The Condemned Women of 1662 / 1663

Steilneset Memorial to the condemned in Vardø

Twenty women died as a result of witchcraft persecutions between October 1662 and April 1663. Eighteen burnt at the stake and two were tortured to death.

My desire is to let their voices be heard with the tenderness they deserve. The women were: Dorette Lauritsdatter, Maren Sigvaldsdatter, Ragnild Clemidsdatter, Maren Mogensdatter, Maren Henningsdatter, Maritte Rasmusdatter, Sigri Olsdatter, Ingeborg, Peder Krog’s wife (tortured to death), Guri,Laurit’s wife, Sølve Nilsdatter, Ellen Gundersdatter, Karen Andersdatter, Margrete Jonsdatter, Sigri Jonsdatter, Gundelle Olsdatter, Dorette Poulsdatter (tortured to death), Barbra Olsdatter, Bodel Clausdatter, Birgitte Olufsdatter, and Karen Olsdatter.

The following women were acquitted at the court of appeal on 23rd June 1663:

Gertrude Siversdatter, Ragnild Endresdatter, Magdalene Jacobsdatter, and Karen Nilsdatter.

Six girls between the ages of six and thirteen were acquitted: Maren Olufsdatter, Ingeborg Iversdatter, Karen Iversdatter,Karen Nilsdatter, Kirsten Sørensdatter and Siri Pedersdatter.

Later in 1671, a Sami woman by the name of Elli died in custody accused of witchcraft. 

During the witchcraft trials in Finnmark in Northern Norway 135 persons were tried, 91 of which were executed, most of them at the stake.

The last person to die in a witch trial in Finnmark was Anders Poulson in 1692, a Sami man of 100 years of age accused of having a runebomme, a Sami drum used in rituals, and practising shamanism.  

Reconstruction of Anders Poulson's runebomme, Tromsø Museum

The original is in the Kulturhistorisk Museum in Oslo