A peculiar marriage between two women

Translator's Note: This is a machine-assisted translation completed on May 16, 2025. While care has been taken to maintain accuracy, this translation has not yet undergone human review or validation. Please note that specialized terms, historical references, and nuanced content may benefit from expert review.

In 1781, Anne Kristine Mortensdotter and Jens Andersson were married in Strømsø Church near Drammen.
The marriage is said to have been harmonious—until the bride came to the priest with startling news: the groom was apparently a woman, something that “medical” examinations confirmed.

Jens Andersson was born in Gran as Marie Andersdotter, but when he arrived in Strømsø in 1778, he presented himself as a man and went on to marry the young weaver Anne Kristine. After Jens was examined, he was imprisoned and interrogated. When asked whether he was a man or a woman, he replied that

“He believes he might belong to both.”

While the authorities tried to determine whether Jens should be charged with sodomy or something else, Anne Kristine died, and shortly afterward, Jens managed to escape from custody. The sources say nothing about what happened to him after that.

The case from Strømsø is not unique; there are several known examples of so-called “female husbands” and “passing women” in Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries. The motivations of these individuals likely varied: some sought the status of a man because it offered freedom and access to different professions; for others, desire for women may have been the reason. And for many, it was an expression of a genuine belief that they were men—or, as in Jens’s case, that they were “both.”

Read more about Jens Andersson and Anne Kristine Mortensdotter in the book Kjødets lyst. Fortellinger om synd og straff by Nils Johan Stoa (Cappelen Damm, 2010).