The Mercies

Published by British poet Kiran Millwood Hargrave in 2020, The Mercies is a piece of historical fiction that tells the story of an Arctic town in what is now Norway, circa 1618. A terrible storm kills the men of the small town of Vardø, leaving the women to fend for themselves. Imperialist forces set up governments around Vardø, bringing with them laws about religion and a hunt for witches. Hargrave’s novel draws on historical legends about a storm in 1617 at Norway’s northeastern-most point. Hargrave uses historical context to explore themes of mob mentality, true love, gender roles, and fear. The Mercies subverts the conventions of love stories by centering the relationship between two women. Written in detailed prose that evokes the dark imagery of stormy weather, The Mercies questions human psychology, heteronormativity, and the abuse of power.

Plot Summary

In 1618, a small Norwegian seaside community is turned upside down when all the able-bodied men die at sea. The women work hard to rebuild their community, though they have never had to do men’s work before. Maren, a young woman from the community, watches as a woman named Kirsten takes the lead. Maren worries about the future and about the frayed relationship between her mother and sister-in-law. As the women grieve and work hard, a new king appoints government leaders for their region. A Scottish commissioner named Absalom Cornet is sent to the community to oversee its religious conversion. He brings with him his new wife, Ursa, whose arranged marriage has torn her away from her beloved sister.

Ursa and Absalom arrive in Vardø. While Absalom scrutinizes the religious piety of the women in Vardø, Ursa develops a friendship with Maren. Maren helps Ursa learn how to keep house for a husband, and the two women soon feel a deep bond. The other women in Vardø must navigate the new tension Absalom’s presence creates. Maren’s sister-in-law, Diinna, is of the Sámi people, whom Absalom and his fellow commissioners have systematically executed for sorcery and witchcraft.

Two pious women accuse Kirsten and another woman of being witches. All the women but Ursa and Maren turn against her. Absalom secures his power by becoming the first commissioner to bring two Norwegian women to trial for witchcraft. Kirsten refuses to confess to the accusations against her, which include causing the storm that killed the men of Vardø. To test her status as a witch, the authorities tie Kirsten up and throw her into the sea. When her body bobs back up, they determine that she is a witch. During her trial, Kirsten refuses to name any accomplices. Kirsten is burned at the stake.

Distraught, Ursa comforts Maren, and the two women consummate their love. However, the same night, Ursa learns from Absalom that Maren has also been accused of witchcraft. Ursa follows Absalom to Maren’s house, where he sees Ursa’s dress on the floor and deduces that Maren and Ursa have been together. He accuses Maren of being a witch and bewitching his wife, and he attempts to drown Maren in a bathtub. While defending Maren, Ursa accidentally kills Absalom with a rolling pin. Maren runs away, encouraging Ursa to pretend she knows nothing of Absalom’s murder and to return to her sister in her hometown. Though her life has been turned upside down, Maren reflects that she is content knowing that Ursa truly saw and understood her.