Anna Zippel, also spelled as Sippel or Sippela (died 29 April 1676), was an alleged Swedish

witch Witchcraft is the use of magic by a person called a witch. Traditionally, "witchcraft" means the use of magic to inflict supernatural harm or misfortune on others, and this remains the most common and widespread meaning. According to ''Enc ...

, one of the most famous ones of the Katarina witch trials 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 ...

during the Swedish witch mania "Det stora Oväsendet" ("The Great Noise") of 1668–1676; She was called "The Queen of

Blockula Blockula (Blåkulla in modern Swedish, translated to "Blue Hill") was a legendary island where the Devil held his Earthly court during a witches' Sabbath. It was described as containing a massive meadow with no visible end, and a large house wher ...

", and together with her sister Brita Zippel the most famous witch in Swedish history, famed for her proud defense. Together with her sister,

Brita Zippel Brita Zippel, also called Britta Sippel (died 29 April 1676) was an alleged Swedish witch, known as "Näslösan", one of the victims of the Katarina witch trials during the great witch hunt known as "Det Stora oväsendet" ("The Great noise") in ...

, and her friend and business partner Anna Månsdotter, she was the first woman in Stockholm to be accused of abducting children to

Witches' Sabbath A Witches' Sabbath is a purported gathering of those believed to practice witchcraft and other rituals. The phrase became especially popular in the 20th century. Origin of the phrase The most infamous and influential work of witch-hunting lor ...

Satan Satan, also known as the Devil, is a devilish entity in Abrahamic religions who seduces humans into sin (or falsehood). In Judaism, Satan is seen as an agent subservient to God, typically regarded as a metaphor for the '' yetzer hara'', or ' ...

Background

Anna Zippel was a wealthy middle-class woman. Her brothers were sports instructors at the royal court, and her husband Bengt Bråk owned several bakeries, properties, and a mill. She sold medicines made by her close friend, the independent and attractive hatmaker, Anna Månsdotter. She supported her impoverished sister Brita Zippel, even though they were not close. Unlike her sister Brita Zippel, she was a respected and dignified woman. She had a place in high society and, according to witnesses, was on friendly terms with the mayor Thegnérs wife, the wife of the city-captain, Margareta Remmer, and madame de la Vallée, wife of the famed architect

Jean de la Vallée Jean de la Vallée ( – 12 March 1696) was a Swedish architect. Biography Born in France, he was the son of architect Simon de la Vallée (–1642). He made early trips in France and Italy where he studied the new baroque forms of architect ...

of the Royal house. Aware that accusations of sorcery were not accepted against members of the upper-classes, Anna would later state this in the trial against her. Anna was described as a tall, proud woman with elegant posture, and she seems to have been interested in fashion. The children described her as the "Queen of Blåkulla", dressed in expensive clothing, in diamonds, a train, and with her hair in curls. Teenage girls claimed she had dressed them for marriage to the Devil in Hell. It is possible she was accused because of her sister and her friend. Her sister, Brita, had been accused of sorcery twice before, and her friend, Anna Månsdotter was called "Vipp-upp-med-näsan" ("Up-with-the-nose") because of her provocative confidence, disregard of gossip and public opinion, and her business selling medicines to wealthy people. Anna Månsdotter also had taught Anna Zippel's daughters to sew.

Accused

A child pointed her out in the street, screaming ''"She was the one who took me to the Devil!"'' before fainting. People claimed her medicine was really magical potions. Her former maid came forth with a litany of claims: Zippel sent her on mysterious missions in the middle of the night, Zippel met with Anna Månsdotter in her room in the night, the Devil filled Zippel's basement with money regularly, the ghost of a dog guarded her garden, and she bathed every time she made medicine. The maid also accused Zippel of asking for the first blood of her menstruation, telling her to smear her body with it and use it to write a name on her forehead. The maid also claimed she had been sick for three years after leaving Zippel's employment. Anna Zippel's husband was also accused to have abducted children to Blåkulla. When the children of her sister and herself were questioned, they claimed she had taken them to the Sabbath of Satan. Her sister's children were even more eager to point at her than at their mother, saying that she took them to the Devil when their mother was indisposed. Zippel's friend, Anna Månsdotter, was also accused of abducting children, and of scraping the gold of the church bells on her way to Blåkulla. Anna Zippel was considered a very powerful witch. When she was taken to jail, she spat at a man who shouted at her and he fell dead. A caretaker at the jail who looked her in the face died as well.

Trial

Anna Zippel behaved with great dignity during the trial, defending herself with fearlessness and confidence. Fifty witnesses testified against her. She stated that she and her husband had made their wealth with hard work and companionship, and that she and her friend Anna Månsdotter had great skill in making medicine. She said she was proud of the way she treated her children and her servants, and that people had come with these allegations because of jealousy. She said it did not matter how many people testified against her—she was still innocent—and even if all the priests and bishops in the kingdom testified against her, it would not change that fact. She refused all accusations made against her, her sister, and her friend, calling them accusations made of evil and aggression. When the three women were sentenced to be decapitated and burned at the stake, she replied, ''"Well! I am still innocent! God forgive you for the verdict you just made!"''

Execution

During the execution, Anna seemed to have lost all will to fight. Unlike her sister,

, who fought every step of the way and drew a lot of attention when brought forward, Anna was described as completely numb, as if unaware of what happened. She was taken last. She said nothing, did not listen to the priests and did not even move. The executioner's helpers led her up to the platform as if she were a doll. On the platform, her head was cut off, her corpse was nailed to a ladder, and the ladder dropped on the stake.

References

* Alf Åberg (1989). Häxorna. De stora trolldomsprocesserna i Sverige 1668-1676. Göteborg: Novum Grafiska AB. ISBN 91-24-16385-6 * Ankarloo, Bengt, Satans raseri: en sannfärdig berättelse om det stora häxoväsendet i Sverige och omgivande länder, Ordfront, Stockholm, 2007 * Widding, Lars, När häxbålen brann: en dokumentär berättelse, Norstedt, Stockholm, 1980 * Jan Guillou, Häxornas försvarare, Piratförlaget 2002 () * Fogelström, Per Anders,
En bok om Söder
Bonnier, Stockholm, 1953 * https://web.archive.org/web/20070618062943/http://www.edu.vanersborg.se/Bsgweb/kvinnoboken/2006/haxor.htm * Stig Linnell: ''Ur Stockholms spökhus. Häxorna i Katarina'', From the ghosthouses of Stockholm. The witches of Katarina' 1998 {{DEFAULTSORT:Zippel, Anna 1676 deaths 17th-century executions by Sweden Executed Swedish women People executed by Sweden by decapitation People executed by the Swedish Empire Swedish people executed for witchcraft Year of birth unknown

Background

Accused

Trial

Execution

See also

References