Copyright © Hans Högman 2021-07-02
Witch Trials in Njurunda,
Medelpad, 1642
Elin of Kvissle
Njurunda is a parish
about 10 km (6 miles)
south of Sundsvall City in
Medelpad province,
central Sweden. Kvissle
or formally Kvissleby is
the major place in the
parish, located at the
mouth of Ljungan River.
In 1642, the Njurunda
District Court sentenced
the widow Elin of Kvissle
to be "burned at the stake", but she was later
released by the Court of Appeal for lack of evidence.
Elin and her sister Sigrid were suspected of
practicing witchcraft. They were accused by the
parish minister in Njurunda of using magic to make
his cows stop producing milk. Among other things, a
snake skull with other suspicious objects such as
snake-skin and black flour etc. had been found in a
casket at widow Elin's home.
Nothing could be proved but Elin was prosecuted
anyway. After several investigations in 1640-1642,
according to preserved documents, Elin was
sentenced to be burned alive "on a stake" for
sorcery as a deterrent. However, the sentence was
not carried out.
The parish minister who pushed the case in the
district court had already in 1620 accused Elin of
being responsible for the under-milking of his cows
and accused her and her sister Sigrid several times
of sorcery, including in 1638, but due to lack of
evidence the case was not settled that time.
Elin and her sister were also convicted in 1629 of
having sexual intercourse with two traveling
coppersmiths, but were pardoned.
In the kept minutes of the district court proceedings,
we can read that Elin and Sigrid were very much
disliked in the parish. They were probably not very
submissive to the local authorities either.
In 1642, the Court of Appeal acquitted Elin
completely for lack of evidence.
Related Links
•
Local history, Sundsvall
•
The Armsjö murder in 1849, Njurunda
•
The Witch Trials in Torsåker, Ångermanland,
Sweden, 1675
Witch Trials in
Njurunda 1642