The Kirkjuból witch trial was a witch trial that took place in Kirkjuból in 1656, in what is today Ísafjörður, in

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

. It is the most famous witch trial in Iceland.

Witch trial

The plaintiff in the trial was pastor Jón Magnússon (author), who had been suffering poor health since 1654. He contended that his illness, as well as what he described as demonic disturbances in his household and in the surrounding district, were brought on by sorcery practiced by two members of his own congregation, who also sang in the choir, a father and son both named Jón Jónsson. The elder Jón confessed to owning a book about magic and that he had used it against Jón Magnússon. The son also confessed to having made the pastor ill and of having used magical signs and farting runes (Fretrúnir) against a girl. The curse of farting was intended to be relentless; to not only humiliate the victim, but also to bring about chronic abdominal discomfort and weakness. Both father and son were found guilty of sorcery and were executed by burning at the stake. After they were executed, the priest was awarded all their material holdings. Claiming that the disturbances and sicknesses did not cease, he then accused a Thuridur (Þuríður) Jónsdóttir, the daughter/sister of the Jónssons, of witchcraft. The case was brought to

Þingvellir Þingvellir (, anglicised as ThingvellirThe spelling ''Pingvellir'' is sometimes seen, although the letter "p" is unrelated to the letter "þ" (thorn), which is pronounced as "th".) was the site of the Alþing, the annual parliament of Iceland ...

, was dismissed and the woman let free. She later countersued for wrongful persecution and was vindicated. She was awarded the pastor's belongings as compensation. In Iceland, magic was often practiced and not necessarily associated with the

Devil A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conceptions of ...

, but the religious and secular authorities, influenced directly or indirectly by

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

and Germany, had a different view on the subject.

In fiction

The witch trial inspired a film by

Hrafn Gunnlaugsson Hrafn Gunnlaugsson (born 17 June 1948) is an Icelandic film director. He is the brother of mathematician Þorvaldur Gunnlaugsson and the lawyer Snædís Gunnlaugsdóttir and the actress Tinna Gunnlaugsdóttir. He is mostly known for his series o ...

in 2000 called "Myrkrahöfðinginn", or "The Prince of Darkness". The film's storyline departs markedly from the original court records and the account written by Jón Magnússon in the 17th century, which is known by the title Píslarsaga Síra Jóns Magnússonar, or Story of Sufferings of Jón Magnússon.

References

*http://www.newliving.com/issues/may_2004/articles/mystical%20iceland.html *https://web.archive.org/web/20080331183727/http://www.vestfirdir.is/galdrasyning/executed.php *Jan Guillou, Häxornas försvarare, Piratförlaget 2002 () *https://web.archive.org/web/20080327073140/http://www.vestfirdir.is/galdrasyning/famous_cases.php *Zarrillo, Dominick The Icelandic Witch Craze of the Seventeenth Century. In Academia.edu., from 2018 https://www.academia.edu/36665790/The_Icelandic_Witch_Craze_of_the_Seventeenth_Century {{DEFAULTSORT:Kirkjubol Witch Trial 17th century in Iceland Witch trials in Iceland 1656 in law 1656 in Europe