Quiwe Baarsen (pronounced ''KI-vi'') (died 1627), was a North

Sami Acronyms * SAMI, ''Synchronized Accessible Media Interchange'', a closed-captioning format developed by Microsoft * Saudi Arabian Military Industries, a government-owned defence company * South African Malaria Initiative, a virtual expertise ne ...

shaman Shamanism is a spiritual practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with the spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritual energies into ...

. He was one of 26

Sami people Acronyms * SAMI, ''Synchronized Accessible Media Interchange'', a closed-captioning format developed by Microsoft * Saudi Arabian Military Industries, a government-owned defence company * South African Malaria Initiative, a virtual expertise ...

executed for

witchcraft Witchcraft is the use of Magic (supernatural), 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 meanin ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

in the

17th century The 17th century lasted from January 1, 1601 (represented by the Roman numerals MDCI), to December 31, 1700 (MDCC). It falls into the early modern period of Europe and in that continent (whose impact on the world was increasing) was characterized ...

. Baarsen was a

Noaidi A noaidi (, , , , , , ) is a shaman of the Sami people in the Nordic countries, playing a role in Sámi religious practices. Most ''noaidi'' practices died out during the 17th century, most likely because they resisted Christianization of the S� ...

and a resident at

Årøya or is an island in Alta Municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The island is located in the Altafjorden, about north of the town of Alta. The island is only accessible by boat. There is a regular ferry connection between the village of K ...

, an island in the Altafjord just north of

Alta Alta or ALTA may refer to: Acronyms * Alt-A, short for Alternative A-paper, is a type of US mortgage * American Land Title Association, a national trade association representing the land title industry * American Literary Translators Association, ...

. In May 1627, he was put on trial in Hasvaag accused of having procured wind by use of magic for the sailor Niels Jonsen in 1625. Baarsen claimed to have acted on commission of Jonsen, who needed wind to sail to Hasvaag, and described that he had wet his feet in water to create wind. Afterward, he was asked to repeat it by the wife of one of Jonsen's fishermen, which he did by throwing a pig into the sea. That time, however, the wind grew into a storm which caused the boat to sink. Baarsen explained that he was often hired to create wind. He denied having performed magic by the use of a

Sami drum Acronyms * SAMI, ''Synchronized Accessible Media Interchange'', a closed-captioning format developed by Microsoft * Saudi Arabian Military Industries, a government-owned defence company * South African Malaria Initiative, a virtual expertise ...

, but admitted that he had the knowledge to do so. On 11 May 1627, Quiwe Baarsen was judged guilty of having caused five people to drown by the wind he had created by use of magic, and sentenced to be

burned alive Death by burning is an execution, murder, or suicide 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 for and warning agai ...

References

Rune Blix Hagen: THE SHAMAN OF ALTA. THE 1627 WITCH TRIAL OF QUIWE BAARSEN
Executed Norwegian people People executed for heresy 16th-century births 1627 deaths Persecution of Sámi people Norwegian Sámi shamans People executed by Norway by burning 17th-century executions by Norway Witch trials in Norway Pagan martyrs 17th-century Sámi people {{Norway-reli-bio-stub

See also

References