Jon Fløgumseie Amundsen

Known by the name Bek-Jon (English: Tar Jon)

John had his home in Etnedal. He was a merchant who "burned and cooked tar, which he sold. That is why he was called Bek John (Tar John). Later he sold dye and spices. He could sell usually pepper and cloves at each house.

"Are you going to buy some spices from me today?" he would ask. What he earned he was very careful with, as a provider he made sure there was always enough for his wife and children, even though they lived in a humble cabin.

He traveled around in Valdres and other areas. Besides being a peddler he was also a prophet which gained him some recognition. Many people insisted that Tar John's prophecies rarely failed. One of his sons, farming in Etnedal told me several things about his father's prophecies. As a small boy he had sometimes traveled with his father on his "business route".

"It was strange how my father could come up with unusual things to say" the son said, "quite often people were astounded at what wisdom the man had".

Late one evening John came to a farm and asked if he could sleep there, but there were already many laborers staying there so they could not find room for John. They suggested he go to the next farm. John turned to go but he stopped and sniffed the air a bit. He asked, "Is there a dead body in this house?" they answered, "No, and there has not been for many years." "There will be a body here by morning. I can smell it". he said. And then he left.

Just after midnight there came a messenger to the neighboring farm where John was spending the night. A cotter had suddenly died. Of course, some of the people thought this to be revenge for denying John a place to sleep. But he said that was certainly not the case. He had simply felt very strongly that this would happen.¨

John was quite superstitious. He was absolutely sure there were various strange creatures, such as the little sprites, and the weird people that lived underground. He also believed in trolls and evil spirits but he was not trained or experienced in dealing with such.

Knud Prestøen, a much respected farmer and assistant in Bruflat parish told of some interesting experiences he had had when he knew John years earlier. Knud went along to a dance in a new cabin. John was there also. Someone had whiskey and John was quite tipsy. One fellow, as a prank, hid John's mittens. John was very upset and let it be known there would be terrible consequences for the thief if he didn't return the mittens. Since Knud was a corporal people thought he was capable of calling forth the lost items.

So Knud stepped over to the middle of the room and began his act. "I am so sick, it will take two strong men to hold me or I will fall over," he said. Two men sprang forth to help him while he ranted and raged like a wild beast. Meanwhile, a young boy climbed up on some planks to reach the large beams holding the ceiling, and dropped the mittens down in front of Knud. John threw himself down over the mittens and shouted, "Here they are as he trembled with excitement. Knud though no more about it, but there would be consequences.

On Christmas eve Knud was splitting wood for the fire. Tar John came along, very sad-faced. He sat down on a block of wood, he sighed deeply as if his heart was about to break. "Is something wrong?" asked Knud "I should say so, during the night someone stole 8 mark's-worth of indigo (dye)." Then he told, with great emotion and sighs, how he had gone to a place where there was dancing and was quickly robbed. Now he came to ask Knud to "call forth" the stolen property again.

Knud insisted this was beyond his ability, but John wouldn't hear of that. "You can if you want to. I have seen what you dan do" said John.

Knud explained that the story of the stolen mittens was all in fun. Something they had pre-arranged as a joke, but John would not believe that. He was so certain that Knud could help him, he nearly cried as he pleaded for help.

Suddenly Knud had a thought, "who else was at that dance?" he asked. John counted them by name, among whom was a young soldier who was not always to be trusted and was surely guilty. "I will try to help you, John," said Knud. "Then I am helped," John shouted.

On the 2nd day of Christmas soldiers in the parish were to gather for drill by Bruflat Church, and the vice-corporal was their leader, who after the service, thanked the soldiers went to the "suspect" and talked to him about the thievery. The man turned red when he heard this. Knud (the corporal) told the man he was sure to be the thief.

"I will not mention this to anyone, if you return the dye to John at once and you do not have to admit it to me. But be assured if John does not get his dye back, it will not go well with you when we come back here next summer."

Early next morning John came to the pastor, and needed to speak to Knud immediately. Knud was still in bed but John walked in and thanked him profusely, saying "This morning when my wife went into the cowbird, there was the bag of dye hanging on a peg," he said. John traveled far and wide but he did not forget what Knud could do.

The following summer two men came from Toten to Prestxen, a 2-day walk, and they asked for Knud. He was out cutting hay, so they were shown the way out to him. Slowly and carefully they told him why they had come. There had been a huge thievery on a certain farm but there was no trace of the thief. They had come all that distance to ask Knud so very kindly if he would again "call forth" the missing goods. Knud was so surprised by the request that he couldn't believe ears. He asked them how they could think of such a thing!

Well, they had heard from Tar John what Knud was able to do, but they would have to be very persistent with the request and John would eventually give in. So begged Knud to help them. Knud would not promise to help and had a bad time getting rid of them.

On one of his sales trips Tar John came to a large estate. He made a mistake on the entrance, walking straight into the large and grand "living room" with his tar bag, and he was nervous so lumps of tar fell out on the floor. The arrogant landowner went into a rage and ordered John to assemble his junk and leave the house. When John had collected his belongings he glanced around in the room, and answered the big landowner, "You have no reason to be angry, this is just another dusty hat." The man then escorted John to the Sheriff who asked what had been said or done.

John answered, "I just said this is only the cabin of the dust of earth." The Sheriff ordered the man to take John home, give him a good meal and let him go!

John was coming home late one evening. Some boys had "taken a stand" beside the trail with a pot full of glowing embers, and they knew John was in a foggy condition so they swung the pot of embers overhead so fire and sparks glistened. John expressed his thoughts so: "Be gone Satan. You don't have any business here."

words by Margit Bakke (translated by Edna J. Rude)