Eric Clauesson (or Erik Klasson; died 1492) was a Swedish man executed for sorcery, theft and

heresy Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, particularly the accepted beliefs or religious law of a religious organization. A heretic is a proponent of heresy. Heresy in Heresy in Christian ...

, though in reality he was executed for his

paganism Paganism (, later 'civilian') is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Christianity, Judaism, and Samaritanism. In the time of the ...

. His case illustrates the survival of the pre-Christian pagan

Norse religion Old Norse religion, also known as Norse paganism, is a branch of Germanic religion which developed during the Proto-Norse period, when the North Germanic peoples separated into distinct branches. It was replaced by Christianity and forgotten ...

in Sweden as late as in the 15th century. Clauesson worked as a servant to Hans Persson on the Swedish island of Värmdö. In 1492, he was put before the court in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

, where he confessed that he had sworn himself to the old Nordic god

Odin Odin (; from ) is a widely revered god in Norse mythology and Germanic paganism. Most surviving information on Odin comes from Norse mythology, but he figures prominently in the recorded history of Northern Europe. This includes the Roman Em ...

to escape poverty and that he had stolen from his master several times. This was a peculiar case; Clauesson was judged for paganism, which could be seen as a form of heresy, but officially for sorcery, an unusual crime in Sweden at this point, and it is hard to determine whether this was a witch trial or a trial of heresy. Clauesson himself clearly meant the old pagan god Odin, but Odinlike other pagan godswas considered by the church to be a devil, so "Odin" was translated as "Satan" by the court, and Clauesson was thereby judged as a devil-worshipper. This was, by all accounts, a trial of heresy, against paganism. The verdict was that he should be executed by the

breaking wheel The breaking wheel, also known as the execution wheel, the Wheel of Catherine or the (Saint) Catherine('s) Wheel, was a torture method used for public execution primarily in Europe from antiquity through the Middle Ages up to the 19th century ...

and hanged for the theft. For his other, religious crime, of "the highest matter" against "God and his immortal soul", he was sentenced to be burned at the stake; as the religious crime was more important than the theft, this was the punishment that was to be carried out. While Swedish law did not actually mention such crimes at the time, the verdict can be seen as a sign that the Catholic Church at that point held a strong position in Sweden, similar to that of the continent, where cases of heresy were more common. Clauesson was not the only one to be put on trial for worshipping the old gods. On 27 October 1484, Ragvald Odenskarl (Ragvald The Follower of Odin, as the court called him) was put on trial in Stockholm for theft from several churches in

Uppland Uppland is a historical province or ' on the eastern coast of Sweden, just north of Stockholm, the capital. It borders Södermanland, Västmanland and Gästrikland. It is also bounded by lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea. The name literally ...

; he claimed to have served Odin for seven years and named an accomplice, Johan Land. Odenskarl is believed to have been burned, while Land saved himself by asking to be an executioner.

References

* Christer Öhman (In Swedish): ''Helgon, bönder och krigare. Berättelser ur den svenska historien'' (Saints, peasants and warriors. Stories from the Swedish history) (1994) * Bengt Ankarloo (In Swedish: ''Satans raseri'' (The Rage of Satan) (2007) {{DEFAULTSORT:Clauesson, Lars 15th-century births 1492 deaths People executed by Sweden by burning Executed Swedish people People executed by the Kalmar Union 15th-century Swedish people People executed for heresy Swedish pagans Pagan martyrs People from Värmdö Municipality

See also

References