Historisk Tidskrift. Utgiven av Svenska historiska föreningen
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Historisk tidskrift 132:3 • 2012

Innehåll (Contents) 2012:3

Uppsatser (Articles)

Från utrotning till utbredning. Den svenska vargstammen som historiskt allmoge- och överhetsprojekt

Ulf Nyrén

 

Fulltext (pdf)

Summary

From extermination to expansion: The Swedish wolf population as a historical project for the peasantry and authorities

The history of hunting and campaigning against vermin in Sweden has rarely been a task for historians. Instead, wildlife biological sciences and especially ecology dominate the field. One aim of this study is to show that hunting and managing predators had a greater impact on the peasantry’s everyday life than shown in earlier research.

As the very first Swedish laws reveal, the peasantry and the authorities have been united in their struggle to exterminate vermin ever since the Middle Ages. The wolf especially was a target. The extermination effort was encouraged by bounties but participation was also a universal duty – clerics and single women excepted. Everyone else – even the gentry – were supposed to take part in organized hunts. This centuries-old campaign was finally successful. In the middle of the 19th century, the wolf nearly became extinct and during the last century its range became confined to the far north of Sweden. Only about ten animals remained when the species was put under protection by the Swedish parliament in 1966.

However, this animal, which was believed to be all but extinct, rebounded and began to expand its habitat again. The return of the wolf was now supported by governmental authorities and, according to recent surveys, a majority of the population. It created a great controversy between the rural population, especially those who lived close to the wolf habitat, and the authorities together with city-dwellers.

This study begins by examining the scale of the Swedish wolf population in earlier periods. It shows that the wolf was common and that it caused serious trouble for farmers with livestock. During the 18th century, four children were killed by wolves. In around 1820/1821 ten more people were killed, but this time by a more or less domesticated wolf.

The wolf was a detested animal not only because of the harm it caused, but also because of the myths that surrounded it. The brown bear originally evoked much the same hatred, but in popular mythology the bear was eventually transformed into a friendly being – although it remained in fact far more harmful to humans than the wolf.

Problems caused by the contemporary population of around 230–315 wolves in Sweden seem small in comparison to those of previous eras. However, the controversy over the future of the wolf illuminates the gap between a decreasing rural population and a growing urban community, which also represents the centre of authority. Memories of the past might validate local concerns, supporting fears that an increased wolf population will do as much harm in the future as it did in the old days. More likely, it will also affect the gap between the authorities and the subjects/citizens/local communities. The authorities and local communities have been united in a struggle against the wolf for at least seven centuries and the ensuing break-up may encourage further polarization.

Keywords

Sweden, conflict, hunting, rural population, urban community, vermin, wolf