Podcast Episode Summary

Podcast: New Books Network
Episode: Louise Nyholm Kallestrup, "The Construction of Witchcraft in Early Modern Denmark, 1536-1617" (Routledge, 2025)
Date: November 1, 2025
Host: Yana Byers
Guest: Louise Nyholm Kallestrup

Overview

This episode features historian Louise Nyholm Kallestrup discussing her new book, "The Construction of Witchcraft in Early Modern Denmark, 1536-1617". The conversation delves into how witchcraft was defined, prosecuted, and embedded in Danish society from the Reformation up to the landmark Witchcraft Act of 1617. Kallestrup examines the religious, legal, cultural, and gendered dynamics influencing perceptions of witchcraft, arguing for its central role not just in religious or local life but also in political identity and statecraft.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Origins and Motivations for the Book

• Kallestrup's background compares Danish and Italian approaches to witchcraft. While Italian cases are inseparable from the Inquisition, Danish witchcraft has typically been viewed as a secular crime (03:07).
• She noticed a historical gap: much research starts in 1617, but few have explored how witchcraft as a crime was constructed before then (05:36).

"What was actually the process up towards 1617, how was witchcraft constructed as a crime in 1617 that caused this big witch hunt afterwards?"
— Louise Nyholm Kallestrup [05:54]

2. Defining Witchcraft Before and After 1617

• Pre-1617: Witchcraft was loosely defined—focused mainly on causing harm with little theological underpinning.
• Post-1617 Act: The definition sharpened legally and theologically to include acts like making pacts with the devil; this led to a surge in witch trials (60% occurring after the Act).

"Before that, it's really a negotiation. It's a much squishier definition."
— Yana Byers [06:20]

"It prohibits, of course, witchcraft and it refers to witches as those who have engaged in a pact with the devil."
— Louise Nyholm Kallestrup [03:36]

3. A Royal Disaster and the Beginnings of a Witch Hunt

(1589-1590 Royal Bridal Journey)

• The narrative opens with Princess Anne's failed voyage to Scotland—a series of maritime disasters blamed on witchcraft only months later.
• The scapegoating of alleged witches provided both an explanation for failure and an origin point for intensified witch hunts. At least 13 were executed; actual numbers may be higher due to incomplete records (08:04–12:01).
• Kallestrup details the brutal method of execution in Denmark.

"At this point, nobody's talking, in Denmark at least, about witchcraft... In April 6, 1519, there's a woman in prison in Copenhagen who confesses to having cast these storms... and this is the beginning of the Danish witch hunt, summer of 1590."
— Louise Nyholm Kallestrup [10:06]

"At least 13 people burned, which is just the worst way to die."
— Yana Byers [11:51]

4. Religion, Apocalyptic Thought, and Witchcraft

• Witch panics were fueled by a belief in the imminent end times—anxiety heightened by the Reformation and Lutheran theology (16:15–19:49).
• The Devil’s presence was real and immediate, with witches seen as his agents aiming to destabilize godly society and rulers.
• Lutheran reformers in Denmark interpreted apocalyptic prophecies to mean more witches would appear as the Second Coming approached.

"The more godly you would be as a king, the more the devil will try and strike at you."
— Louise Nyholm Kallestrup [14:46]

"In the last of days. Naturally, we will have a lot of witches in the last times before the Second Coming."
— Louise Nyholm Kallestrup [18:56]

5. Media, Mindset, and Sources

• Kallestrup explores how the communal mindset—key for witch-hunting—was formed through church sermons, murals, pamphlets, and royal proclamations delivered from church pulpits (21:45–26:03).
• Dark, dramatic murals vividly reminded parishioners of hell and the consequences of evil, reinforcing the urgency of rooting out witches.

"If you are parish priest standing on the pulpit, communicating this belief of the devil who's alive and well... you have the perfect props around you in these murals."
— Louise Nyholm Kallestrup [23:07]

6. Gender and the ‘Evil Woman’ Trope

• The book traces how Nordic folklore about strong women was adapted by Reformers, turning influential female figures into "evil women"—an umbrella term encompassing witches, whores, and bad wives (27:46–30:17).
• Churches visually reinforced these ideas with images of naked, wild-haired women being dragged to hell.

"They use these again, the phrase of the evil woman can be a witch. And this all contributes to kind of sharpen the distinction between good and bad."
— Louise Nyholm Kallestrup [29:50]

7. The Diabolical Triangle and Regional Case Studies

• Kallestrup identifies the “Diabolical Triangle”—the interconnectedness of Copenhagen, Elsinore, and Malmo in setting legal precedents for witch prosecutions (30:59–33:21).
• Royal courts, especially under Christian IV, sometimes dampened witch hunts to avoid public disorder, demonstrating that elite attitudes could determine the intensity of persecution.

"A witch hunt is the same as disaster, it's the same as chaos, it just gives rise to upheavals."
— Louise Nyholm Kallestrup [34:41]

8. The 1617 Witchcraft Act and Its Impact

• The Act was closely tied to the 100th anniversary of the Reformation and part of a broader bid for religious and political discipline (35:36).
• New laws required all royal servants to report and prosecute witchcraft, unleashing a wave of accusations and communal trauma.

"One part of the witchcraft act from 1617 is that everybody in the service of the king is now obliged to prosecute witches."
— Louise Nyholm Kallestrup [36:26]

9. Concluding Reflections: Witchcraft as Central, Not Peripheral, to History

• Witch hunts were deeply embedded in the logic of statecraft, politics, and religious identity, not merely local superstition or exotic episodes.
• For historians, the period’s focus on witchcraft illuminates strategies of othering and enforcing social boundaries—lessons with contemporary resonance.

"It's not just prosecuting witches in the 17th and the 16th century isn't just an exotic add on to history and politics. It's very much a way of thinking about the world, about your opponents, also your political opponents."
— Louise Nyholm Kallestrup [39:14]

"Instead of listening and talking to each other and trying to understand and find some mutual ground, it's about making your opponent the enemy and right and wrong and you basically have nothing in between. So either you're with us or you're against us."
— Louise Nyholm Kallestrup [40:35]

10. Future Research

• Kallestrup is researching the later reign of Christian IV, exploring how subsequent wars and political failures were also entwined with accusations and anxieties about witchcraft (41:03–41:53).

"His political failures in the 30 years war is also tied to witchcraft. It's not due to witchcraft, but his decisions and his choices are linked to witchcraft. Once again."
— Louise Nyholm Kallestrup [41:53]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|---------|-------| | 03:07 | Louise Nyholm Kallestrup | "I wanted to investigate, well, what was actually the process up towards 1617, how was witchcraft constructed as a crime in 1617 that caused this big witch hunt afterwards." | | 08:04 | Louise Nyholm Kallestrup | "This is the beginning of the Danish witch hunt, this summer of 1590..." | | 12:01 | Louise Nyholm Kallestrup | "In Denmark, we know that you were burning people alive at the pyre... which is not that common." | | 14:46 | Louise Nyholm Kallestrup | "At this point in time, the fact that the devil would take an aim on you, take his aim on you, would target you as a godly king is completely expected..." | | 18:56 | Louise Nyholm Kallestrup | "So this is the last of days. Naturally, we will have a lot of witches in the last times before the Second Coming." | | 23:07 | Louise Nyholm Kallestrup | "If you are parish priest standing on the pulpit, communicating this belief of the devil who's alive and well... you have the perfect props around you in these murals." | | 29:50 | Louise Nyholm Kallestrup | "The phrase of the evil woman can be a witch. And this all contributes to kind of sharpen the distinction between good and bad." | | 34:41 | Louise Nyholm Kallestrup | "A witch hunt is the same as disaster, it's the same as chaos, it just gives rise to upheavals." | | 39:14 | Louise Nyholm Kallestrup | "It's not just prosecuting witches in the 17th and the 16th century isn't just an exotic add on to history and politics. It's very much a way of thinking about the world, about your opponents, also your political opponents." | | 40:35 | Louise Nyholm Kallestrup | "It's about making your opponent the enemy and right and wrong and you basically have nothing in between. So either you're with us or you're against us." | | 41:53 | Louise Nyholm Kallestrup | "His political failures in the 30 years war is also tied to witchcraft. It's not due to witchcraft, but his decisions and his choices are linked to witchcraft." |

Major Segments & Suggested Timestamps

• 02:00–06:32 — Why this book? Gaps in Danish witchcraft historiography.
• 08:04–13:35 — The royal bridal voyage disaster and the rise of witch trials.
• 16:15–21:45 — Apocalyptic belief, the Reformation and the Devil’s role in daily life.
• 21:45–26:03 — How church sermons, murals, and early print shaped the mindset for witch hunts.
• 27:46–30:17 — The evolving concept of the ‘evil woman’ and its uses.
• 30:59–35:24 — The Diabolical Triangle, interconnected trials, and regional traditions.
• 35:36–39:14 — The Witchcraft Act of 1617 and its legal-social impact.
• 39:14–43:13 — Conclusions: Witchcraft as a core part of politics, not an historical footnote, and Kallestrup’s ongoing research.

Tone & Style

Conversational, analytical, and at times darkly humorous—both host and guest share a scholarly familiarity with grim subjects and a clear commitment to making complex early modern history engaging and relevant.

Closing Thoughts

This episode offers an essential reappraisal of how witchcraft, far from being a marginal superstition, played a formative role in shaping not only legal and religious culture in Denmark but also its political structures and collective anxieties. Kallestrup’s research calls for historians to integrate witchcraft into mainstream historical narratives, highlighting enduring lessons about how societies define enemies and enforce conformity—and about the dangers of binary "us versus them" mentalities.