Inside the Witch Trials: Iceland | The Men Who Burned As Witches

Summary

Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society
Episode: Inside the Witch Trials: Iceland | The Men Who Burned As Witches
Host: Kate Lister
Release Date: October 22, 2024

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Introduction

In this captivating episode of Betwixt The Sheets, host Kate Lister delves deep into the harrowing history of witch trials in 17th-century Iceland. Moving beyond the more commonly discussed European and American witch hunts, Lister shines a spotlight on a lesser-known but equally intense period of persecution in the remote Westfjords region of Iceland. With the assistance of historian Dr. Olena Korvarthard, listeners are transported to a time of fear, superstition, and tragic loss.

Historical Context: Iceland in the 17th Century

Iceland during the 17th century was a rural society under the Danish Kingdom, with a population of approximately 50,000 people. Education was limited, primarily confined to religious teachings from the Bible and rich oral traditions comprising folk tales and sagas. As Dr. Olena Korvarthard explains:

Dr. Korvarthard ([05:29]): "Iceland was a rural society at the time, had just recently reformed to Lutheran from Catholic beliefs. People were dependent on their neighbor's mercy, and the conduct of educated officials influenced the wave of persecutions."

The lack of formal education and centralization meant that ideological currents from mainland Europe took time to permeate Icelandic society. This isolation contributed to the intensity and concentration of witch persecutions in specific areas like the Westfjords.

The Culture of Folk Magic vs. Lutheran Influence

Despite Christianity's dominance, Iceland boasted a rich tradition of folk magic dating back to pre-Christian times. Practices such as runic inscriptions and seidr (a form of sorcery) were integral to daily life. However, the Lutheran church vehemently opposed these traditions, viewing them as heretical and rooted in the devil's work.

Dr. Korvarthard ([08:15]): "Magic has been practiced in Iceland since the beginning of Rhodes... the church tried to demonize old traditions and folk beliefs, leading to a power conflict."

This tension between folk traditions and the church's rigid doctrines created a fertile ground for fear and suspicion, culminating in the witch trials.

Key Figures: Reverend Patson and Thorlever Cordson

The eruption of witch trials in the Westfjords can be largely attributed to two influential men:

1. Reverend Patson: As a spiritual leader, Patson was deeply influenced by Malleus Maleficarum ("The Witch's Hammer"), a notorious treatise on witchcraft. His fervent preaching about the devil's omnipresence contributed to the widespread hysteria.

   Dr. Korvarthard ([15:36]): "Reverend Patson... knew the content of the Witch's Hammer. He was obviously influenced by the ideology of Mid Europe."

2. Thorlever Cordson: Serving as a magistrate and lawman, Cordson's secular authority complemented Patson's spiritual influence. Both men resided in the north and west districts, where the majority of witch trials occurred.

Their combined spiritual and secular dominance led to the execution of 23 individuals, predominantly men, in the Westfjords between 1625 and 1683.

Gender Dynamics: Men as the Primary Targets

Contrary to the broader European trend where women were predominantly accused and executed as witches, Iceland's witch trials primarily targeted men. This anomaly can be explained by the social dynamics of Icelandic society at the time.

Dr. Korvarthard ([19:20]): "The first person to be accused in the 17th century was a man. In total, 23 of them were burnt as witches, and only two were women."

In Iceland, women were largely confined to household roles, focusing on child-rearing, healing, and domestic responsibilities. Their lack of involvement in property disputes and public affairs made them less likely targets compared to men, who were more engaged in community leadership and land ownership—areas fraught with conflict and suspicion.

Notable Cases: The Execution of John Leifson

One of the most significant cases discussed is that of John Leifson, the first official witch accused post-1625. Accused by his wife, Helga Haldors Dotier, John confessed under duress to sorcery, influenced by Reverend Patson and Magistrate Cordson.

Kate Lister ([19:18]): "With John Leifson sentenced to be burned as a witch... his confession led to further accusations and executions."

Leifson implicated Ailenda Eyolfsson as his mentor in witchcraft, setting off a chain reaction of arrests and burnings. Helga herself, suffering from a mysterious illness, became the focal point of suspicion, leading to the persecution of her neighbors and acquaintances.

Legal Procedures and the Ignoring of Royal Decrees

Icelandic courts bypassed higher authorities, conducting 'provincial burnings' without adhering to the Danish King's decree that only superior courts could sentence capital punishment. This disregard for legal protocols underscores the extent of local hysteria and the overpowering influence of church and magistrate.

Dr. Korvarthard ([27:33]): "People were dependent on their neighbor's mercy... there was no use of actual evidence, and confessions were often coerced."

Executions were carried out swiftly, often in public spaces, forcing entire communities to witness the brutality. This not only amplified fear but also entrenched mistrust among neighbors.

The Grim Legacy: 23 Men Executed

By the end of the witch trials in 1683, a total of 25 people had been burnt to death in Iceland for witchcraft, with 23 being men. The trials left an indelible mark on Icelandic society, fostering a legacy of persecution and suspicion that lingered long after the last execution.

Conclusion: Lessons from the Past

Kate Lister poignantly reflects on the witch trials' impact, emphasizing how fear and authority can combine to perpetrate mass hysteria and injustice. The episode serves as a sobering reminder of the dangers of unchecked power and the importance of safeguarding justice and rationality in society.

Kate Lister ([35:35]): "People in the society around me, they're working with the demons... It is absolutely a pure conspiracy theory."

By exploring this dark chapter in Icelandic history, Betwixt The Sheets not only educates but also encourages listeners to reflect on the societal mechanisms that can lead to such atrocities.

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Notable Quotes:

1. Dr. Olena Korvarthard ([05:29]):
   "The very few who got some forms of education at the time were officials and civil servants... Their conduct determined how high the wave of persecutions rose in individual areas of Iceland."

2. Dr. Olena Korvarthard ([08:15]):
   "Magic has been practiced in Iceland since the beginning of Rhodes... Everything in daily life was linked to the dominance of divine forces as well as forces of nature."

3. Dr. Olena Korvarthard ([15:36]):
   "Reverend Patson... knew the content of the Witch's Hammer. He was obviously influenced by the ideology of Mid Europe."

4. Kate Lister ([19:18]):
   "With John Leifson sentenced to be burned as a witch... his confession led to further accusations and executions."

5. Dr. Olena Korvarthard ([27:33]):
   "People were dependent on their neighbor's mercy... there was no use of actual evidence, and confessions were often coerced."

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Further Exploration:

For listeners intrigued by this episode, exploring related content on folk magic, religious conflicts, and gender roles in historical persecutions can provide a broader understanding of the factors that fueled such dark periods in human history.

Transcript

[Kate Lister]

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[Kate Lister]

Hello my lovely betwixters. It's me, Kate Lister. How are you doing? Well, I'm doing just fine, thank you very much for asking. I'm glad that we're all fine and here together. But to make sure that you stay fine and I stay fine and everyone else stays fine, I have to give you the fair dues warning. So here it is. This is an adult podcast spoken by adults to other adults about adulty things in an adulty way, covering a range of adult subjects. And you should be an adult too. And actually, in all seriousness, we are getting quite tasty today. We are discussing the witch trials. And if that is not your cup of tea, then this is your opportunity to get out now while you still can. For the rest of you, on with the show. The early modern period was a time of huge upheaval. Radical ideas were spreading like wildfire. People were led to believe they were at spiritual war with the devil. The stakes couldn't have been higher. As fear and paranoia grew, a violent breaking point was inevitable. What became known as the witch trials soon followed. Over the course of this limited series, I'll be Taking you directly into the isolated communities where this fear was felt the most. Further still, we'll enter into the courtrooms at the heart of three significant witch trials to find out what it was like to be caught up in the middle of all this mayhem. From Pendle in Lancashire, where a nine year old sent her whole family to their deaths after accusing them of being.

[Unknown]

Witches, it's Janet who really signs the.

Death warrant for her own people.

[Kate Lister]

To the West Fords of Iceland, where it was mostly men, not women, who were burnt at the stake.

[Unknown]

All of a sudden the devil was all around and this caused the hysterical fear.

[Kate Lister]

And to Salem, Massachusetts, where colonialism, racism and fear in an unknown land created a perfect storm that is still felt today.

[Unknown]

The Salem witch trials, they have this really long legacy and it's a legacy of persecution and mistrust.

[Kate Lister]

Join me, Kate Lister, as we go inside the witch trials. Part 2 West Fjords, Iceland It's New Year's Day in the remote town of Selatal, 1669. Here in the west Fjord region of Iceland, a thick mist descends onto the houses from the nearby mountains. In one of them lives Helga Halsdor Dotier and her husband, the priest Pal Bjornsson, whose influential book on witchcraft and the devil has caused a stir among the locals. Helga has fallen ill with a strange disease. She appears to be possessed by an evil spirit. Her fits are uncontrollable. The noises she makes seem unnatural, otherworldly. By summer they haven't let up. If anything, they've intensified and both her and Pal flee their house, believing it to be haunted. Their minds turn to witches and before long, men in the local community will burn at the stake. Why were over 90% of the people killed for witchcraft in Iceland? Men? And how did events get so out of hand in this remote town at the edge of Europe? Joining me today is Dr. Olena Korvarthard to take us back to this world and tell us what Iceland was like at this period.

[Unknown]

In the 17th century. We belonged to the Danish Kingdom. We were a part of the Danish kingdom until 1918. Iceland was a rural society at the time, had just recently reformed to Lutheran from Catholic beliefs. And we were a farming, agricultural society. And people were not, how can we say people were not educated at the time. Only 50,000 people inhabited Iceland at the time. And there was no urbanization, so to speak. And there was no general education besides from what people heard from the Bible. And also of course, the oral tradition that people had. The old folk tales and the old rhymes and the old sagas. But there was no general education, no formal education. And the very few who got some forms of education at the time were officials and civil servants, such as priests, magistrates and lawmen who acquired education abroad, mostly in Denmark or elsewhere in North Europe. And those officials, they were influenced by the ideological currents on the mainland bringing that impact with them to Iceland. So the conduct of those individuals determined how high the wave of which persecutions rose in the individual areas of Iceland. And one must also bear in mind that geographically, Iceland is not centrally located. So therefore, it took a while for the currents of ideas that were the reasons for the witch persecutions in Europe to reach Iceland. It's also remarkable that the witch trials bursted out much stronger in some areas than others. Most of the trials took place in the Westfjords, whereas nobody was executed in the south and the east of Iceland.

[Kate Lister]

While Christianity had a grip on Icelandic society at this time, the country had a deep and rich tradition of folk magic that predated the witch trials, something we've seen throughout medieval Europe and something the Christian church in Iceland did not take kindly to. We explored this culture of folk magic in England in the first episode of this limited series. But what was the culture for magic like in Iceland leading up to this period?

[Unknown]

Magic has been practiced in Iceland since the beginning of Rhodes. The oldest forms of magic are runic inscriptions and the ancient sorcery ritual, seidr, sometimes mentioned in the Icelandic sagas. And there is a prophecy ceremony performed by the Sibyl Valva by the assistance of those present. And we can read in old law books since the age of the Commonwealth. The age of the Commonwealth is from 930 to 1262. We can read from that time that there were penalties for witchcraft, even a death penalty for the darkest forms of witchcraft, which we called fortei desk means black magic. And so magic is deeply rooted in religious practices since long before the year, year of 1000, when Icelanders reformed to Christianity. And that has to do, I think, with our connection to nature and pagan ideas of divine domination of the seasons of the year and the forces of nature. So people believed in magic, they believed in magical forces of nature and divinity. Everything in daily life was linked to the dominance of divine forces as well as forces of nature. So healing, for example, was very much associated with witchcraft. And then, of course, the Christianity in the year of 1000 in Iceland. That, of course, had its impact on this mindset. But folk beliefs and folk traditions lived on for quite a while. And as time passed, those folk rituals became a Contradiction to the message of the church because the church tried to demonize old traditions and folk beliefs.

[Kate Lister]

By the 17th century, there were significant conflicts inside the christian church on how its own message should be delivered. Lutheranism and a wave of other protestant reformations known as the reformation were sweeping across Europe, in some cases clashing violently with catholicism. The evils of witchcraft and how it should be dealt with were at the center of it all. And Iceland felt the effects of it.

[Unknown]

In Europe, it all began with the persecution of heretics in the 12th and 13th centuries. We know that and we have a trace of heretic persecutions in Iceland in one case that came up in 1343, when a nun was burned for having made a pact with the devil, but not least for fornicating with several laymen, as it was stated. So that execution is a heretic one, but that is the only example of an execution by burning that we know of in Iceland from the Catholic time, that is, from the year of 1000 to the Reformation of 1550. But shortly after the reformation, the persecutions of heretics start to develop into persecutions of witchcraft in Europe in the late 16th century, culminating in the 17th century. So it seems that the tradition, or should I say the culture of the lutheran church has brought about some socio psychological changes in Iceland. And the mass form of the church was different Also, the manner of preaching with great emphasis on the devil and the devil's work in the world, all magic and witchcraft was suddenly claimed to be rooted in the cunning, the devil. Priests preached about these threats of the devil, and they did so with such fervor that women fell into a daze during masses and were carried out of the churches moaning and groaning and half unconscious, as happened, for example, in TR in strantir in the west side of Iceland, for example. So it's safe to say that in general, there was a great fear of witchcraft. You know, all of a sudden the devil was all around. And this caused a hysterical common fear and atmosphere of mistrust and suspicion towards your fellow and your neighbor, resulting in a witchcraft in certain areas, such as the westwoods.

[Kate Lister]

Leading the charge on this ideology of witchcraft and its threat of evil Were two men whose impact and influence in the region cannot be underestimated. As with pendle, it's an ambitious man with an agenda at the heart of these witch trials.

[Unknown]

One as a spiritual leader, Reverend Patson in selarthalur, and the other a secular leader, Thorlever Cordson, the magistrate and a lawman of north and west, Thorlever Korzon. He was a man of German descent who had spent his years of youth in Germany and presumably soaked up the currents of the magic fanatics in Europe. And as a magistrate and a lawman of north and west district of Iceland, he had great influence on the witch persecutions. And Reverend Patson was considered to be the most educated man in Iceland at the time, besides from Bishop Prinul V in the south. And when those two forces combine together, the spiritual one and the secular one, we have the fact that of those 23 people that were burnt at the stake in the 17th century, all were in the jurisdiction of those two men, either living or working in the north or west and 16 from the Westfjords in particular. And we can see, we can compare this to the south side of Iceland where the main influential figures of spiritual and secular authorities were peaceful men. Bishop Brindoll Ursvenssonachorft and the magistrate of South Iceland, Gisli Magnusson, who was called Gisli the Wise. And those two men had little interest in the ideology of witchcraft. They were not keen on persecuting their neighbors as witches. So nobody was executed for witchcraft in their jurisdiction. And the number of witch trials in the south were much less than in the Westfields. So there we see how individuals can affect the world.

[Kate Lister]

Yes. Why do you think that those two men were really crazy about the witch trials when nobody else was?

[Unknown]

Well, it can be seen from the writings of Reverend Patson that he knew the witch's hammer. Malleus Maleficarum Maleficas, a famous book that was written in the late 15th century by two monks Sprenger and Kramer where giving the ideology of the devilish witchcraft and instructions about how to investigate witches. And this is a terrible book that was nevertheless in most universities and most parts of Europe. And our officials that took their education in Denmark or in North Europe, they knew this book and they had read it. And it is very obvious from the writings of Reverend Paul Pierson that he knew the content of the Witch's Hammer. And in his own writings, such as Character Bestie, which is one book he wrote, you can see long chapters verbally the same as the Witch's Hammer. So he was obviously influenced by the ideology of Mid Europe. And Forlever Korzon, as I mentioned before, the magistrate, he had been staying in Germany for quite a while. So he was influenced as well. He obviously had read this book and understood it.

[Kate Lister]

It's like fan fiction, but just mad fan fiction.

[Unknown]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And you know, they are said to the witches are claimed to be child murderers.

[Kate Lister]

Yep.

[Unknown]

Murdering child, boiling them, melting their flesh into remedies and medicine. The fundamental idea behind this, of course, is the fear of women's knowledge, the folk knowledge of women. They took care of sick people, they practiced healing. They had most likely some methods to prevent birth. Child contraceptions. Yeah, contraceptions. All of this was a threat to the Church. It contradicted the ideology of the Church. And the purpose of the propaganda of the church was, of course, to get power over people's minds. This was a power conflict, you know, folk traditions versus the message of the church. So the whole thing was rooted in ideological contradicts and a power game, so to speak.

[Kate Lister]

What's strange is that the Malleus Maleficarum hates women. It says women are going to be witches. And Bearson, if he was a big fan, I'm not sure if he hated women too. But the people that are accused of witchcraft in Iceland are mostly men. So who was the first person to be accused? Was that a man or a woman?

[Unknown]

Well, the first person to be accused in the 17th century was a man. But we have oral tales about a woman being executed in the year of 1580 as a witch. But the first witch trial is in 1625, and that is a man that is being executed then. So we have three women being executed before the actual era of witch trials after 1625, until it all was over in 1683. Only one woman was burnt at the stake.

[Kate Lister]

Fascinating.

[Unknown]

But, you know, why didn't the ideology of the female witch, the devilish female witch, why didn't that not get rooted in Icelandic witch trials? That has to do with the status of women, I think, in Icelandic society. They were bound to the household, they were taking care of children and the older ones taking care of births and taking care of dying people. They were serving the fishermen when they came from sea, etc. Cooking, making remedies for the whole household, mending clothes, etc. But they did not have a social status, so to speak. No formal social status. And they did not own properties. And many of the witch trials were raised around, you know, disputes about properties and influence. And women were not so much involved in that kind of thing in the 17th century. So that can be one reason as well.

[Kate Lister]

Despite this being the case. There was, however, one woman who played a huge part in the Icelandic witch trials for all the wrong reasons. Enter Helga Haldors Dotier, wife of the Reverend Pal Bjornsson.

[Unknown]

She was a very paranoid woman. Reverend Powell seems to have been very much in love with her, though, and very keen on how she felt and how she was doing from one day to another. But Helga seems to have suffered from some mental illness and emotional disturbance. And her illness and complaints about suffering and distress, they obviously have impact on Reverend Pout's mental state as well. And, you know, we do not know what was bothering Helga. She struggled with a strange illness that began in the 1660s, but intensified in the decades that followed. And her distress seemed to come in fits, causing both her and the rest of the household troubles.

[Kate Lister]

By the summer of 1669, Helga's illness hasn't shifted. Her condition is deteriorating as Pal's fervour for witchcraft is peaking. Looking for reason, Helga believes local man John Leifson has cursed her. She knows him because she was vehemently against him marrying one of her maids, believing he's responsible. Helga's husband, Reverend Pal Bjornsson, formally charges Jon with witchcraft, and he's brought to trial soon after. On the day of his trial, John Leifson stands before the district magistrate, a man called Eggert Bjornsson, who just so happens to be Powell's half brother. The two have spent time in Denmark and Germany and are well aware of the witch trials. After rigorous interrogation and solitary confinement, John Leifson confesses to the crime of sorcery. Eggert doesn't hesitate and sentences him to be burnt for witchcraft, which will take place in the nearby valley just before the assembly of Parliament. But the case isn't done before he's killed. John confesses that local man Ailenda Eyolfsson taught him everything he knew when it came to witchcraft. The master. For all the evil he was capable of, this case was far from closed. I'll be back after this short break.

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With John Leifson sentenced to be burned as a witch, he moves District Magistrate Eggert's attention to Erlender I. Yolfson, the man who supposedly taught him everything he knew about sorcery. A master in the evil arts of witchcraft, Egert and Paul are now compelled to snuff out this evil at its source. In a letter to two lawyers, Powell describes Erlenda as the devil's cesspool, from which everything evil that people might lust for flows. His influence is huge, and it's only a matter of time before Earlenda, too is tied to the stake and the fires are lit before his death in 1660. In 1969, Earl Ender admits to witchcraft and to teaching others. How far had this evil spread in such a small community? Pal's work to rid Xelotal of witches is far from over.

[Unknown]

Now things started to get wild like a devilish march with strange phenomena and discomfort and illness and bad dreams of not only Helga, but the whole household. So finally, Paul and his wife fled the place with their three children, and they did not return until all of the farmhouses had been burned down to cleanse the place of evil spirits.

[Kate Lister]

Wow.

[Unknown]

Yeah, so this was quite a situation. However, this was only the beginning of the misfortune of the individuals who were eventually burned at the stake for the charges of the people of Selarthalur.

[Kate Lister]

What was the law around witchcraft at this time how would you be accused? How did they prove a charge of witchcraft? What was it under the law at this time?

[Unknown]

Well, at this time, so called oaths were the usual practice. The oaths were comparable to today's Jewry, such as in the United States. But the difference, however, was that in a small society like Iceland, it was impossible to choose neutral oath takers. But the arrangement was such that in witchcraft cases, 12 or seven people had to swear guilt or innocence of the defendant. And as a result, people were dependent on their neighbor's mercy. Their case was obviously influenced by slander and rumors. And it seems that there has not been much burden of proof in witchcraft cases and rarely any use of actual evidence. However, there seems to have been a lot of pressure put on the defendants to confess. And so it often happened that people confessed to witchcraft. However, the confessions did not always match the charges. And sometimes confessions came after the verdict had been made. That had to do with religious reasons, I think, because people thought they should show repentance before the death. But legal knowledge among Icelanders seems to have been limited at the time. They judged more often by the word of God than by the current law. And the word of God, that is to say, the word of God in the Old Testament, which they most often expounded. The provincial burnings, that is, the execution of people in the district where they lived without being tried by the Althingi. Althingi was not only a legislative assembly at the time, but also a court. But executing people in the district without taking them to Althingy, that was, in fact, illegal for the entire time the executions for witchcraft took place. Because the Danish king, who was our king at the time, he had, in the early 17th century, issued a decree that no death sentences should be given in cases of life and honor by a lower court level, but only by the superior court. And this decree was not respected in Iceland for almost the entire 17th century. And people were sentenced and executed by provincial court, a lower court level, without any right of appeal until the year of 1683, when the last district burning took place.

[Kate Lister]

Why were they doing that? Why were they not following the law? Or why did the king not intervene and say, excuse me, I do have a law about this that you are all ignoring.

[Unknown]

Well, the king intervened as late as 1683. I suppose that the king was not, you know, he had many other things to do than to look to take care of Icelanders somewhere in the north, you know, a nation of 50,000 people. I suspect also that the Icelandic lawmen and those that were Making those sentences. Their knowledge was not as it should have been in law. Their legal knowledge was not as good as it should have been.

[Kate Lister]

These are small communities, small rural communities, and they're burning people to death. In Britain, they hanged witches. They let them hang. But in Iceland, they burnt them to death. And I'm trying to imagine what that must have been like for a small community to go and watch your neighbor being burnt to death.

[Unknown]

You know, the common people were supposed to witness it. And we have descriptions of people kicking and moving from the fire, falling off the fire and being put on it again. And the writers of the annals, the old newsletters of old times we call the annals, some of them describe their inner feelings while witnessing this, saying that it was a horrendous thing to watch, etc. We do not see any legal ground for this method of execution, that is to burn up people to death. In some countries, people were executed before they were burned, but in Iceland, they were burned alive. But we have no legal phrase claiming that that is what you should do until the period of the witch trials was over. Then we first see it in some decree from the king that the convicted are supposed to be burned to death. So there was no legal ground for this. It was just some kind of a tradition rooted in the burning of the heretics. In the 12th and 13th and 14th centuries in Europe, how many people were.

[Kate Lister]

Burnt to death for witchcraft in Iceland, in total?

[Unknown]

Well, in total, 25 people were burnt to death, but we can say that 23 of them were burnt as witches. Wow.

[Kate Lister]

The embers from 1669's witch burnings have long died down. Helga's health has appeared to improve, but the threat of witchcraft hasn't gone away. Now in 1675, Helga's mysterious illness has returned. And with her husband pallet aside, thoughts once again quickly turn to witches. Who could be responsible? Who needs to pay the ultimate price? Heads turn to Magnus, Bjarne, Arsen, and Lassie did Rickson, who are accused of causing her and others in the household to fall ill. The court moved fast in their prosecutions, with Helga ensuring that they were hit with the full force of the law. Lassie protested vehemently, but without the 12 men to vouch for his character, his fate was sealed. When the moment came, the kindling was lit, and Lassie felt the first lick of flames. Rain dampened the wood and the fire went out. It was relit a further two times before the district magistrate's justice was delivered. Walking home from the court, he fell and broke his foot, a sign that many thought meant that Lassie was innocent. Despite This, a further two men were killed in 1678 for using witchcraft to cause Helga's ill health. And of the 22 executed for witchcraft in Iceland, 20 were men. In the third and final part of Inside the Witch Trials, we head across the Atlantic Ocean to a community where settlers in a new and unfamiliar world are cast into disarray by an enslaved woman.

[Unknown]

She starts confessing that she's had this traffic with the devil. You know, the devil has come to her and tempted her and she's become.

[Kate Lister]

A witch and and we explore how the effects of Salem and all these witch trials are still being felt today.

[Unknown]

People in the society around me, they're working with the demons, their representatives of the demons. I must kill them. It is absolutely a pure conspiracy theory.

[Kate Lister]

Thank you for listening. And thank you to Dr. Alina Kerluf Thorvarthardiev for joining me. And if you like what you heard, please don't forget to like, review and follow along wherever it is that you get your podcasts. If you'd like us to explore a subject or maybe you just wanted to say hello, then you can email [e-mail] this podcast was edited and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long. Join me again Betwixt the Sheets the History of Sex Scandal in Society, a podcast by History hit. This podcast contains music from Epidemic Sound.

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