"This freak storm eventually became the catalyst for Norway's most infamous witch trials-some of the most intense in Europe. Known as the Finnmark witchcraft trials, the proceedings continued throughout the 17th century. By 1692, 111 women and 24 men had been prosecuted for practicing witchcraft; 91 of these individuals, the vast majority of them women, were sentenced to death-a figure that represents around one-third of those condemned for the crime of witchcraft in the entirety of Norway's history."
"Finnmark is a rugged and rural county peppered with fishing villages and towering fjords. In the early 1600s, its population of roughly 3,000 people was scattered across more than 18,000 square miles, with most living in small fishing communities like Vardo and Kiberg. Although Finnmark was home to just 0.8 percent of Norway's population at the time, 16 percent of the country's witchcraft trials took place in the region,"
A freak storm triggered the Finnmark witchcraft trials, which continued throughout the 17th century. By 1692, 111 women and 24 men had been prosecuted for practicing witchcraft; 91 of these individuals, mostly women, were sentenced to death. Finnmark's sparse population of roughly 3,000 people lived across more than 18,000 square miles in small fishing communities such as Vardo and Kiberg. Although Finnmark held just 0.8 percent of Norway's population, 16 percent of the country's witchcraft trials occurred there. Between about 1450 and 1750, roughly 100,000 people were accused in Europe and an estimated 50,000 executed; Norway saw about 800 accused and some 300 executed.
Read at Smithsonian Magazine
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