Who Did What Now: The Vardo Witch Trials

Podcast: Who Did What Now
Host: Katie Charlwood
Episode 165 | Date: October 20, 2025

Overview

In this compelling episode, host Katie Charlwood delves into the chilling history of the Vardo (Finnmark) Witch Trials in Arctic Norway. With her trademark irreverent wit and deep historical insight, Katie explores how colonial ambition, misogyny, and religious paranoia led to one of Northern Europe’s most brutal witch hunts. Not only does she spotlight infamous figures like Governor John Cunningham (aka Hans Koenig), but she foregrounds the impact on the indigenous Sami people and settler women caught in the crosshairs of suspicion and violence.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Corrections Corner: Addressing Previous Episode Content

• Domestic Violence & Strangulation (01:52)
  • Katie opens with an important correction regarding her remarks about manual strangulation from the North Berwick Witch Trials episode:

    “Manual strangulation is the most lethal form of domestic violence, short of murder... I never want to downplay or misrepresent any of that.” — Katie Charlwood [01:52]

  • She commits to adding educational resources about the severity of strangulation as a form of violence.

Setting the Scene: Norway and Its Colonies

• Historical Context (05:13)

  • Norway was part of the Dano-Norwegian Union (16th-19th centuries).
  • The Finnmark region, including Vardo, was home to both indigenous Sami and Catholic settlers who initially coexisted peacefully.
  • King Christian IV of Denmark-Norway imposed harsh anti-witchcraft decrees in 1617, influenced by his brother-in-law, King James VI of Scotland.

• Legal Transformation

  • New edicts not only punished witchcraft with death but criminalized failing to report suspected witches.
  • The redefinition blended traditions of folk magic with demonology, especially English and Continental influences.

John Cunningham: Architect of Persecution

• Background and Rise (08:37)

  • Cunningham—Scottish by birth, later known as Hans Koenig in Norway—rose through naval ranks after being recommended by King James VI.
  • Known for a harsh disposition and acts of cruelty, including kidnapping indigenous people in Greenland and blaming the Sami for misfortunes.

• Colonial Perspective

  • Christian IV sought to convert Finnmark into a “good little tax paying Protestant islet.”
  • Many tragic events (shipwrecks, sudden deaths) were attributed to Sami “sorcery”—often a pretext for persecution.

The Witch Trials Begin

• Trigger Events

  • Stormy disasters, such as the sinking of 10 fishing boats and 40 men lost on Christmas Eve 1617, later retroactively blamed on witchcraft.

• First Accusations (24:39)

  • The first trial under Cunningham as governor:

    • Carrie the Finn (Find Carri / Caren Edistate):

      • Accused of murdering two men (over personal disputes), as well as bewitching others.
      • Subjected to the swimming ordeal; survived, thus “proven” guilty.
      • Tortured into a confession involving supernatural encounters and ultimately burned alive.

      “She confesses that the devil had tortured her to insanity, stretching her limbs and assaulting her till she bled until she did his bidding. But it wasn’t the devil... but her Christian accusers.” — Katie Charlwood [34:09]

    • Lisbeth Nilesdatter:

      • Accused and tortured; confessed under duress to learning magic from Carrie and attending witches' sabbaths.
      • Also executed by burning.

The Christmas Storm and the Anatomy of a Witch Hunt

• 1617 Fishing Disaster

  • After several women's confessions under torture, the storm was attributed to a conspiracy of witches.

  • Kirsty Sorensdatter:

    • Accused of being the coven leader, supposedly hexing a fisherman who had assaulted her.
    • Tortured and, under duress, confessed to causing the deadly storm and to participating in diabolical rituals.
    • Also executed by burning.

    “... John wanted blood under his hand ... she confesses to using witchcraft on her neighbours ... confessed to flying through the air and murder.” — Katie Charlwood [41:19]

  • In total, twelve women were executed for their supposed role in the storm.

Identity, Bigotry, and Colonialism

• Impact on the Sami & Settler Women (50:00)

  • Persecutions drove Sami people to migrate further north or to the New World.
  • Majority of the accused (often settlers) were women, but accusations were rooted in colonial and racial prejudice.

• Statistics: The Grim Toll

  • John Cunningham accused 52 people, 41 of whom were executed.
  • Finnmark Witch Trials (over 92 years):
    • 135 witch trials, 111 women killed (31% of all witch trial death sentences in Norway).
    • 4.5% of Finnmark's population was accused.

  “You can bring isolation into this. You can blame religious fervor. You can also blame deep rooted fucking misogyny, right? And this is used to destroy, to overtake, to crush it.” — Katie Charlwood [51:15]

• Legacy

  • Witch hunts did not end with Cunningham’s death (1651); the next governors continued the persecutions.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “They both like nice clothes, the Bible, and accusing women of being witches and then killing them. You know, just king things.” — Katie Charlwood on James VI and Christian IV [13:13]
• “Cats, I don’t know if you know this, don’t have opposable thumbs. And so I’m not entirely sure how great they'd be at sailing.” — Katie Charlwood, on the bizarre story of the cat on a raft to appease the storms [17:05]
• “If she floats, she’s guilty. If she sinks, she’s innocent but dead. And if she weighs the same as a duck...” — Katie Charlwood, referencing the absurdity of ‘trial by ordeal’ [30:30]

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:52 | Corrections Corner: Dangers of Strangulation | | 05:13 | Norway’s Dano-Norwegian Union and Early Colonial Dynamics | | 08:37 | Background on John Cunningham (Hans Koenig) | | 17:05 | Shipwrecks and Superstition: The Cat Incident | | 24:39 | The Witch Trials Begin—King Christian IV’s Decree & First Trials | | 30:30 | Carrie the Finn’s Ordeal and Torture | | 34:09 | Carrie’s Confession and Execution | | 39:07 | The 1617 Storm and Mass Accusations | | 41:19 | Kirsty Sorensdatter’s Torture and Forced Confession | | 50:00 | The Societal & Demographic Impact of the Trials | | 51:15 | Katie’s Reflection on Motivations: Misogyny, Control, and Racism |

Tone and Style

Katie Charlwood mixes deeply researched facts with irreverence and empathy, using gallows humor and modern pop culture asides (“If she weighs the same as a duck...”) to drive home the horror—and absurdity—of the events discussed. While her language is sharp, her care for historical truth and for the victims of these persecutions shines through.

Recommendations & Outro (Non-content Section)

Katie closes with her top picks for fun witchy media:

• To Watch: Bedknobs and Broomsticks — “Angela Lansbury plays a witch...going to fight Nazis. I think that's just a good role model for anyone.”
• To Listen: Tickled to Death podcast
• To Read: The Story of Witches. Folklore, History, and Superstition by Willow Winchum

Summary

This episode of “Who Did What Now” offers a vivid, enraging, and enlightening look at the Vardo Witch Trials: their roots in colonial policy, personal ambition, religious mania, and deep-seated misogyny and racism. Charlwood’s narrative centers the voices and experience of victims—particularly marginalized women—and pulls no punches in examining what drove such violence. Listeners come away with a nuanced understanding of an often-overlooked chapter in European witch-hunt history, and a potent reminder of the dangers of panic, prejudice, and unchecked authority.