Short Fiction · Chapter
The Fisherman and the Draug explained
Elias, a poor fisherman on Kvalholm, spears a monstrous seal that is later revealed to be a Draug.
What happens
Elias, a poor fisherman on Kvalholm, spears a monstrous seal that is later revealed to be a Draug. After buying a mysterious Fembøring built by a boat-master instructed by the Draug, Elias takes his family on a voyage. The boat races a phantom vessel, capsizes in a storm, and Elias drowns after confessing the Draug's revenge. His son Bernt survives, rescued by the Finn girl, and later marries her.
Themes in this chapter
Supernatural and Folklore
The Draug, a vengeful sea spirit, appears as a monstrous seal and later as a humanoid figure, driving the plot's supernatural revenge.
Fate and Free Will
Elias's actions—spearing the seal and buying the cursed boat—set in motion an inevitable doom, yet Bernt's survival suggests a glimmer of free will.
Human vs. Nature
The brutal storm and the sea's power directly challenge Elias and his family, leading to their deaths and Bernt's struggle for survival.
Characters to notice
- Elias
The poor fisherman who spears a monstrous seal (the Draug) and later buys a cursed Fembøring. He drowns after confessing the Draug's revenge.
- Karen
Elias's wife, who hears uncanny noises on Kvalholm and perishes in the storm along with the children.
- Bernt
Elias's sixteen-year-old son who survives the shipwreck by clinging to the overturned boat's keel. He later marries the Finn girl.
- The Draug
The monstrous seal Elias spears, which later reveals itself as a Draug that haunts and ultimately destroys Elias.
- The Boat-Master
The boat-builder who sells Elias the Fembøring, having been instructed by the Draug to build it cunningly below the waterline.
- The Finns
The little Finn girl taken into service by Elias's family; she rescues Bernt and later marries him.
Key passages
“When it comes to a Fembøring, Elias, look to thyself!”
A voice from a skerry warns Elias to beware when he acquires a Fembøring.
The Draug's prophetic warning foreshadows Elias's doom.
“Nay, look to thyself, Bernt, and hold on fast. I go to mother—in Jesus' Name!”
Elias tells Bernt to save himself and then lets go, drowning.
Elias's final words show his acceptance of death and concern for his son.
“He wedded the Finn girl, and moved over to Malang, where he got him a clearing in the forest, and he lives there now, and is doing well, they say.”
Bernt marries the Finn girl and starts a new life as a farmer in Malang.
The story ends with Bernt's survival and new beginning, contrasting with his father's tragic fate.