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40 Real People Executed for Witchcraft

Tim Flight October 15, 2019 27 min

9. Anne Løset celebrated Christmas with Satan and was burned at the stake in 1679

Much of Dovrefjell looks like something out of a fairytale, so no wonder it had an alleged witch! FjordNorway

One of the last witches executed in Norway lived in Sunnmøre in the late 17^th century. Like many witches, Anne Løset was poor, and had to beg to make ends meet. When refused, hunger and desperation made her scold and threaten others. She made the threats during a period of intense witch persecution, and soon she found herself charged with witchcraft. A priest convinced Anne to confess to harming livestock and the usual witch’s crimes. She even told the court she’d spent Christmas with Satan up in the Dovrefjell mountains. In 1679, Anne was burned at the stake in Rovde.

Written by

Tim Flight

I am a freelance historical and literary writer based in West Yorkshire, UK. I read for a funded PhD in English at the University of Oxford (Magdalen College) and graduated in 2016. I am a former lecturer in Medieval English Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London. My publications include peer-reviewed articles in academic publications, and pieces in mainstream magazines such as History Today and Fortean Times. For more information, please see www.drflight.co.uk