At a time when the sea was almost entirely a man’s world, Þuríður Einarsdóttir, known as Foreman Þuríður (Þuríður formaður), set out from the farm of Stéttar near Eyrarbakki and became one of 19th-century Iceland’s most accomplished fishing captains. Her career, which began when she was only a child, lasted more than fifty years, during which she earned strong respect up and down the country’s south coast.
A life built on the ocean
Þuríður was born in 1777 to Helga Bjarnadóttir and Einar Eiríksson, who farmed and fished to support their family. From the age of eleven, she joined her father at sea each spring. After his death in the early 1790s, Þuríður and her brother Bjarni continued the family’s fishing work. In her twenties, she took to the boats not just in gentle weather but even through the harsh winter, learning to work alongside experienced seafarers like Foreman Jón. The rowing boats of the period carried crews of around fifteen, with no sails for help against the cold or wind.
Because the fishing industry only accepted men in her position, Þuríður wore men’s clothing while working at sea. Permission from local officials was needed for this, reflecting the restrictions women faced at the time. Despite these barriers, her seamanship led her to command fishing boats, called “foremen” in Icelandic tradition, making decisions for her crew and setting the course for their livelihood. She was regarded as a careful leader, well-liked for her knowledge and skill.
Community, skill and an unsolved crime
Most of Þuríður’s life was spent moving between coastal communities along the south of Iceland. During a long period living at the farm Gata near Stokkseyri, she began leading fishing crews through the key seasons. From 1816, she took charge even during the hazardous winter months in Þorlákshöfn, managing eight-oared boats and steering her crew through unpredictable seas. After 1830, her home base was mainly Eyrarbakki, with a stretch spent working for merchants in Hafnarfjörður. Later in life, she ran a small farm, taking modest parish support in her older years.
Her sharp attention to detail extended beyond the sea. In 1827, Þuríður played a key role in solving the notorious Kambur robbery. She identified unique markings on a lost shoe and specific signs on an iron rod found at the crime scene. This evidence led authorities to Jón Geirmundsson at Stéttar, who was connected to the incident.
Þuríður retired in 1856 and spent her final years near Einarshöfn, passing away in 1863, still notably robust at age 83. Her legacy endures in both maritime history and popular memory.
A turf-roofed hut called Þuríðarbúð was raised in Stokkseyri in 1949 to honour her life. The building, located close to where her own hut once stood, serves as a reminder of a woman who charted her own course through a world dominated by convention.
Sources
- Wikipedia
- Wikipedia (Icelandic) in Icelandic
