Photographs 1 and 2 reveal that Myken is actually comprised of two main islands. The larger one to the right named Skjurøy supports the twenty homes, old boat houses, and a school building. The smaller island at left; Jutøy has only the lighthouse upon it. All of this can be seen more cleary in a larger photograph of island group known as Myken. The first lighthouse erected in 1892 was actually a small, wooden, unmanned, oil burning structure. This burned down just two years later and was replaced by another one made of iron. The present day lighthouse was built in 1918 and named simply Myken fyr. In1955 the oil lamp was replaced by a more efficient electric type, it's power drawn from a diesel generator. From the very beginning, local families lived in and operated the lighthouse, keeping it lit some twenty two hours a day until it was finally automated in1974. During the five year-long occupation by German forces, the lightkeepers were barred from entry. Near the base of the lighthouse, lie the remains of a small concrete bunker from which the enemy aimed their guns. Perched 40 meters above sea level and 30 kilometers from the mainland, Myken fyr is just one of the original 200 lighthouses built along Norway's thirteen thousand mile long coastline. In Nordland county alone, 38 lighthouses were constructed between 1856 and 1932. Half of these are still operational, and 4 have not been automated. Along Norway's entire coastline there are today 110 remaining lighthouses, and 31 of these are still manned by lightkeepers.

The strange looking black stone tower in the center foreground of photograph 4 is called a varde and these structures date back to the Viking period. Along the coast they served as directional markers for seagoing vessels, and if necessary an oil fire could be placed on top. Now they're regarded as national treasures and are protected by the Norwegian government. Myken has two of these varde, one on either end of the long main island. Near each of these old structures is also a modern automated electric beacon called a løkta. One afternoon I took an hour-long hike from the populated part of the main island over several desolate, rocky hills, and finally along a well worn path to the southern most tip. There I found not only another large black varde and its own sørløkta, but also a commanding view out over the open sea toward the singularly shaped islands of Troena (1108' above sea level) and Lovunden (2050'). Other visible peaks include Rødøyløva (1443') and Hestmannen (1863'). In order to fully appreciate Myken's surroundings, follow this link to a larger, more detailed map.

During my week-long visit I learned more about Myken and its unusual history. Myken was established as a living community in the 1400's, its first 'registered' family dating from 1628. Fishing made Myken. But unlike other villages that served merely as 'stations' out among the fishing grounds, Myken's location offered the best of both worlds: plenty of fish and a place to raise a family. At its peak in 1945, Myken was home to 150 brave souls who fished those unkind waters. Many of these men also met their end in those very same waters. Ameneties came slowly to Myken. In 1835 a visiting teacher first came to the island, but the weather was too harsh and children were sent back to the mainland to live and attend school in Rødøy. Not until 1885 was a school built on the island. Other accomplishments in the 1880's included a fisherie and a community gathering center. Confirmation and other church functions such as marriage were also conducted on the mainland. The first and only baptism performed on the island took place in 1959. There is no longer any church on the island. Telephone service was delivered in 1901 by way of underwater cable, and in 1953 local electric lines were strung from a diesel generator. Not until Christmas of 1965 was dependable electric power also brought from ther mainland. In 1977, the year I first visited, regular boat service came to Myken by way of the old boat Rødøyløven. Sadly, that boat was retired in June of 1997 and replaced with a new one, just weeks before I arrived. I had my heart set on once again riding on the original Rødøyløven!

Some of the modern conveniences now on the island include a post office run out a private home, a building housing long awaited desalinization equipment...no more collecting rainwater, and a general store called Sigmund's Lille Butikk where "Noen finner alle, alle finner noe" "Some find everything, everyone finds something". In 1993, Gro the school teacher and her friend Helge converted the living quarters of the lighthouse into a one-of-a-kind bed & breakfast. Follow this link to learn more about this new chapter for Myken fyr. In August of 1997 Gro and Helge were also preparing to spend the following two years sailing their twenty eight foot boat around the world. The school at Myken would close until they reurned. Their adult daughter Karin together with her new Peruvian husband who spoke little english and even less Norwegian, opened a small cafe in the lower level of their home. It's only open in the evening hours, but has become an important meeting place for locals. I thoroughly enjoyed myself there getting reaquainted with people I had met twenty years earlier. It was there that I learned the song, Mykenvisa which describes life is in this unusual place.

Life on the island has not changed much since my first visit. The vast thirty kilometer separation from the mainland insures that they are few visitors. The resident population has actually declined in recent years to just thirty five. Even Håreks mother has taken up winter residence in the large coastal town of Bodø on the mainland. A capsized fishing trawler in the early eighties cost the lives of ten local men, and permanently altered the long held fishing tradition there. Today Myken is a quiet place. No large fishing fleets, no pallets of salted fish cluttering the pier. All one hears is the occassional laughter of children among the constant squawking of the gulls. I was told that gulls called måker, spend most of their time scrounging for food, and actually quiz each other when the meet. They ask one another, "Ka du ett, Ka du ett"? "What are you eating?"

One afternoon Hårek took me fishing in his fourteen foot aluminum boat. He explained that the really big ones were far out, so we left the harbor and the island behind. That day the sea was rough, with 4-5 foot waves. "If I drive too fast we'll go straight to the bottom", he said. At first I was afraid, but soon understood that Hårek had grown up here. This was his backyard. He knew these waters like I knew my favorite climbing tree. We caught an assortment of fish that day; torsk, sei, and hyse. Once cleaned and cooked, they made a fine dinner.

Although Hårek now lives in the capital city of Oslo, he eagerly looks forward to several weeks vacation at his real home, Myken. There he has purchased the 100 year old house where both he and his father had been born. This old, crooked, slate roofed house rests at the harbor's edge and faces the lighthouse .... an idyllic place to vacation. Hårek's second invitation to visit his home was a dream come true for this student of Norway. And I was welcomed once again at Myken just as I had been twenty years earlier.