Mora witch trial
Encyclopedia
The Mora witch trial, which took place in Mora, Sweden
, in 1669, is the most internationally famous Swedish witch trial
. Reports of the trial spread throughout Europe, and a provocative German illustration of the execution is considered to have had some influence on the Salem witch trials
. It was the first mass execution during the great Swedish witch hunt of 1668–1676, leading to the death of fourteen people.
in Härjedalen
in 1668, rumours began to spread throughout the country that witches abducted children to the Witches' Sabbath of Satan
in Blockula
. This caused an hysteria among parents and a series of witch trials around the country, where children pointed out adults for having abducted them to take to Satan riding on cattle taken from the barns of wealthy farmers. In Älvdalen
, thirty people were put on trial and eighteen sentenced to death: the national court revoked eleven death sentences and executed six women and one man 19 May 1669. These people were executed on the testimonies of children, which was to be common during this witch hunt.
On 12 August, the newly-created commission of magic of Dalarna
arrived to Mora, half of whose members consisted of priests. Over five days, 60 accused adults and numerous children were interrogated. The official responsible for recording their statements openly admitted he did not bother writing down many of them, as they were all so similar. There were so many accused that the trials were conducted at two different locations in the village.
On 23 August, 23 of the 60 accused were sentenced to death for sorcery, for denouncing God, making a pact with the Devil, and child abduction
. Six of the condemned, however, were to be imprisoned instead of executed, as the court remained doubtful about their guilt.
Six other death sentences were suspended because of unclarity, a good reputation and the hope of improvement—among them also a man, Sven Maas from Selja.
A boy was sentenced to running the gauntlet
between the other village boys and 148 children were whipped. Thereafter, the commission left Mora. Additionally six women were subsequently executed.
In February 1670, the governor complained that there was suddenly talk of witches everywhere, and that this hysteria was spreading as fire in dry grass. Vicars were constantly writing to him asking for more witch trials, but he refused and advised them to preach to the suspected witches instead.
The government gave the order that a special prayer, the witch prayer, was to be held in the churches of the kingdom: that prayer was said from 1670 to 1677.
There were no more witch trials in Mora, but the witch craze spread, among others reasons being because the vicars were to inform the public of the sentences as a warning. The Mora witch trial was the first mass witch trial in the great Swedish witch hunt and, in the following years, it grew until it reached its peak in the Torsåker witch trials
of 1675, and stopped after the execution of Malin Matsdotter
in the capital
.
The famous German illustration of the execution, however, depicts the event incorrectly, as it depicts the condemned being executed by burning alive, as they were in Germany, rather than decapitated, as they were in Sweden.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, in 1669, is the most internationally famous Swedish witch trial
Witch trial
A witch trial is a legal proceeding that is part of a witch-hunt. * Witch trials in Early Modern Europe, 15th–18th centuries** Salzburg witch trials - 1675-1690, Salzburg, Austria** Spa witch trial - 1616, Belgium...
. Reports of the trial spread throughout Europe, and a provocative German illustration of the execution is considered to have had some influence on the Salem witch trials
Salem witch trials
The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings before county court trials to prosecute people accused of witchcraft in the counties of Essex, Suffolk, and Middlesex in colonial Massachusetts, between February 1692 and May 1693...
. It was the first mass execution during the great Swedish witch hunt of 1668–1676, leading to the death of fourteen people.
Background
After the trial against Märet JonsdotterMäret Jonsdotter
Märet Jonsdotter was an alleged Swedish witch. She is one of the most known victims of the persecutions of sorcery in her country; she was the first person accused of this in the great witch hysteria called "Det Stora Oväsendet" of 1668–1676, and her trial unleashed the beginning of the real...
in Härjedalen
Härjedalen
' is a historical province or landskap in the centre of Sweden. It borders the country of Norway as well as the provinces of Dalarna, Hälsingland, Medelpad, and Jämtland...
in 1668, rumours began to spread throughout the country that witches abducted children to the Witches' Sabbath of 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...
in 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...
. This caused an hysteria among parents and a series of witch trials around the country, where children pointed out adults for having abducted them to take to Satan riding on cattle taken from the barns of wealthy farmers. In Älvdalen
Älvdalen
Älvdalen is a locality and the seat of Älvdalen Municipality in Dalarna County, Sweden, with 1,812 inhabitants in 2005....
, thirty people were put on trial and eighteen sentenced to death: the national court revoked eleven death sentences and executed six women and one man 19 May 1669. These people were executed on the testimonies of children, which was to be common during this witch hunt.
The trial
In March 1669, the hysteria reached Mora. The bailiff informed the governor: In Älvdalen and Mora, children and teenagers are being seduced by old witches unto the Devil. In June, distressed parents forced the governor to send a list of 35 children, claimed to have been abducted to Satan, to the capital with an appeal to send a commission to Mora to deal with the problem, because if: the old is not dealt with as it should, there is a risk that will become much worse than anyone can imagine.On 12 August, the newly-created commission of magic of 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....
arrived to Mora, half of whose members consisted of priests. Over five days, 60 accused adults and numerous children were interrogated. The official responsible for recording their statements openly admitted he did not bother writing down many of them, as they were all so similar. There were so many accused that the trials were conducted at two different locations in the village.
On 23 August, 23 of the 60 accused were sentenced to death for sorcery, for denouncing God, making a pact with the Devil, and child abduction
Child abduction
Child abduction or Child theft is the unauthorized removal of a minor from the custody of the child's natural or legally appointed guardians....
. Six of the condemned, however, were to be imprisoned instead of executed, as the court remained doubtful about their guilt.
The condemned at the Mora witch trial
- Nisses Anna (70 years)
- Jerp Anna from Oxberg (50 years)
- Anders Perssons Anna from SeljaSelja, SwedenSelja is a locality situated in Mora Municipality, Dalarna County, Sweden with 565 inhabitants in 2005....
(50 years) - Sol Märet from Selja (58 years), sister of Anders Perssons Anna
- Enghies Anders from Morkarlby (40 years), the only man executed
- Finnes Anna from Morkarlby (70 years), known as "the old sorceress"
- Finnes Märet from ÖstnorÖstnorÖstnor is a locality situated in Mora Municipality, Dalarna County, Sweden with 523 inhabitants in 2005.- References :...
(70 years), sister of Finnes Anna. - Hära Kerstin from VikaVika, SwedenVika is a locality situated in Falun Municipality, Dalarna County, Sweden with 398 inhabitants in 2005....
(79 years) - Butu Margareta from VåmhusVåmhusVåmhus is a locality situated in Mora Municipality, Dalarna County, Sweden with 880 inhabitants in 2005. It is situated by the Orsa Lake's northwest beach.In Våmhus still largely the old fashion local language Våmhusmål is in practice....
(50 years) - Hindrick Lasses Karin from Våmhus (40 years)
- Hollnus Olofs Brita from Våmhus (36 years)
- Ask-Elin from Våmhus (50 years)
- Mats Hanssons Anna from BonäsBonäsBonäs is a locality situated in Mora Municipality, Dalarna County, Sweden with 458 inhabitants in 2005....
(60 years) - Hede Hans Märet from MäretMaretMaret may refer to:* Les Marêts, a commune in the Seine-et-Marne departement in the Île-de-France region in north-central France* Maret School, a private, secular, co-educational, college-preparatory school located in northwest Washington, D.C., USA...
(70 years)
- Bäcke Pers Karin from Våmhus (26 years) (execution suspended because of pregnancy)
- Knubb Eriks Anna from Våmhus (35 years) (execution suspended because of pregnancy)
Six other death sentences were suspended because of unclarity, a good reputation and the hope of improvement—among them also a man, Sven Maas from Selja.
The execution
The execution took place on 24 August 1669. The condemned were to be decapitated, after which their corpses were to be burnt at the stake. The report of the execution describes the event: The sinners walked quickly, except the two last ones, who began to sigh and moan, although not such as to delay the procession. The stakes had been built opposite the church on a sandy peninsula on the other side of the river. On the place of execution, the fourteen women and the man were decapitated with an axe, and their corpses were lifted up unto the stakes: first seven on the first stake, five at the second and three at the third, a terrifying spectacle, and burnt.A boy was sentenced to running the gauntlet
Running the gauntlet
Running the gauntlet is a form of physical punishment wherein a captive is compelled to run between two rows—a gauntlet—of soldiers who strike him as he passes.-Etymology:...
between the other village boys and 148 children were whipped. Thereafter, the commission left Mora. Additionally six women were subsequently executed.
Aftermath
The vicar continued to send complaints to the governor about witches. In December 1669, another 60 stood accused of sorcery in Mora, but the local authorities were no longer willing to conduct any witch trials: the harder you conduct these things, the more dangerous it becomes, wrote the governor, and the more difficult it seems to me to be able to separate the guilty from the innocent. Therefore, no one was sentenced harsher than to a whipping.In February 1670, the governor complained that there was suddenly talk of witches everywhere, and that this hysteria was spreading as fire in dry grass. Vicars were constantly writing to him asking for more witch trials, but he refused and advised them to preach to the suspected witches instead.
The government gave the order that a special prayer, the witch prayer, was to be held in the churches of the kingdom: that prayer was said from 1670 to 1677.
There were no more witch trials in Mora, but the witch craze spread, among others reasons being because the vicars were to inform the public of the sentences as a warning. The Mora witch trial was the first mass witch trial in the great Swedish witch hunt and, in the following years, it grew until it reached its peak in the Torsåker witch trials
Torsåker witch trials
The Torsåker witch trials took place in 1675 in Torsåker parish, Sweden. 71 people: 6 men and 65 women were beheaded and then burned, all in a single day...
of 1675, and stopped after the execution of 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 the capital
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
.
The famous German illustration of the execution, however, depicts the event incorrectly, as it depicts the condemned being executed by burning alive, as they were in Germany, rather than decapitated, as they were in Sweden.