Anna Eriksdotter
Encyclopedia
Anna Eriksdotter or Anna Ersdotter, (1624-15 June 1704), called Sotpackan (English: Soot
-witch) was an alleged Swedish witch. She was the last person to be executed for sorcery
in Sweden.
and moved to the village of Skomakarbacken in Lista parish with her husband, who was a soldier
, in about 1680. Her ability to heal blood-wounds and her unusual good hand with animals gave her the nickname
'Sotpackan' and cause gossip that she had a pact
with Satan
. She was for a period a servant of the village vicar, but he fired her when he heard of the gossip. One morning when the vicar was going to the church to give a sermon, seed
s were planted on the road to the church, and when he got there, he could not speak.
. She was put on trial accused by Nils Jonsson of having caused him blindness
, muteness
and deafness by the use of magic. Her motive was that Nils had refused to give her tobacco. She had then asked him to give her sausage, a cake and wool, which he had given her, and then went home. A time later, he had been standing talking to dowager Karin when he suddenly felt a whiff of air touch his cheek, and he could feel his face become paralysed, water had come from his right ear and his mouth became twisted. Anna was suspected of having cast a spell on him. She had been called for and asked to remove her curse, of which she had agreed, and he had then felt better. Witnesses confirmed this.
since her childhood, when she had created wolves to attack the neighbour's sheep. She claimed that when she was a girl, her mother had smeared a veal with ointment and flew with her through the chimney
to Blockula
. The local court judged her as guilty of sorcery and sentenced her to death. The national high court revoked the death sentence. However; the monarch, who had the authority to confirm or revoke any sentence, confirmed the death sentence, despite the high courts recommendation that she should be spared the death sentence because she was old and confused and : "full with mad imaginations". She was described as remorseful and :"very devout in her prays and invocation".
by decapitation 15 June 1704. Anna Eriksdotter was executed by decapitation as the last person to be executed for sorcery in Sweden. Her case was an isolated one; few people had been accused of sorcery in Sweden after Malin Matsdotter
in 1676, and she was also to be the last one. There was, however, to be one more occasion where people were judged guilty of sorcery, though they did not lead to death sentences. In 1720, a girl in the village Södra Ny in Värmland
accused eleven women of child abduction to Satan, and in 1724, those among the accused who had confessed were sentenced to be whipped, which was the last time anyone was judged guilty of sorcery in Sweden. In 1757, a witch hysteria broke out in the parish of Ål in Dalarna
, were thirteen women and five men were accused of child abduction to Satan. The governor
Pehr Ekman allowed for them to be arrested, interrogated and torture
d. The matter was treated by the local authorities and church, and when it became known in the country, it was treated as a scandal
: the parliament issued an investigation, the accused were all freed and paid compensation by the aide of Cathérine Charlotte De la Gardie
, and governor Ekman, who had accepted charges of witch craft and allowed torture was sentenced to jail and stripped from his position. Formally, the law of witch craft was to remain until it was abolished in 1779.
Soot
Soot is a general term that refers to impure carbon particles resulting from the incomplete combustion of a hydrocarbon. It is more properly restricted to the product of the gas-phase combustion process but is commonly extended to include the residual pyrolyzed fuel particles such as cenospheres,...
-witch) was an alleged Swedish witch. She was the last person to be executed for sorcery
Magic (paranormal)
Magic is the claimed art of manipulating aspects of reality either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical...
in Sweden.
Background
Anna Eriksdotter was widely rumored to be a witch for decades before she was put on trial. She was originally from BollnäsBollnäs
Bollnäs is a locality and the seat of Bollnäs Municipality, Gävleborg County, Sweden with 12,455 inhabitants in 2005.- History :In written sources Bollnäs is traced from 1312, by a vicar named Ingemund who referred to it as Baldenaes, which means "the large isthmus," referring to the isthmus into a...
and moved to the village of Skomakarbacken in Lista parish with her husband, who was a soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
, in about 1680. Her ability to heal blood-wounds and her unusual good hand with animals gave her the nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
'Sotpackan' and cause gossip that she had a pact
Pact
A pact is a formal agreement.Pact, The Pact or PACT may also refer to:-PACT as an acronym:* Protein ACTivator of the interferon-induced protein kinase, a protein that activates protein kinase R...
with Satan
Satan
Satan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...
. She was for a period a servant of the village vicar, but he fired her when he heard of the gossip. One morning when the vicar was going to the church to give a sermon, seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s were planted on the road to the church, and when he got there, he could not speak.
Trial
In 1704, Anna Eriksdotter was arrested and imprisoned in EskilstunaEskilstuna
Eskilstuna is a city and the seat of Eskilstuna Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 60,185 inhabitants in 2005. Eskilstuna has a large Sweden Finn population....
. She was put on trial accused by Nils Jonsson of having caused him blindness
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
, muteness
Muteness
Muteness or mutism is an inability to speak caused by a speech disorder. The term originates from the Latin word mutus, meaning "silent".-Causes:...
and deafness by the use of magic. Her motive was that Nils had refused to give her tobacco. She had then asked him to give her sausage, a cake and wool, which he had given her, and then went home. A time later, he had been standing talking to dowager Karin when he suddenly felt a whiff of air touch his cheek, and he could feel his face become paralysed, water had come from his right ear and his mouth became twisted. Anna was suspected of having cast a spell on him. She had been called for and asked to remove her curse, of which she had agreed, and he had then felt better. Witnesses confirmed this.
Sentence
Anna herself freely confirmed the whole story. She claimed that she had performed some spells because Nils Jonsson had acted "Somewhat disgusting" towards her. She also confessed to having put a curse on the vicar as vengeance after he fired her. She claimed to have been in the service of SatanSatan
Satan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...
since her childhood, when she had created wolves to attack the neighbour's sheep. She claimed that when she was a girl, her mother had smeared a veal with ointment and flew with her through the chimney
Chimney
A chimney is a structure for venting hot flue gases or smoke from a boiler, stove, furnace or fireplace to the outside atmosphere. Chimneys are typically vertical, or as near as possible to vertical, to ensure that the gases flow smoothly, drawing air into the combustion in what is known as the...
to Blockula
Blockula
Blockula was a legendary meadow where the Devil held his Earthly court during a witches' Sabbat. This meadow could only be reached by a magical flight. It was described as "a delicate large Meadow, whereof you can see no end".There was said to be a large gate located in the meadow that led to a...
. The local court judged her as guilty of sorcery and sentenced her to death. The national high court revoked the death sentence. However; the monarch, who had the authority to confirm or revoke any sentence, confirmed the death sentence, despite the high courts recommendation that she should be spared the death sentence because she was old and confused and : "full with mad imaginations". She was described as remorseful and :"very devout in her prays and invocation".
Execution and aftermath
She was executed in EskilstunaEskilstuna
Eskilstuna is a city and the seat of Eskilstuna Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 60,185 inhabitants in 2005. Eskilstuna has a large Sweden Finn population....
by decapitation 15 June 1704. Anna Eriksdotter was executed by decapitation as the last person to be executed for sorcery in Sweden. Her case was an isolated one; few people had been accused of sorcery in Sweden after Malin Matsdotter
Malin Matsdotter
Malin Matsdotter , also known as Rumpare-Malin, was an alleged Swedish witch. She is one of the most well known alleged witches in Swedish history: known as one of few people in Sweden to be executed by burning at the stake, and often referred to as the only Swedish "witch" to have been executed by...
in 1676, and she was also to be the last one. There was, however, to be one more occasion where people were judged guilty of sorcery, though they did not lead to death sentences. In 1720, a girl in the village Södra Ny in Värmland
Värmland
' is a historical province or landskap in the west of middle Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Dalsland, Dalarna, Västmanland and Närke. It is also bounded by Norway in the west. Latin name versions are Vermelandia and Wermelandia. Although the province's land originally was Götaland, the...
accused eleven women of child abduction to Satan, and in 1724, those among the accused who had confessed were sentenced to be whipped, which was the last time anyone was judged guilty of sorcery in Sweden. In 1757, a witch hysteria broke out in the parish of Ål in Dalarna
Dalarna
', English exonym: Dalecarlia, is a historical province or landskap in central Sweden. Another English language form established in literature is the Dales. Places involving the element Dalecarlia exist in the United States....
, were thirteen women and five men were accused of child abduction to Satan. The governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
Pehr Ekman allowed for them to be arrested, interrogated and torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
d. The matter was treated by the local authorities and church, and when it became known in the country, it was treated as a scandal
Scandal
A scandal is a widely publicized allegation or set of allegations that damages the reputation of an institution, individual or creed...
: the parliament issued an investigation, the accused were all freed and paid compensation by the aide of Cathérine Charlotte De la Gardie
Cathérine Charlotte De la Gardie
Countess Catherine Charlotte De la Gardie or de La Gardie, also called Catharina Charlotta and Katarina Charlotta, née Taube, , was a Swedish noble...
, and governor Ekman, who had accepted charges of witch craft and allowed torture was sentenced to jail and stripped from his position. Formally, the law of witch craft was to remain until it was abolished in 1779.