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[♪ eerie music playing]
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[narrator] Sweden,
the mid 1600s.
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A simple argument
between two children
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sparks a horrific
series of witch trials
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known as the Great Noise.
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- It was a girl, Gertrud,
who was 11 years old,
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and a boy, Mats.
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- They're both goat herds.
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It's a summer's day and
some goats have got loose.
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And in that ingenious way
goats have of making trouble,
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have managed to put
themselves on a small island
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in a river, so
they're hard to get.
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- They get into an
argument and Gertrud goes
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to this little island
and she gets them back.
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Mats gets embarrassed
because she is the one
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that fetches the goats.
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- It's a childish dispute of
which there were probably
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hundreds of thousands
in Europe at the time,
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but it's what's
made of that story
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that makes it much
more sinister.
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[Ronald Hutton] Having fallen
out with a younger girl,
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he's bent on revenge by
spreading smear stories.
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And when they go back home,
Mats Nielsen tells his family
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that Gertrud walked on water to
the island to get the goats.
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[Goran Malmstedt] He also told
his father that she could walk
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on water because she had asked
for help from the devil.
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[Ronald Hutton] This would have
meant nothing if the village
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hadn't happened to have an
inquisitive religious minister
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who is obsessed by Satan.
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[Louise Nyholm Kallestrup] This
argument about herding goats
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causes the greatest witch panic
in Northern Europe.
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[Goran Malmstedt] The Great
Noise is the name of a major
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series of witch trials in
Sweden during the years
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from 1668 to 1676.
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[Louise Nyholm Kallestrup] Up
until 1668, Sweden had very few
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witch trials and
then this exploded.
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And within these seven, eight
years, 300 people were executed.
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[Alison Rowlands] It's a very
kind of unusual anomalous
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period of time in relation
to the general history
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of witch trials in Sweden.
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This is a Lutheran context,
so we're in a Protestant
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Lutheran context.
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People will always have
believed in magic.
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They'll always have
believed in the possibility
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that witches could work magic.
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What you see in the 17th
century is more of a spread
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of those demonological
ideas about witchcraft
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as a group activity, witchcraft
as a possible heresy.
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[Ronald Hutton] Witch hunting
was dying out in its
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traditional heartlands
like Germany and England.
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And the Northern periphery of
Sweden was where it broke out
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after the big witch hunts
were over in Central Europe.
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[Goran Malmstedt] The children,
Gertrud and Mats,
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lived in a village called
Orsen that was part of the
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parish Alvenden in Darlana.
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It was a small village.
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I suppose everyone knew
each other very well.
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When this story got
known in the village
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and the vicar heard of it, he
wanted to interrogate Gertrud
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and ask what she had
to do with the devil.
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[Alison Rowlands] Some of
these local ministers are
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particularly zealous moralists
and they're looking for sin
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and looking for the
works of the devil
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in what might, first of
all, be fairly innocent
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stories and arguments.
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[Louise Nyholm Kallestrup]
Normally, a pastor would call
in the suspected parishioner
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and he would probably
start by questioning her
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and also admonishing her that
she should tell the truth
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for the sake of
her own salvation.
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[Goran Malmstedt] We don't know
about what happened.
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But we can be sure
that he was harsh
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and he used cruel methods
to frighten Gertrud,
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who was 11 years old.
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[Ronald Hutton]He spends an
entire winter on and off
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trying to get Gertrud to
confess to being a witch.
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And she might have
escaped if another boy,
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this time a 15-year-old,
hadn't told the minister
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that he had had a
vision in the woods
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in which he had seen
Gertrud being transported off
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to join the witch's
Sabbath at Blåkulla.
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[Goran Malmstedt] Blåkulla
is a mythological place
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where the witches
met with the devil,
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and the place where the
witches took children.
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The witches and the abducted
children flew to Blåkulla
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sometimes upside down, cows,
but also on broomsticks
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or other things.
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[Ronald Hutton] The idea
of Blåkulla, which means
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blue mountain, is
centuries old, by the 1660s.
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The first evidence for it
consists of wall paintings
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in late medieval
Scandinavian churches.
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And they very clearly
show witches,
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on very early broomsticks,
flying off to Blåkulla.
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- The idea really
is that witches
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have a regular meeting place,
and this is common to a number
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of different cultures
of witchcraft.
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But in this case, it's a
particular mountaintop
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called the Blåkulla,
and it's assumed
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that witches from
all over Sweden
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can gather on this mountaintop.
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[Louise Nyholm Kallestrup] The
Blåkulla descriptions differ
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from other Sabbath stories.
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It's the idea that this
is also a bright place.
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[Goran Malmstedt] People
danced and they had a
lot of food to eat.
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They also often got nice
gifts from the devil.
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- Somehow it's more festive,
and when the witches meet the
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devil, they have more fun.
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So they have the
positive things,
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but they also have
the evil things.
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[Ronald Hutton]
Worshipping Satan,
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promising loyalty to Satan,
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eating, drinking,
dancing back to back,
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and doing most
things in reverse,
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then finding that the food
and drink turns to ashes
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or leaves you hungry and
thirstier than before.
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[Goran Malmstedt] There were
also orgies of some kinds
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where the witches got
laid by the devil.
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[Louise Nyholm Kallestrup] The
Witches Sabbath is a sexually
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charged place, and the entire
relationship is always defined
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by somewhat the witch showing
her allegiance to the devil.
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And then you have that idea of
when witches defy the devil,
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and he would comb
off their skin,
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and he would put it on
spikes, and he would torment
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them forever.
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[Julian Goodare] It's a
folkloric idea that children
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might be abducted to
the Witches Sabbath,
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but the authorities seem to
be willing to go with it.
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Somehow it makes the transition
from crazy folk tale
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to, "Oh, wait a
minute, this is real.
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This is actually happening."
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[narrator] Over many months, the
priest interrogates Gertrud,
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desperate to force a confession
from the innocent girl.
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The minister thinks he's got
a critical mass of evidence
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against Gertrud, and Gertrud
breaks and begins to confess.
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[Louise Nyholm Kallestrup] When
Gertrud finally confessed,
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she actually confessed that
she had walked on water.
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Her feet had been
rubbed with oil,
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and that was what made her
able to walk on water.
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What happened to her
was what happened
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in a lot of witch trials.
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They were broken down,
but they were also maybe
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starting to believe things.
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She would have heard the same
questions over and over again,
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and the parish priest would
appeal to her conscience,
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telling her that it
would be for the sake
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of her own salvation
if she would only make
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a full confession.
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So she would probably have
thought at some point
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that this would be of
her own good to confess,
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or maybe she would even
have started to believe it.
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[Ronald Hutton] She gives us
her reason for confessing
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after denying
everything all winter,
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that an angel has appeared
to her at Blåkulla
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and told her if she
doesn't fess up,
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then a famine's
gonna hit Sweden,
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loads of people are
gonna starve to death.
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That way, Gertrud
reveals herself
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as a kind of patriotic
heroine, and so worthy of
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sympathy and reprieve.
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[Louise Nyholm Kallestrup] What
interrogators in witchcraft
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trials always wanted to do
was to map the group of people
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that were involved in this,
because the interrogators
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want to have confirmation
that this is not just
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a one-time event.
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This is something that
happens regularly.
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[Goran Malmstedt] Every time you
got a witch, the court wanted to
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know which other witches
she knew were in this area.
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She corroborates all the
details of the revels there
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and of worshipping Satan,
and of there being lots
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of other witches present.
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They wouldn't just say, "I've
been taken to a Sabbath."
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They would say, "I
have been taken
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"by a very specific individual."
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[Ronald Hutton] She also
provides a backstory,
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which is how years before,
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the person who took
her to Blåkulla,
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and therefore is really the
most to blame for everything,
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is a former maidservant
in her father's household
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called Maret Jonsdotter.
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And this is where
the match is applied
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to the fumes of the
Swedish witch hunt.
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[narrator] As the
interrogations continue,
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Gertrud gives more
terrifying details
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of the Witches'
Sabbath she attended
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with her family's former
maidservant, Maret.
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[Louise Kallestrup] What
Gertrud is telling during her
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interrogations is confirming
their worst fears.
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Somebody were taking
the children to the
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cult of the devil.
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This could not be more horrible
to the early modern dwellers.
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[♪ foreboding music]
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[Ronald Hutton] There's some
family business involved here
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because it turns
out that her father
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had tried to marry
Maret, and that another
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suitor of the maid
had beaten the father
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up and humiliated him.
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[Goran Malmstedt] The plans for
a marriage was postponed.
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I think Gertrud accusing
Maret has something to do
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with this old conflict.
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This is now an accusation
against an adult
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because the maidservant
concerned is in her late 30s,
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and so a prime target
for a proper accusation.
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[Goran Malmstedt] When the
people in Maret's village
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heard of these accusations,
they immediately
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arranged a court session
in Lillhärdal in this
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village where Maret lived.
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[door slams shut]
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♪ ♪
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[Ronald Hutton] The father of
Gertrud, presumably both with a
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grudge against his ex-employee,
Maret, and also a desire to try
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and save his daughter,
actually testifies his own
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belief that Maret was a witch.
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[Louise Nyholm Kallestrup]
He claims that she has
made him sick,
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that she rode him across
the sky to Blåkulla.
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It's no coincidence that
we have these accusations
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from men towards women
where men have lost face.
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We very much have to interpret
witchcraft accusations
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within the gender hierarchy.
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I don't think there
can be any doubt
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that he did this
out of vengeance.
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♪ ♪
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[Ronald Huttdon] All three of
Maret's siblings, who are much
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younger than she is, accuse
her of doing everything
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00:12:17,760 --> 00:12:21,360
that Gertrud said she'd done,
so these youngsters have
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clearly taken against
their elder sister
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and are out to get her as well.
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[muted dialogue]
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So all this piles up a
formidable convergence
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of evidence against poor
Maret from both Gertrud's
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family and her own family.
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[Goran Malmstedt] We don't know
if they were forced to do so
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or if they got
manipulated in some way
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that made them perhaps also
believe that this was true.
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♪ ♪
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[Diane Purkiss] It's quite
common for girls to get their
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own back in these ways.
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The society that produced
the witch trials
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was viciously hierarchical
and children were completely
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00:13:04,720 --> 00:13:09,320
at the beck and call of
older relatives, typically.
239
00:13:09,400 --> 00:13:15,520
This led to a situation in
which children were able
240
00:13:15,600 --> 00:13:19,480
to exercise a really
powerful counter-strike
241
00:13:19,560 --> 00:13:22,400
against the older women
who dominated their lives
242
00:13:22,440 --> 00:13:25,200
by accusing those older
women of witchcraft.
243
00:13:26,280 --> 00:13:29,880
[Ronald Hutton] There are some
glorious juvenile details
244
00:13:29,920 --> 00:13:33,880
in the testimony of
poor Maret's siblings,
245
00:13:33,960 --> 00:13:39,480
being made to sign their names
in a special big black book
246
00:13:39,560 --> 00:13:41,280
containing those of
people who'd given their
247
00:13:41,360 --> 00:13:42,720
allegiance to Satan.
248
00:13:43,880 --> 00:13:46,640
[Goran Malmstedt] The most
important thing in Blåkulla,
249
00:13:46,680 --> 00:13:49,480
actually, was that the devil
wanted the visitors
250
00:13:49,560 --> 00:13:52,560
to write their name
in his black book
251
00:13:52,600 --> 00:13:55,480
and he used their
own blood then.
252
00:13:55,560 --> 00:13:59,520
That meant that the visitors,
the children and the witches,
253
00:13:59,600 --> 00:14:01,120
had made a pact with the devil.
254
00:14:02,200 --> 00:14:05,800
[Ronald Hutton] The idea grew
up that on taking somebody
255
00:14:05,880 --> 00:14:09,560
into his service, the
devil put a brand on them,
256
00:14:09,600 --> 00:14:12,520
a special kind of mark.
257
00:14:12,600 --> 00:14:14,880
[Louise Nyhold Kallestrup] The
devil's mark is something that
258
00:14:14,960 --> 00:14:18,000
we see in a number of trials
all over Europe.
259
00:14:18,080 --> 00:14:20,160
It could be a mole, a birthmark.
260
00:14:20,240 --> 00:14:24,440
It could also simply be a
small bump in the skin.
261
00:14:24,480 --> 00:14:27,280
[Goran Malstedt] Maret actually
had a scar on one of her fingers
262
00:14:27,360 --> 00:14:30,320
and the court thought that
that was where the devil
263
00:14:30,400 --> 00:14:34,040
had taken blood from her to
write her name in the book.
264
00:14:36,400 --> 00:14:40,680
Enormous pressure is
put on Maret to confess.
265
00:14:40,760 --> 00:14:45,000
Bullying, threats, sleep
deprivation, et cetera.
266
00:14:45,080 --> 00:14:46,480
♪ ♪
267
00:14:46,560 --> 00:14:50,920
At this stage, Swedish law
will not allow the execution
268
00:14:51,000 --> 00:14:53,400
of somebody who
refuses to confess.
269
00:14:55,200 --> 00:14:58,520
She very bravely
refuses to confess,
270
00:14:58,560 --> 00:15:02,080
but it doesn't
actually rescue Maret.
271
00:15:02,160 --> 00:15:06,640
In April 1669, Maret
was sentenced guilty
272
00:15:06,720 --> 00:15:08,800
despite her denial.
273
00:15:08,880 --> 00:15:10,720
[Louise Nyholm Kallestrup] She's
in fact put back in prison
274
00:15:10,800 --> 00:15:13,120
and she will be staying
there for four more years
275
00:15:13,200 --> 00:15:15,480
before anything else
happens to her.
276
00:15:15,520 --> 00:15:19,520
[Ronald Hutton] The whole
witch hunt centered upon Maret
277
00:15:19,600 --> 00:15:23,720
didn't die down because
the lurid stories had
278
00:15:23,800 --> 00:15:27,120
spread like wildfire through
the neighboring region.
279
00:15:28,280 --> 00:15:30,720
♪ ♪
280
00:15:30,760 --> 00:15:32,280
♪ ♪
281
00:15:35,800 --> 00:15:38,320
♪ ♪
282
00:15:39,280 --> 00:15:40,720
[Louise Nyholm Kallestrup] What
happened in "The Great Noise"
283
00:15:40,800 --> 00:15:42,640
is that you determine
that witchcraft
284
00:15:42,720 --> 00:15:45,200
becomes a Crimen Exceptum,
which means it's an
285
00:15:45,280 --> 00:15:46,320
exceptional crime.
286
00:15:46,400 --> 00:15:49,080
You can set aside
normal procedures.
287
00:15:49,160 --> 00:15:51,360
You could bend the laws,
you could change the laws,
288
00:15:51,440 --> 00:15:53,480
because this was a super crime.
289
00:15:54,680 --> 00:15:57,920
♪ ♪
290
00:15:58,760 --> 00:16:04,360
[Goran Malmstedt] In 1672, the
court decided that Maret should
291
00:16:04,440 --> 00:16:07,160
be executed despite not having
confessed anything.
292
00:16:07,240 --> 00:16:09,960
[♪ dark choral music]
293
00:16:10,040 --> 00:16:12,760
♪ ♪
294
00:16:12,800 --> 00:16:15,520
The authorities realized that
waiting for a confession
295
00:16:15,600 --> 00:16:18,200
didn't always work,
and they thought that
296
00:16:18,280 --> 00:16:19,120
they had to do that.
297
00:16:19,200 --> 00:16:23,400
They couldn't keep those witches
still working with the devil.
298
00:16:23,440 --> 00:16:26,640
♪ ♪
299
00:16:26,720 --> 00:16:28,280
[Louise Nyholm Kallestrup]
Of course, people talked.
300
00:16:28,320 --> 00:16:30,600
People were talking
to their neighbors.
301
00:16:30,680 --> 00:16:32,960
They were talking when
they met at markets.
302
00:16:33,000 --> 00:16:34,320
This was gossip.
303
00:16:34,400 --> 00:16:36,520
It had all of the
bits and pieces
304
00:16:36,600 --> 00:16:38,680
that you find in
present-day tabloid.
305
00:16:38,760 --> 00:16:41,760
The more official channels
were in churches,
306
00:16:41,800 --> 00:16:46,040
and these pastors were clearly
preoccupied with these stories,
307
00:16:46,120 --> 00:16:49,480
basically putting fear
into people's minds.
308
00:16:49,560 --> 00:16:52,640
You can actually
see how the panic
309
00:16:52,720 --> 00:16:56,200
is slowly spreading from
one parish to another
310
00:16:56,280 --> 00:16:57,560
in the province of Dalarna.
311
00:16:57,600 --> 00:17:00,720
[Louise Nyholm Kallestrup]
Hundreds of children come
forward and tell the story
312
00:17:00,800 --> 00:17:03,400
that they have also been
abducted to Blåkulla.
313
00:17:03,480 --> 00:17:08,040
[Ronald Hutton] A complete
moral panic begins with parents
314
00:17:08,080 --> 00:17:11,800
tying their children down to the
beds or having blessings put by
315
00:17:11,880 --> 00:17:15,120
the priests on the doorways,
and a whole range of
316
00:17:15,160 --> 00:17:16,560
other remedies like that.
317
00:17:18,440 --> 00:17:20,600
[Louise Nyholm Kallestrup] After
the witch panic had traveled
318
00:17:20,640 --> 00:17:23,320
through the Älvdalen,
it spread to Mora
319
00:17:23,400 --> 00:17:25,360
in the early 1669.
320
00:17:27,440 --> 00:17:30,480
A parish delegate from
Mora goes to Stockholm
321
00:17:30,560 --> 00:17:33,280
with a list of 35
children's names.
322
00:17:33,360 --> 00:17:35,600
They want a commission
to come to Mora
323
00:17:35,640 --> 00:17:37,840
to help them investigate
these cases.
324
00:17:39,000 --> 00:17:42,280
Usually, a witch trial would
be handled in the local court,
325
00:17:42,360 --> 00:17:45,640
so when you did, in
fact, issue an order
326
00:17:45,720 --> 00:17:48,600
to send out a commission,
something really
327
00:17:48,680 --> 00:17:50,160
extraordinary was at play.
328
00:17:50,240 --> 00:17:53,120
♪ ♪
329
00:17:53,200 --> 00:17:56,600
In August '69, a commission
of eight priests
330
00:17:56,680 --> 00:17:59,920
and eight laymen are sent to
Mora to investigate the trials.
331
00:18:00,000 --> 00:18:02,480
They need to prove
to local society
332
00:18:02,520 --> 00:18:06,520
that they take responsibility
and they are taking the
333
00:18:06,600 --> 00:18:09,880
right measures in this,
but at the same time,
334
00:18:09,960 --> 00:18:12,480
it's in their interest
to calm things down.
335
00:18:12,560 --> 00:18:15,640
♪ ♪
336
00:18:15,720 --> 00:18:19,160
A common trial would be
the person involved,
337
00:18:19,200 --> 00:18:22,040
his or her accuser,
some witnesses,
338
00:18:22,120 --> 00:18:25,480
and you would have a large
audience from local society.
339
00:18:25,560 --> 00:18:28,120
But the commissions and
the way they worked,
340
00:18:28,200 --> 00:18:30,160
everything was enlarged.
341
00:18:31,600 --> 00:18:34,840
[Ronald Hutton] The witch
trials at Mora are
342
00:18:34,920 --> 00:18:38,120
the public entertainment
of two decades.
343
00:18:38,200 --> 00:18:40,520
They are the best show in town.
344
00:18:40,600 --> 00:18:43,760
This is a thinly
populated rural district.
345
00:18:43,840 --> 00:18:47,680
It's said quite credibly
that 3,000 spectators turn
346
00:18:47,760 --> 00:18:50,960
up to the first sitting, but
also when the people leave,
347
00:18:51,040 --> 00:18:54,080
they will fan out across
the entire district,
348
00:18:54,160 --> 00:18:57,280
carrying vivid stories from
the witnesses with them
349
00:18:57,360 --> 00:18:59,080
and stoke suspicion further.
350
00:18:59,160 --> 00:19:04,040
♪ ♪
351
00:19:04,080 --> 00:19:06,240
[Goran Malmstedt] The
accused people were in court
352
00:19:06,320 --> 00:19:09,600
and the witnesses would
tell their stories,
353
00:19:09,680 --> 00:19:13,600
and the interrogation was
done by the members of
354
00:19:13,680 --> 00:19:15,080
the commissions.
355
00:19:15,120 --> 00:19:17,200
After they have made
their interrogation,
356
00:19:17,280 --> 00:19:19,960
they voted on if they
were guilty or not,
357
00:19:20,040 --> 00:19:23,200
and if there was a majority,
they could condemn them
358
00:19:23,280 --> 00:19:24,680
to the death penalty.
359
00:19:26,440 --> 00:19:29,000
[Louise Nyholm Kallestrup] The
commission finishes its
360
00:19:29,080 --> 00:19:32,280
investigations within two weeks,
and that is incredibly fast.
361
00:19:32,360 --> 00:19:34,440
It's not uncommon for
a witchcraft trial
362
00:19:34,520 --> 00:19:36,680
to drag out in years.
363
00:19:36,720 --> 00:19:40,840
The fact that you can sentence
23 people within two weeks
364
00:19:40,920 --> 00:19:43,280
and interrogate
hundreds of people
365
00:19:43,320 --> 00:19:45,000
is simply impressive.
366
00:19:45,080 --> 00:19:48,320
♪ ♪
367
00:19:48,360 --> 00:19:50,960
[narrator] With so many sons
and daughters ensnared
368
00:19:51,040 --> 00:19:54,440
in the tales of Blåkulla
and the Witches Sabbath,
369
00:19:54,520 --> 00:19:58,080
the court forces children
to take the stand.
370
00:19:58,160 --> 00:20:02,640
[Ronald Hutton] Yes,
child witnesses are not
as reliable as adults,
371
00:20:02,720 --> 00:20:05,600
but you can make them
so by multiples.
372
00:20:05,680 --> 00:20:08,400
The testimony of
two 14-year-olds
373
00:20:08,480 --> 00:20:10,640
equals that of one
adult witness,
374
00:20:10,720 --> 00:20:13,880
so you keep on raising the
number of children needed
375
00:20:13,960 --> 00:20:17,800
the further down you go to
make up a competent witness.
376
00:20:17,840 --> 00:20:20,720
[Alison Rowlands] There's always
the possibility that children
377
00:20:20,800 --> 00:20:24,840
who tell these stories
are labeled as ill,
378
00:20:24,880 --> 00:20:26,120
and there's always
the possibility
379
00:20:26,200 --> 00:20:28,800
that they could be labeled as
play-acting or fraudulent.
380
00:20:28,840 --> 00:20:30,160
[Julian Goodare]
On the other hand,
381
00:20:30,240 --> 00:20:31,640
children are kind of
innocent and pure,
382
00:20:31,720 --> 00:20:33,680
and they haven't
become corrupted
383
00:20:33,760 --> 00:20:35,880
in the way that
adults might become.
384
00:20:35,960 --> 00:20:39,840
[Louise Nyhold Kallestrup] What
they testify about is something
385
00:20:39,920 --> 00:20:43,120
so mystical that only people who
have been there, attended it,
386
00:20:43,200 --> 00:20:44,840
would know what happened.
387
00:20:44,920 --> 00:20:47,520
So they could tell you
all the greasy stories
388
00:20:47,560 --> 00:20:49,640
and still be the victims.
389
00:20:49,720 --> 00:20:52,160
[Goran Malmstedt] I think the
stories are a mixture of
390
00:20:52,240 --> 00:20:56,080
child fantasies, but also people
making the interrogations,
391
00:20:56,160 --> 00:20:58,520
as well as the
children's parents.
392
00:20:58,600 --> 00:21:00,800
♪ ♪
393
00:21:00,880 --> 00:21:04,000
They used to arrange what
they call wake houses,
394
00:21:04,080 --> 00:21:08,000
where all the children that was
suspected to go to Blåkulla
395
00:21:08,080 --> 00:21:11,480
was held awake by some
adults, because they thought
396
00:21:11,560 --> 00:21:13,400
that the abduction
happened when the
397
00:21:13,480 --> 00:21:14,400
children was asleep.
398
00:21:16,000 --> 00:21:18,840
[Allison Rowlands] Once they're
kept in groups, the risk is that
399
00:21:18,920 --> 00:21:21,440
they spread stories and
ideas amongst themselves.
400
00:21:21,520 --> 00:21:23,760
If you're deprived of sleep,
you're more likely to tell
401
00:21:23,800 --> 00:21:26,480
fantastic stories anyway
and want to tell them so
402
00:21:26,560 --> 00:21:27,920
that you can get some rest.
403
00:21:28,000 --> 00:21:29,760
They are being done with
this very misguided,
404
00:21:29,840 --> 00:21:32,960
but probably genuine, belief
that people were trying
405
00:21:33,040 --> 00:21:34,880
to help the children.
406
00:21:34,960 --> 00:21:37,840
♪ ♪
407
00:21:37,920 --> 00:21:41,800
[Ronald Hutton] Within
a few weeks, they have
60 people on trial.
408
00:21:41,880 --> 00:21:45,360
They sentence 23 to
death, and they end up
409
00:21:45,440 --> 00:21:50,160
putting to death 15, and
that's from Mora alone.
410
00:21:50,240 --> 00:21:54,560
[Goran Malmstedt] Why people
confessed is complex.
411
00:21:54,640 --> 00:21:57,600
There were a lot of
social pressure on them.
412
00:21:57,640 --> 00:22:00,840
Children crying and
begging them to confess.
413
00:22:00,920 --> 00:22:04,160
[Louise Nyhold Kallestrup]
They are promised
salvation if they confess.
414
00:22:04,240 --> 00:22:08,000
Maybe even the suspected
are interrogated so roughly
415
00:22:08,080 --> 00:22:10,640
so they start believing that
they have done these things.
416
00:22:10,720 --> 00:22:14,920
♪ ♪
417
00:22:15,000 --> 00:22:19,320
The executions took place on
the 24th of August, 1669.
418
00:22:19,400 --> 00:22:23,360
15 people were
sent to the pyres,
419
00:22:23,440 --> 00:22:25,320
but before being
sent to the pyres,
420
00:22:25,360 --> 00:22:26,480
they were all beheaded.
421
00:22:26,560 --> 00:22:31,480
♪ ♪
422
00:22:31,560 --> 00:22:34,520
[Alison Rowlands] The logic
at the time was it was a
very tiny shred of mercy
423
00:22:34,600 --> 00:22:37,080
shown to the condemned
by killing them quickly
424
00:22:37,120 --> 00:22:38,520
before their remains
were burned.
425
00:22:40,040 --> 00:22:43,520
[Ronald Hutton] Once they are
beheaded, their heads and their
426
00:22:43,600 --> 00:22:48,600
bodies are tied to stakes
so that the observers
427
00:22:48,640 --> 00:22:50,640
can see them clearly,
and then they're
428
00:22:50,720 --> 00:22:53,600
burned to ashes,
hanging from the stakes
429
00:22:53,680 --> 00:22:55,920
in clumps like grapes.
430
00:22:55,960 --> 00:22:59,720
[Diane Purkiss] The
underlying notion is that
to rid the area of witches,
431
00:22:59,800 --> 00:23:02,960
you have to completely
destroy their bodies as well.
432
00:23:03,040 --> 00:23:06,280
Just killing them and depriving
their body of volition
433
00:23:06,360 --> 00:23:07,280
won't do the job.
434
00:23:07,360 --> 00:23:08,680
[fire crackling]
435
00:23:08,760 --> 00:23:10,760
[narrator] These executions
are made possible
436
00:23:10,840 --> 00:23:13,000
by the hundreds of
child witnesses
437
00:23:13,080 --> 00:23:16,040
drawn into Mora's witch trials.
438
00:23:16,120 --> 00:23:20,200
Their testimonies secure
convictions and executions,
439
00:23:20,280 --> 00:23:23,560
but the children have also
incriminated themselves.
440
00:23:24,800 --> 00:23:26,280
Some of the children
were punished
441
00:23:26,360 --> 00:23:29,080
because they had
been in Blåkulla.
442
00:23:29,160 --> 00:23:33,840
They could be flogged, or they
could be shamed in the church.
443
00:23:33,920 --> 00:23:37,240
[Ronald Hutton] Or it can be
made into a running of the
444
00:23:37,320 --> 00:23:39,920
gauntlet whereby a posse of
adults line up,
445
00:23:40,000 --> 00:23:42,560
and the child is made
to run between them
446
00:23:42,640 --> 00:23:44,800
and is thrashed
heavily or lightly
447
00:23:44,880 --> 00:23:48,680
according to the personality
of the adult concerned.
448
00:23:50,240 --> 00:23:52,600
It's possible they're
also regarded
449
00:23:52,680 --> 00:23:56,200
with a certain amount of
esteem in their communities
450
00:23:56,280 --> 00:23:59,320
for having brought really
evil adults to their deaths.
451
00:24:01,520 --> 00:24:04,440
[Alison Rowlands] Because there
had been very few executions
452
00:24:04,520 --> 00:24:08,080
for witchcraft before this time
in Sweden, the impact of the
453
00:24:08,160 --> 00:24:11,400
public executions would
have been immense.
454
00:24:11,440 --> 00:24:15,440
[Ronald Huttdon] Observers,
especially in Stockholm and
the Royal Court,
455
00:24:15,520 --> 00:24:18,080
are beginning to
ask hard questions
456
00:24:18,160 --> 00:24:20,520
about the speed with which
the trials were conducted
457
00:24:20,600 --> 00:24:25,160
and the carelessness with
which evidence was evaluated.
458
00:24:25,240 --> 00:24:28,200
[Goran Malmstedt] One of
the members of the council
is reported to have said
459
00:24:28,280 --> 00:24:32,240
that the more you touch
this, the worse it will get.
460
00:24:32,320 --> 00:24:36,760
But if you acted drastically
in this kind of crisis,
461
00:24:36,840 --> 00:24:38,360
it could only get worse.
462
00:24:38,440 --> 00:24:42,120
At the same time, we have
these demands from the parishes
463
00:24:42,160 --> 00:24:44,560
to send out new commissions,
so even though the government
464
00:24:44,640 --> 00:24:47,800
find them ineffective, they
are still under pressure
465
00:24:47,880 --> 00:24:49,280
from local societies.
466
00:24:51,520 --> 00:24:54,240
[Ronald Huttdon] The Mora
trials are a centrifuge,
467
00:24:54,320 --> 00:24:57,080
with thousands of people
having watched them.
468
00:24:57,160 --> 00:25:00,080
These people then go home
and spread all the stories
469
00:25:00,160 --> 00:25:01,360
they've heard there.
470
00:25:01,400 --> 00:25:04,080
Once the children start
to dish out the stories,
471
00:25:04,160 --> 00:25:07,720
the spreading waves of
accusation become hard to stop.
472
00:25:08,800 --> 00:25:13,240
The spotlight shifts to a
hitherto totally obscure parish
473
00:25:13,320 --> 00:25:17,160
in rural north-central
Sweden called Torsåker,
474
00:25:17,240 --> 00:25:21,320
and that's going to become
the quintessence of horror
475
00:25:21,400 --> 00:25:22,920
in Swedish witch trials.
476
00:25:23,480 --> 00:25:26,480
[multiple distorted sounds]
477
00:25:29,880 --> 00:25:30,880
[sheep bleating]
478
00:25:32,080 --> 00:25:36,240
[Goran Malmstedt] Torsåker is a
small society in Norland,
479
00:25:36,280 --> 00:25:41,600
in the province of Ångermanland,
close to the coastline in
480
00:25:41,680 --> 00:25:43,880
the northern of Sweden.
481
00:25:43,960 --> 00:25:47,000
They were farmers, and
they had crop failures
482
00:25:47,080 --> 00:25:49,560
this year and the
year before also.
483
00:25:49,600 --> 00:25:51,520
It was difficult times for them.
484
00:25:54,600 --> 00:25:58,280
[Ronald Hutton] We now bring a
really interesting character
485
00:25:58,360 --> 00:25:59,840
onto the stage.
486
00:25:59,920 --> 00:26:02,440
He is a proper
villain of the peace.
487
00:26:02,520 --> 00:26:06,680
His name is Laurentius
Horneus, and he is a young,
488
00:26:06,760 --> 00:26:08,880
ambitious Lutheran minister.
489
00:26:10,120 --> 00:26:12,400
Unfortunately,
everything, it seems,
490
00:26:12,480 --> 00:26:15,200
that we know about his
career as a witch hunter
491
00:26:15,280 --> 00:26:17,960
comes from two
generations later,
492
00:26:18,040 --> 00:26:22,480
from his grandson working
on some local records
493
00:26:22,520 --> 00:26:25,760
and also on stories told
to him when he was a child
494
00:26:25,840 --> 00:26:27,000
by his grandmother.
495
00:26:27,080 --> 00:26:31,040
So the evidence in this
case is a little bit dodgy,
496
00:26:31,120 --> 00:26:35,000
but it is the most spectacular
single witch hunt in Sweden.
497
00:26:37,760 --> 00:26:40,640
[Louise Nyholm Kallestrup]
Two years after being
installed as a pastor,
498
00:26:40,720 --> 00:26:43,320
he receives a letter from
the central government
499
00:26:43,360 --> 00:26:46,240
that he should investigate
and start trials
500
00:26:46,320 --> 00:26:48,120
against potential witches.
501
00:26:48,160 --> 00:26:51,640
[Goran Malmstedt] And if they
could also get these suspected
502
00:26:51,720 --> 00:26:53,800
witches to confess, that
would be the best.
503
00:26:55,720 --> 00:26:58,200
[Louise Nyholm Kallestrup]
Compared to his colleagues,
504
00:26:58,280 --> 00:27:00,880
he was taking this order
very, very seriously.
505
00:27:02,440 --> 00:27:05,960
[Diane Purkiss] This
clergyman was so committed
506
00:27:06,040 --> 00:27:07,840
to the idea that
there were witches
507
00:27:07,880 --> 00:27:10,480
that he was willing
to do almost anything
508
00:27:10,560 --> 00:27:15,200
to ensure that the case
could be properly prosecuted
509
00:27:15,280 --> 00:27:17,040
and the accused convicted.
510
00:27:18,800 --> 00:27:20,320
Witch trial is,
among other things,
511
00:27:20,400 --> 00:27:22,480
an opportunity for
fame and fortune.
512
00:27:22,560 --> 00:27:26,120
If you are a fairly ordinary
justice of the peace
513
00:27:26,200 --> 00:27:29,680
or clergyman, and you
successfully prosecute
514
00:27:29,720 --> 00:27:32,840
lots of people for witchcraft,
you get your name in the papers.
515
00:27:32,920 --> 00:27:36,320
You stop being Joe Ordinary
and become somebody
516
00:27:36,400 --> 00:27:38,360
who's rid the world
of a major menace.
517
00:27:39,320 --> 00:27:40,320
[church bell tolling]
518
00:27:43,520 --> 00:27:45,560
[Goran Malstedt] Hornaeus, he
was the one responsible
519
00:27:45,640 --> 00:27:48,200
for the children witnesses.
520
00:27:48,280 --> 00:27:52,920
He used what is called
"Visgossar". Wise boys.
521
00:27:53,000 --> 00:27:55,280
There were a couple
of boys in this area
522
00:27:55,360 --> 00:27:58,120
that said that they
had capability
523
00:27:58,160 --> 00:28:01,000
to see who were
the real witches.
524
00:28:01,080 --> 00:28:03,680
And they can do so
simply by looking at them
525
00:28:03,760 --> 00:28:07,760
and seeing signs on the forehead
that mark somebody as a witch.
526
00:28:07,840 --> 00:28:11,040
They are generally very poor.
527
00:28:11,120 --> 00:28:13,120
They're early teenage.
528
00:28:13,200 --> 00:28:15,680
[Goran Malmstedt] They were
traveling around in this area,
529
00:28:15,760 --> 00:28:18,720
offering parishes and
priests that they could
530
00:28:18,760 --> 00:28:21,520
point out the witches
if they only got paid.
531
00:28:21,600 --> 00:28:24,360
[Ronald Hutton] They
are believed, because
they're supposed
532
00:28:24,400 --> 00:28:27,320
to be the kind of people who
go to the Witches' Sabbath
533
00:28:27,400 --> 00:28:30,680
taken on and groomed
by adult witches.
534
00:28:31,880 --> 00:28:33,680
When people came
out of service,
535
00:28:33,760 --> 00:28:35,720
they would stand and they
would point to the people
536
00:28:35,800 --> 00:28:38,120
that they would
believe were witches.
537
00:28:38,200 --> 00:28:41,160
Everybody would fear
meeting these boys.
538
00:28:41,200 --> 00:28:42,480
Could be enemies
of their families,
539
00:28:42,560 --> 00:28:44,120
people they've fallen out with,
or it could be the people
540
00:28:44,200 --> 00:28:48,160
that the minister has
primed them to identify.
541
00:28:48,240 --> 00:28:51,520
[Ronald Hutton] One of them
actually accuses Hornaeus' own
542
00:28:51,600 --> 00:28:54,960
wife, and she has the presence
of mind to slap the adolescent
543
00:28:55,040 --> 00:28:57,600
across the face and
realizing people
544
00:28:57,680 --> 00:28:58,840
are turning on him.
545
00:28:58,920 --> 00:29:01,160
He then claims he was
blinded by the sun
546
00:29:01,240 --> 00:29:03,760
and made a mistake and
backpedals very fast.
547
00:29:03,840 --> 00:29:07,160
♪ ♪
548
00:29:07,240 --> 00:29:11,520
[Louise Nyholm Kallestrup]
The torture methods applied
by Laurentius are gruesome.
549
00:29:11,600 --> 00:29:14,760
He would be what we would
call a true sadist, I think.
550
00:29:17,080 --> 00:29:21,280
He would dunk children and
people into ice water,
551
00:29:21,320 --> 00:29:24,960
and he would shovel the
children into ovens.
552
00:29:25,040 --> 00:29:28,400
If you had seen the images
of hell in churches,
553
00:29:28,480 --> 00:29:31,280
just imagine how frightening
it must have been
554
00:29:31,360 --> 00:29:33,720
to be put into an oven.
555
00:29:33,800 --> 00:29:35,720
[Diane Purkiss] He's almost
behaving like the wicked witch
556
00:29:35,800 --> 00:29:37,320
in the "Hansel and Gretel" tale.
557
00:29:37,400 --> 00:29:39,760
To catch a witch, you have
to be a witch, it seems.
558
00:29:41,360 --> 00:29:43,680
[Louise Nyholm Kallestrup]
Laurentius does not limit
559
00:29:43,760 --> 00:29:46,440
himself to torturing children
and suspected witches.
560
00:29:46,520 --> 00:29:49,360
He also tortures
regular witnesses,
561
00:29:49,440 --> 00:29:52,440
so he is really
zealous in his efforts
562
00:29:52,480 --> 00:29:54,760
of extracting what he
believes is the truth.
563
00:29:54,840 --> 00:29:56,840
♪ ♪
564
00:29:56,920 --> 00:29:59,520
[Diane Purkiss] The very fact
that you've pinned your hopes
565
00:29:59,600 --> 00:30:02,360
on the idea that children
will be able to tell you
566
00:30:02,440 --> 00:30:05,560
about being kidnapped by
witches means that you want the
567
00:30:05,600 --> 00:30:08,160
next child that you
speak to to confirm that
568
00:30:08,240 --> 00:30:10,760
version of the story and
make your case for you.
569
00:30:10,840 --> 00:30:13,600
You tend to sort of sink
all your intellectual
570
00:30:13,680 --> 00:30:17,560
and legal capital in a
particular version of events.
571
00:30:17,640 --> 00:30:20,080
[Ronald Hutton] He would
often construct testimony
572
00:30:20,160 --> 00:30:24,080
by taking really
rather fragmented,
573
00:30:24,160 --> 00:30:28,360
inadequate testimony from a
number of different witnesses
574
00:30:28,440 --> 00:30:32,480
and fusing it together
to make one polished
575
00:30:32,520 --> 00:30:36,160
and apparently convincing
single testimony.
576
00:30:36,240 --> 00:30:38,680
[narrator] Now Hornaeus
has completed his
577
00:30:38,760 --> 00:30:42,400
vicious investigations, the
trial in Torsåker can begin.
578
00:30:43,480 --> 00:30:45,800
Overseen by the
local authorities,
579
00:30:45,880 --> 00:30:47,760
it will become one
of the bloodiest
580
00:30:47,840 --> 00:30:50,080
witch trials in Sweden.
581
00:30:50,160 --> 00:30:51,920
[Louise Nyholm Kallestrup] In
an ordinary witchcraft trial,
582
00:30:51,960 --> 00:30:54,120
you would have maybe
one, maybe two,
583
00:30:54,200 --> 00:30:57,440
maybe three suspects
charged with witchcraft.
584
00:30:57,520 --> 00:30:59,680
Maybe you will have
one execution.
585
00:30:59,760 --> 00:31:02,400
Laurentius Hornaeus
had, in fact,
586
00:31:02,440 --> 00:31:06,360
a hundred people charged for
witchcraft at the same time.
587
00:31:06,440 --> 00:31:08,760
That was the largest
group of people
588
00:31:08,840 --> 00:31:10,600
in the entire course of events.
589
00:31:12,840 --> 00:31:14,840
His work is to round
up the confessors,
590
00:31:14,920 --> 00:31:17,920
especially among the
children, also to appear as a
591
00:31:18,000 --> 00:31:19,720
witness during the trials.
592
00:31:19,800 --> 00:31:22,320
He's not one of the jury,
he's just a witness,
593
00:31:22,400 --> 00:31:24,520
but he's a very active witness.
594
00:31:24,600 --> 00:31:27,520
[narrator] Almost 700 people
live in the area,
595
00:31:27,600 --> 00:31:31,640
and Hornaeus forces over 100
of them, mostly children,
596
00:31:31,680 --> 00:31:34,280
to make diabolical
and devastating
597
00:31:34,360 --> 00:31:36,000
accusations in court.
598
00:31:37,440 --> 00:31:40,080
[Ronald Hutton] There's the
usual mixture of generic stuff,
599
00:31:40,160 --> 00:31:43,240
like going off to
Blåkula and dancing,
600
00:31:43,320 --> 00:31:47,040
and there's the vivid
detail, like the story of
601
00:31:47,120 --> 00:31:51,920
milking barrels of milk
from the forefinger of
602
00:31:52,000 --> 00:31:54,680
a member of your family,
and then taking off
603
00:31:54,760 --> 00:31:58,880
the milk to Blåkula to
make butter for the party.
604
00:32:01,800 --> 00:32:06,800
[Goran Malmstedt] The
accused were kept in prison
in different houses.
605
00:32:06,880 --> 00:32:09,040
They didn't have
to lock the doors.
606
00:32:09,120 --> 00:32:11,200
They stayed there voluntarily.
607
00:32:11,280 --> 00:32:13,240
It wasn't easy for
them to run away,
608
00:32:13,320 --> 00:32:15,080
because where should they go?
609
00:32:15,120 --> 00:32:17,480
But it's difficult to
understand that they
610
00:32:17,560 --> 00:32:18,680
didn't take the chance.
611
00:32:20,120 --> 00:32:23,480
[Ronald Hutton] It's entirely
plausible that so many of the
612
00:32:23,520 --> 00:32:26,560
accused confess because
they've been convinced that
613
00:32:26,640 --> 00:32:29,320
it'll simply not be
viable to decimate the
614
00:32:29,400 --> 00:32:31,160
workforce of the community.
615
00:32:31,240 --> 00:32:33,400
And so to get it over
with quickly and
616
00:32:33,480 --> 00:32:35,960
present the authorities
with an absolutely
617
00:32:36,040 --> 00:32:39,120
impossible legal conundrum
seems a very good way of
618
00:32:39,200 --> 00:32:41,160
short-circuiting the system.
619
00:32:41,240 --> 00:32:44,680
[narrator] Almost 100 suspects
are put on trial.
620
00:32:44,760 --> 00:32:47,720
The commission finds
a staggering
621
00:32:47,760 --> 00:32:49,840
71 guilty of witchcraft.
622
00:32:49,920 --> 00:32:52,840
Despite the verdict, the
convicted witches are
623
00:32:52,920 --> 00:32:55,200
spared from execution...
624
00:32:55,240 --> 00:32:55,960
for now.
625
00:32:57,480 --> 00:32:59,440
[Ronald Hutton]
1st of June, 1675.
626
00:32:59,520 --> 00:33:01,640
[bells tolling]
627
00:33:01,720 --> 00:33:04,000
It is the beginning of
the Swedish Midsommar,
628
00:33:04,080 --> 00:33:07,360
and the whole community
is at church.
629
00:33:07,400 --> 00:33:09,760
♪ ♪
630
00:33:09,840 --> 00:33:11,800
[Louise Nyholm Kallestrup]
They were going to church,
631
00:33:11,880 --> 00:33:14,280
thinking that everything
was back to normal.
632
00:33:14,360 --> 00:33:16,960
If they were suspected
of witchcraft,
633
00:33:17,040 --> 00:33:19,760
they would not have been
let into a service.
634
00:33:19,800 --> 00:33:23,000
Somebody somewhere must
have said to these people
635
00:33:23,080 --> 00:33:25,040
that you are off the hook.
636
00:33:25,120 --> 00:33:27,640
♪ ♪
637
00:33:27,720 --> 00:33:32,520
[Ronald Hutton] And
somebody who is not the
minister of the community
638
00:33:32,600 --> 00:33:36,200
stands up and gives a hellfire
sermon against witches.
639
00:33:38,040 --> 00:33:41,200
On a signal from
him, the 71 accused
640
00:33:41,280 --> 00:33:45,480
people are rounded up by the
rest of their community.
641
00:33:45,520 --> 00:33:47,840
[Louise Nyholm Kallestrup]
All of a sudden, the door
is closed on them.
642
00:33:47,920 --> 00:33:50,120
[door slams]
643
00:33:50,200 --> 00:33:52,560
And they're not attending
a service anymore,
644
00:33:52,640 --> 00:33:54,080
and they're all told
that they're to be
645
00:33:54,160 --> 00:33:55,840
executed this morning.
646
00:33:55,920 --> 00:33:58,640
♪ ♪
647
00:34:02,640 --> 00:34:04,680
[Louise Nyholm Kallestrup]
So when the door closes in
648
00:34:04,760 --> 00:34:08,280
the church, it must have
been an atmosphere of panic,
649
00:34:08,360 --> 00:34:10,040
of fear, anxiety.
650
00:34:10,080 --> 00:34:12,280
♪ ♪
651
00:34:12,360 --> 00:34:15,600
They're dragged out of
church, and they're forced to
652
00:34:15,680 --> 00:34:17,960
walk by their neighbors,
by their families,
653
00:34:18,040 --> 00:34:20,360
pushing them, even though
they're resisting.
654
00:34:20,440 --> 00:34:22,560
♪ ♪
655
00:34:22,640 --> 00:34:25,280
[Goran Malmstedt] The neighbors
and the people in this parish
656
00:34:25,320 --> 00:34:30,120
guarded the way for the witches
to the place of execution.
657
00:34:31,320 --> 00:34:35,040
They were standing in rows
and in that way hindering
658
00:34:35,080 --> 00:34:36,760
them from any escape.
659
00:34:38,760 --> 00:34:41,520
♪ ♪
660
00:34:41,600 --> 00:34:46,000
It seems as if the relatives
were emotionally cold
661
00:34:46,080 --> 00:34:50,440
in this situation and
that they actually draw
662
00:34:50,520 --> 00:34:52,160
their relatives to their death.
663
00:34:52,240 --> 00:34:54,000
♪ ♪
664
00:34:54,080 --> 00:34:56,520
Some of the relatives
really believed
665
00:34:56,600 --> 00:35:01,120
that their wife or mother
actually was a witch.
666
00:35:02,720 --> 00:35:05,920
[Ronald Hutton] They are frog
marched three miles uphill
667
00:35:06,000 --> 00:35:10,040
to a place which is known
by various names now
668
00:35:10,080 --> 00:35:12,880
of which Witch Mountain
is the most often quoted.
669
00:35:12,960 --> 00:35:15,800
♪ ♪
670
00:35:15,880 --> 00:35:19,040
Some of them walk
with dignity and speed.
671
00:35:19,120 --> 00:35:22,120
Some bring up the
rear lamenting.
672
00:35:22,200 --> 00:35:25,880
They are driven up the slope
and see in front of them
673
00:35:25,960 --> 00:35:29,680
these three enormous
bonfires, one for each parish
674
00:35:29,760 --> 00:35:30,800
in the region.
675
00:35:30,840 --> 00:35:33,520
[screaming]
676
00:35:33,600 --> 00:35:36,360
[Louise Nyholm Kallestrup]
At the mountain, the
bonfires are ready.
677
00:35:36,440 --> 00:35:39,440
This stage has been set
for the executions.
678
00:35:39,520 --> 00:35:42,120
This is not a spontaneous act.
679
00:35:42,200 --> 00:35:43,800
♪ ♪
680
00:35:43,880 --> 00:35:46,560
[Ronald Hutton] One by
one, they are beheaded.
681
00:35:46,640 --> 00:35:51,120
They are so numerous that
they have to be beheaded
682
00:35:51,200 --> 00:35:54,440
with the heads of the
blood heading downhill
683
00:35:54,480 --> 00:35:56,920
so that the blood won't
extinguish the fires
684
00:35:57,000 --> 00:35:58,160
which have now been lit.
685
00:35:58,240 --> 00:35:59,880
[fire crackling]
686
00:35:59,960 --> 00:36:04,600
Their bodies are piled up upon
the enormous pyres of brushwood
687
00:36:05,680 --> 00:36:07,360
and roasted to pieces.
688
00:36:07,440 --> 00:36:15,000
♪ ♪
689
00:36:15,040 --> 00:36:17,480
[Louise Nyholm Kallestrup]
By the end of the day,
690
00:36:17,560 --> 00:36:21,080
71 people from this
small area were executed,
691
00:36:21,160 --> 00:36:24,680
one-fifth of all the
women in these towns.
692
00:36:24,760 --> 00:36:27,280
That is very, very
hard to believe
693
00:36:27,360 --> 00:36:30,680
how damaging and horrible
this must have been
694
00:36:30,720 --> 00:36:31,920
to local society.
695
00:36:33,840 --> 00:36:36,040
[Ronald Hutton] Households
would have been ruined
696
00:36:36,120 --> 00:36:38,520
right across the community.
697
00:36:38,560 --> 00:36:42,120
It's really the furthest
extreme to which a local witch
698
00:36:42,200 --> 00:36:44,120
trial can logically go.
699
00:36:44,160 --> 00:36:46,480
♪ ♪
700
00:36:46,560 --> 00:36:49,800
[Goran Malmstedt] The president
of the fourth commission,
701
00:36:49,880 --> 00:36:53,320
his name was Sparre,
when he learned that
702
00:36:53,400 --> 00:36:56,640
they did execute,
he got furious.
703
00:36:56,680 --> 00:36:59,160
What he has told
the subcommissions
704
00:36:59,240 --> 00:37:01,760
was that they shouldn't
do an execution
705
00:37:01,840 --> 00:37:04,040
without consulting him.
706
00:37:04,120 --> 00:37:06,400
So he wrote down
to the government
707
00:37:06,480 --> 00:37:09,280
and got the
commission dissolved.
708
00:37:09,360 --> 00:37:16,000
♪ ♪
709
00:37:16,080 --> 00:37:18,640
[Ronald Hutton] According to
the record of memory,
710
00:37:18,720 --> 00:37:21,360
the Wise Boys, the
young adolescents
711
00:37:21,400 --> 00:37:24,400
who point out suspects
coming out of church
712
00:37:24,480 --> 00:37:27,880
were murdered, their
bodies hacked to pieces,
713
00:37:27,960 --> 00:37:31,440
were found by the roadside
soon after the incident.
714
00:37:31,520 --> 00:37:34,720
So there a rough kind of justice
does seem to have been done.
715
00:37:34,800 --> 00:37:37,600
♪ ♪
716
00:37:37,680 --> 00:37:39,960
[Louise Nyholm Kallestrup]
Many of the witnesses, due
to the torture
717
00:37:40,040 --> 00:37:43,080
that Hornaeus applied on them,
were crippled afterwards,
718
00:37:43,160 --> 00:37:45,440
so they had to live
in the society
719
00:37:45,520 --> 00:37:48,000
together with the men
that crippled them.
720
00:37:50,040 --> 00:37:52,880
[Goran Malmstedt]
According to his grandson,
721
00:37:52,920 --> 00:37:56,840
people were afraid of him,
afraid of passing by his house.
722
00:37:58,120 --> 00:38:02,360
We know that he tried to get
another parish later on,
723
00:38:02,440 --> 00:38:06,200
and he didn't get it, so
his career didn't improve.
724
00:38:08,480 --> 00:38:10,840
[Ronald Hutton] He seems to
have done nothing else of note
725
00:38:10,920 --> 00:38:12,560
for the rest of his life.
726
00:38:12,600 --> 00:38:15,040
He just goes back
to being a nobody,
727
00:38:15,120 --> 00:38:19,920
having apparently produced
the worst judicial atrocities
728
00:38:20,000 --> 00:38:21,720
in the entire history of Sweden.
729
00:38:21,800 --> 00:38:27,800
♪ ♪
730
00:38:27,840 --> 00:38:31,200
[Louise Nyholm Kallestrup] When
we reach the summer of 1675,
731
00:38:31,280 --> 00:38:33,920
the news of the witch
trials have been known in
732
00:38:34,000 --> 00:38:35,480
Stockholm for many years.
733
00:38:35,560 --> 00:38:38,560
This is not something that they
have been confronted with,
734
00:38:38,640 --> 00:38:40,440
at least not the
gruesome details.
735
00:38:40,520 --> 00:38:43,440
♪ ♪
736
00:38:43,520 --> 00:38:46,880
[narrator] Now fresh
accusations from a teenage boy
737
00:38:46,960 --> 00:38:48,680
will not only bring
the witch trials
738
00:38:48,760 --> 00:38:51,280
to the capital of
Stockholm itself,
739
00:38:51,360 --> 00:38:55,040
but also reach new
levels of brutality.
740
00:38:55,080 --> 00:38:58,840
♪ ♪
741
00:39:03,600 --> 00:39:06,280
[Ronald Hutton] The witch
hunt in Stockholm itself
742
00:39:06,360 --> 00:39:10,560
is precipitated by a
loose-lipped adolescent.
743
00:39:10,640 --> 00:39:11,800
He's 13 years old.
744
00:39:11,880 --> 00:39:14,480
He comes from the countryside
outside Stockholm,
745
00:39:14,520 --> 00:39:16,960
and he brings in
the usual claims
746
00:39:17,040 --> 00:39:20,800
of flying to Blåkulla,
seeing other people there,
747
00:39:20,880 --> 00:39:23,720
and in doing so, of course,
kick-starts a witch hunt.
748
00:39:23,800 --> 00:39:27,200
[Goran Malmstedt] He's
called the Gävle boy
because he was from Gävle,
749
00:39:27,280 --> 00:39:31,000
and he started pointing
out women in Stockholm
750
00:39:31,080 --> 00:39:33,520
as people he had
met in Blåkulla.
751
00:39:34,840 --> 00:39:37,920
[Ronald Hutton] And because of
the rumors of Witches' Sabbath
752
00:39:38,000 --> 00:39:40,960
and child witnesses,
which have been leaking
753
00:39:41,040 --> 00:39:44,600
into Stockholm now
for almost a decade,
754
00:39:44,640 --> 00:39:46,680
in one rather poor
area of the city,
755
00:39:46,760 --> 00:39:48,720
it produces a
classic witch hunt.
756
00:39:48,800 --> 00:39:49,840
[chain rattles]
757
00:39:51,840 --> 00:39:54,880
[Goran Malmstedt] They form a
commission in Stockholm.
758
00:39:54,960 --> 00:39:57,480
Some of the members
of this commission
759
00:39:57,560 --> 00:40:01,480
are skeptical to the
children's witnesses.
760
00:40:02,920 --> 00:40:06,320
[Ronald Hutton] The witch hunt
in the Katarina suburb
761
00:40:06,400 --> 00:40:09,280
in Stockholm is
a small one.
762
00:40:09,360 --> 00:40:13,760
There are eight women
accused, but the particularly
763
00:40:13,800 --> 00:40:17,760
notorious episode is
that one of the women
764
00:40:17,840 --> 00:40:22,000
concerned, Malin Matsdotter,
is not only found
765
00:40:22,080 --> 00:40:25,960
guilty and executed, but
she's actually burned alive,
766
00:40:26,000 --> 00:40:28,880
which is very rare for
a convicted witch.
767
00:40:28,960 --> 00:40:31,120
♪ ♪
768
00:40:31,160 --> 00:40:33,080
[Goran Malmstedt] I think it
was because they thought
769
00:40:33,160 --> 00:40:36,880
that she was so
eager not to confess
770
00:40:36,920 --> 00:40:38,680
and to protest about the trials.
771
00:40:40,360 --> 00:40:43,920
[Louise Nyholm Kallestrup]
There's a big difference
between seeing a corpse burning
772
00:40:44,000 --> 00:40:48,480
and seeing a human person
being burned to death.
773
00:40:48,560 --> 00:40:51,160
We cannot underestimate
the impression
774
00:40:51,200 --> 00:40:54,360
this must have left on
people to seeing a person
775
00:40:54,440 --> 00:40:55,360
being burned to death.
776
00:40:55,440 --> 00:41:02,440
♪ ♪
777
00:41:02,520 --> 00:41:07,240
The decisive turning point
in the Swedish witch trials
778
00:41:07,320 --> 00:41:12,360
is when the child witnesses
begin to confess themselves
779
00:41:12,440 --> 00:41:14,520
to having made up their stories.
780
00:41:14,600 --> 00:41:18,800
Sensing that the tide of opinion
is turning against them,
781
00:41:18,880 --> 00:41:22,800
others of the child witnesses
in the Katarina trials
782
00:41:22,880 --> 00:41:25,800
confess to having
given false witness.
783
00:41:25,880 --> 00:41:29,120
And the end product of
this, the very last victim
784
00:41:29,160 --> 00:41:33,120
of the Katarina trials, is
that the witness who kicks
785
00:41:33,200 --> 00:41:36,200
them off in the first
place, the Gävle boy,
786
00:41:36,280 --> 00:41:39,680
is himself tried and sentenced
to death for perjury,
787
00:41:39,760 --> 00:41:40,600
and he is hanged.
788
00:41:40,680 --> 00:41:45,040
♪ ♪
789
00:41:45,120 --> 00:41:48,960
[Louise Nyholm Kallestrup]
After the boy is sentenced to
execution for perjury,
790
00:41:49,040 --> 00:41:51,240
the government decides
to put a lid on this,
791
00:41:51,320 --> 00:41:53,320
to put an end to
the witch trials.
792
00:41:55,160 --> 00:41:57,080
[Ronald Hutton There are
no more commissions.
793
00:41:57,120 --> 00:42:01,600
There's no more tacit
encouragement from the center
794
00:42:01,680 --> 00:42:05,560
for clergy to go around
urging on accusations.
795
00:42:05,640 --> 00:42:09,600
They simply state that there
are no more witches in Sweden,
796
00:42:09,680 --> 00:42:15,200
and this is basically as
interesting and as odd
797
00:42:15,240 --> 00:42:18,520
as the start of all this panic,
that you can simply just
798
00:42:18,600 --> 00:42:21,040
state that, well, end of it.
799
00:42:22,680 --> 00:42:25,440
This is not just something
that you can decide
800
00:42:25,520 --> 00:42:27,640
from the government,
because the devil
801
00:42:27,720 --> 00:42:29,280
is still out there.
802
00:42:29,360 --> 00:42:31,400
This doesn't make sense,
that you can simply decide
803
00:42:31,480 --> 00:42:32,600
there are no more witches.
804
00:42:32,680 --> 00:42:37,920
♪ ♪
805
00:42:38,000 --> 00:42:41,360
[Ronald Hutton] This is a small
country with a low population.
806
00:42:41,400 --> 00:42:44,520
The victims are generally
in thinly populated
807
00:42:44,600 --> 00:42:47,760
rural districts, and
so the impact on the
808
00:42:47,840 --> 00:42:52,760
communities concerned is
devastating in a way that
809
00:42:52,840 --> 00:42:54,760
bigger witch hunts are not.
810
00:42:56,200 --> 00:42:58,240
[Goran Malmstedt] And then you
have thousands of children
811
00:42:58,280 --> 00:43:01,280
that appeared as accuser
and were engaged
812
00:43:01,360 --> 00:43:04,240
in getting people
convicted and killed.
813
00:43:06,440 --> 00:43:11,680
Considering that we don't have
such big witch hunts in Sweden
814
00:43:11,760 --> 00:43:16,360
before or since the Great Noise,
it's an exceptional event.
815
00:43:17,920 --> 00:43:21,960
[narrator] These brutal Swedish
witch hunts have come to an end.
816
00:43:22,040 --> 00:43:26,640
Over nine years, around 200
people have been slaughtered
817
00:43:26,720 --> 00:43:29,560
for the impossible
crime of witchcraft.
818
00:43:32,520 --> 00:43:35,640
By the last decades
of the 17th century,
819
00:43:35,720 --> 00:43:38,000
people throughout Europe
begin to question
820
00:43:38,080 --> 00:43:39,960
whether witches truly exist.
821
00:43:41,440 --> 00:43:43,720
The age of the great
European witch hunt
822
00:43:43,800 --> 00:43:47,840
is drawing to a close,
but it isn't over yet.
823
00:43:47,920 --> 00:43:48,840
♪ ♪
824
00:43:48,920 --> 00:43:49,920
[crows cawing]
825
00:43:50,640 --> 00:43:53,640
[birds chirping]
826
00:43:55,560 --> 00:43:58,560
[wind softly blows]
68042
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