The Laughing Swede!
You have heard about Paul Bunyan, his blue ox Babe, Pecos Bill, and other folk tales.
However, you may have yet to hear of Ola Varmlanning, a Swedish folk character who lived in Minnesota.
Ola may have been a real person, however the stories about him were told and retold and could be concocted in the Swedish imagination.Ola was tall and slender, and to tell the truth, his hair was like a small unkept bright yellow haystack under his cap. When he smiled, it covered the entire lower section of his face. His muscle strength, equal to several men, served him well.
He loved whiskey and practical jokes. He spent a good deal of his time at Pig's Eye Landing (which you will remember from a previous blog).
Ola was originally from Varmland, Sweden, or so the story says. (An aside: my Swedish ancestors were also from Varmland). Of course, he was fluent in Swedish, but he quickly learned English which he used to his advantage in his pranks.
On a fine day, he was in St.Paul, imbibing his favorite drink when the train pulled in, and a group of Swedish immigrants got off. Ola walked up to the men and explained he was an alderman of the fine city of St.Paul and welcomed the new folks.
"I know you must all be looking for work in this land of opportunity, and our fair city wants to employ you right away. We need Seventh Street dug up so we can make improvements. Would you like to hire on?"Ola asked. His bright smile covered his face from ear to ear.
All the men replied, "Ja sure."
Ola told the men to wait. He then sprinted off to the nearest hardware store and snatched all the shovels and pick axes on the sidewalk display. He returned to the men and handed out the tools as he guided them to Seventh Street.
The Swedish immigrants swung the pick axes and shovels with zeal. Jobs the first day in St. Paul. What a wonderful place America was.
Soon the road was torn and ruined; no one could walk or drive a wagon.
To the workers' dismay, the police arrived and assured the men they had destroyed public property. No pay and going to jail.
Where was Ola? He hid behind a building watching the goings on and laughing until he thought his sides would split. Then he ran off to the cave in Pig's Eye Landing to regal the other patrons with his story so they would buy him a swallow or two of his favorite libation.
* * *
Another story about Ola is somewhat like this:
A tale in a 1900 printed volume was titled "How Ola Made the Policeman Carry the Pig."
This is my version of the story.
The police in St. Paul knew Ola quite well, as he was often arrested as he enjoyed his whiskey to the point of being a nuisance to the public.
One day Ola noticed the owner of a butcher shop stepping across the street to the local grogery. Hanging on a hook in front of the shop window was a pig's carcass. Ola saw a policeman walking by the shop.
Ola said, "I have taken on the job of moving some of the butcher's wares for him, and I would be mighty grateful for your assistance."
"Aye, there, Ola. You have been a customer of the police department many a time, so I have no problem giving you some help. It is good to hear you have a job."
Ola loaded the pig on the policeman's broad shoulder and pointed in the direction the officer should go. The helpful constable started to march off in the direction Ola indicated.
The butcher had consumed his beer, and as he was walking across the street, he noticed the pig was not hanging from the hook.
"Hey, Ola, what happened to my pig that was hanging here by my shop?"
Ola's serious face looked at the butcher and then pointed down the street where the policeman was still staggering under the weight of the pig.
The butcher ran down the street as fast as his legs could go and accosted the policeman, demanding to know why he had the pig. The police officer looked back to where he had left Ola, but Ola was nowhere to be seen.
* * *
Ola was not only renowned for his pranks but also for his strength.
He was often arrested, and he usually complied with the authorities. But one day, a policeman, new to the job, tried to arrest Ola for some unknown offense. Ola felt he was not being respected and treated with consideration, so he took the officer's badge, club, and revolver, picked up the man, and carried him under his arm to a call box the size of a telephone booth and locked the officer in.
Ola then trotted off to the station and handed over the policeman's tools, and requested that thereafter he should be arrested in a dignified and civil fashion.
Swedish immigrants loved to tell tall tales of Ola Varmlanning. 
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ReplyDeleteWhat a great character! I hadn't heard of him before.
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