Stedelen (dead c. 1400) was a man who was accused of being a
witch
Witchcraft traditionally means the use of Magic (supernatural), magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In Middle Ages, medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually ...
in
Boltigen
Boltigen is a municipality in the Obersimmental-Saanen administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.
Boltigen is a mixed community, with traits both of a burgess community and a village community. Beside it, there is also a ref ...
,
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
between 1397 and 1406.
Background
After the harvest had failed at his village, Stedelen was accused of using
black magic
Black magic, also known as dark magic, has traditionally referred to the use of supernatural powers or magic for evil and selfish purposes, specifically the seven magical arts prohibited by canon law, as expounded by Johannes Hartlieb in 14 ...
to destroy the crops, killing cattle
and also sacrificing a black rooster on the Sabbath at a crossroad and placing a lizard under the doorway of a local church.
Peter von Greyerz, the judge of Simmental between 1398–1406, was a firm believer in witchcraft, which he believed had been introduced in Simmental by a noble man called Scavius in 1375, who claimed he could transform himself to a mouse (as recorded in
Johannes Nider
Johannes Nider (c. 1380 – 13 August 1438) was a German theologian.
__NOTOC__ Life
Nider was born in Swabia. He entered the Order of Preachers at Colmar and after profession was sent to Vienna for his philosophical studies, which he finished ...
's seminal work ''
Formicarius
The ''Formicarius'', written 1436–1438 by Johannes Nider during the Council of Florence and first printed in 1475, is the second book ever printed to discuss witchcraft (the first book being Alphonso de Spina's ''Fortalitium Fidei''). Nider de ...
'').
Scavius was slaughtered by his enemies, but he had a student, Hoppo, who, according to Greyerz, had been the tutor of Stedelen.
There are no records about Hoppo, but Stedelen from
Boltigen
Boltigen is a municipality in the Obersimmental-Saanen administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.
Boltigen is a mixed community, with traits both of a burgess community and a village community. Beside it, there is also a ref ...
had allegedly been made an expert on magic by Hoppo, and supposedly learned to steal manure, hay and such from others' fields to his own by magic, create hail and thunderstorms, make people and animals sterile, make horses crazy when he touched their hooves, fly, and scare those who captured him. Greyerz also accused Stedelen of having taken the milk from the cows of a married couple in order to make the wife miscarry.
Trial
His trial took place in a
secular
Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin ''saeculum'', "worldly" or "of a generation"), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. Anything that does not have an explicit reference to religion, either negativ ...
court, Stedelen admitted to the charge (under torture) of summoning forth
demon
A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in Media (communication), media such as comics, video ...
s as part of a
pact with the Devil
A deal with the Devil (also called a Faustian bargain or Mephistophelian bargain) is a cultural motif exemplified by the legend of Faust and the figure of Mephistopheles, as well as being elemental to many Christian traditions. According to t ...
and being part of a cult.
Stedelen was
burned at the stake
Death by burning (also known as immolation) is an execution and murder method involving combustion or exposure to extreme heat. It has a long history as a form of public capital punishment, and many societies have employed it as a punishment f ...
.
Greyerz believed there existed a satanic cult, whose members swore themselves to the Devil and ate children at the churches at night. He continued his persecutions and once tortured a woman to confirm this.
See also
*
Deal with the Devil
A deal with the Devil (also called a Faustian bargain or Mephistophelian bargain) is a cultural motif exemplified by the legend of Faust and the figure of Mephistopheles, as well as being elemental to many Christian traditions. According to ...
*
Witch trial
A witch-hunt, or a witch purge, is a search for people who have been labeled witches or a search for evidence of witchcraft. The classical period of witch-hunts in Early Modern Europe and Colonial America took place in the Early Modern perio ...
*
Witchcraft
Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have ...
References
Sources
* Eva Kärfve, "Den stora ondskan i Valais", (Swedish).
*
* Formicarius NIDER (Johannes) Augsburg, Anton Sorg
bout 1484 folio (An - y.9)
External links
Hexerei - the Pact with the Devil (Link is dead)
People executed for witchcraft
Swiss torture victims
Executed Swiss people
People executed by Switzerland by burning
15th-century Swiss people
Witch trials in Switzerland
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