Eva Wigström

Eva Wigström née Pålsdotter, pen name Ave, (1832–1901) was a Swedish writer and folklorist. A pioneering collector of Sweden's local folklore, she travelled around the countryside, first in Scania and later in Blekinge, documenting folk beliefs, sayings and tales. First published in Denmark, her work was later translated into Swedish. In addition to publishing the folktales she reworked, Wigström wrote poetry and contributed articles to a number of journals.

Early life and family Born on 24 December 1832 in Asmundtorp near Landskrona in southwest Sweden, Eva Pålsdotter was the daughter of the well-to-do farmer Pål Nilsson and his wife Pernilla née Jönsdotter. She was one of the family's nine children. As her father found girls' schools useless, she was home-educated by an elder brother. When she was 23, she married Claes (Klas August), manager of the Ramlösa mineral water springs on property belonging to her father. The couple had two children, Herta Aurora and Gerda Julia. It was with his assistance that her first book Folkminnen 1 was published. Accounts of her travels were first published in the Danish journal Höjskolebladet before appearing in Swedish. Eva Wigström died on 5 January 1901 in Helsingborg.