ''Thorshavn''), usually locally referred to as simply Havn, is the capital and largest city of the Faroe Islands. It is located in the southern part on the east coast of Streymoy. To the northwest of th ...

, the daughter of Peder Sørensen and Birgitte Marie Jensdatter Bøgvad, both of whom belonged to the Danish upper class of officials on the islands. She was married three times: in 1695 to the vicar Jónas Jónasen (1660–1700) of

Viðareiði Viðareiði (, literally: ''Wood-Isthmus'', ) is the northernmost settlement in the Faroe Islands and lies on the Island of Viðoy, which belongs to the Norðoyar Region. Geography It lies on an isthmus with high mountains to both the north and s ...

, in 1702 to the vicar Niels Gregersen Aagaard (1672–1706) of

Miðvágur Miðvágur (), is a village in the Faroe Islands on Vágar. It has been a municipality until 1 January 2009 when it fused with Sandavágur into Vága kommuna. Located on the south coast of the island of Vágar, Miðvágur is the largest town on t ...

Vágar Vágar (; ) is one of the 18 islands in the archipelago of the Faroe Islands and the most westerly of the ''large islands''. With a size of , it ranks third in size, behind Streymoy and Eysturoy. Vágar Regions of the Faroe Islands, region also ...

, and in 1706 (by

widow conservation Widow conservation was a practice in Protestant Europe in the early modern age, when the widow of a parish vicar (or sometimes her daughter) would marry her husband's successor to the vicarage to ensure her economic support. The practice was com ...

) to the vicar Peder Ditlevsen Arhboe (1675–1756), of Vágar. In contrast to most of the widows of vicars in the period, she did not marry her husband's successor after the death of her first spouse in 1700, as was otherwise customary, but chose to stay on in the vicarage during her

bereavement Grief is the response to the loss of something deemed important, particularly to the death of a person to whom or animal to which a bond or affection was formed. Although conventionally focused on the emotional response to loss, grief also ha ...

and thereafter marry the next Danish vicar sent to the islands. Her last spouse was deposed as vicar after conflicts with his parish in 1718. Judging by the investigation leading to his deposition, he seem to have been mentally ill. After this, they lived in poverty in Vágar. She had one son and three daughters. However, only the name of one of her daughters is known.

In folklore

In tradition and saga, Beinta is called ''Illa Beinta'' (''Wicked Beinta''), and is given the blame for the death of her first two spouses and the insanity of the third, as a bad employer for her servants, and as a

witch Witchcraft is the use of magic by a person called a witch. Traditionally, "witchcraft" means the use of magic to inflict supernatural harm or misfortune on others, and this remains the most common and widespread meaning. According to ''Enc ...

. Contemporary documents describe her only indirectly, and do not confirm how true or false is the popular image of her, nor how active she was in the events of her life. Her true character is widely overshadowed by the many myths and legends surrounding her.

Cultural references

* 1927 : ''Beinta'' by

Hans Andrias Djurhuus Hans Andrias Djurhuus (20 October 1883 – 6 May 1951) was a Faroese poet and teacher. Hans Andrias Djurhuus was one of the most productive Faroese poets. He is well known for his national poems and for his children's songs, but he also wrote psa ...

, depicts her as an unhappy woman who contributes to the misfortunes of men without any personal responsibility. * 1939 : ''Barbara'' by

Jørgen-Frantz Jacobsen Jørgen-Frantz Jacobsen (29 November 1900 – 24 March 1938) was a Faroese writer. He has a distinct place in Scandinavian literature, as he is the only Faroese writer to achieve international best-seller status. This status derives f ...

. Here she is depicted as "a child of nature", who lives according to her needs without thought of consequences. * 1997 : '' Barbara'', a film by

Nils Malmros Nils Malmros (born 1944), a Danish film director and screenwriter, is considered a leading auteur of realism in Danish cinema.Nissen, Dan, ''Malmros, Nils'', International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, Gale Group, (2001) retrieved 2 Augus ...

References

Dansk Kvindebiografisk Leksikon - Beinta Broberg
{{DEFAULTSORT:Broberg, Beinta 1667 births 1752 deaths 17th-century Faroese people 18th-century Faroese people Faroese people of Danish descent 17th-century Danish women 18th-century Danish women

Biography

In folklore

Cultural references

See also

References