The Witches of Vardo: THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER: 'Powerful, deeply moving' - Sunday Times

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In a Nutshell: This was a mixed bag for me. The concept was great but the execution didn’t do the story much favour. Might work for those looking for an interesting plot without much bothering about character development or writing. Perhaps it was this remoteness that caused Finnmark to suffer a much higher rate of witch accusations than anywhere else in Norway.

The registers of sins cover the sins of poisoning food, casting spells on domesticated animals, causing disease and death amongst people and casting spells on people. Meetings with Satan and gatherings involving drinking, dancing and card games on Domen mountain outside Vardø were also frequent occurrences. One wonders what the mood was like in the small coastal villages of Finnmark during the 17th century, and what fear the people must have felt for the devil. Accusations were often made by neighbours. Most of those convicted were women, but some were men. Steilneset monument is found on Vardø The Vardø witch trials ( Heksejakten i Vardø), which took place in Vardø in Finnmark in Northern Norway in 1621, was the first major witch trial of Northern Norway and one of the biggest witch trials in Scandinavia. [1] It was the first of the three big mass trials of Northern Norway, followed by the Vardø witch trials (1651–1653) and the Vardø witch trials (1662-1663), and one of the biggest witch trials in Norway.It’s been established long ago that I’m a fan of novels that dip into the history of witches and witch trials, so this one was always going to be a winner for me. It’s quite a slow burn, as many of these stories tend to be. The groundwork needs to be laid, the characters’ lives fleshed out so we can see them day to day before we bear witness on how they go from ordinary women to accused witches awaiting trial and being tortured into making confessions to crimes they did not commit. I found Bergman’s writing atmospheric and beautiful. Her chapters alternate between the perspectives of Anna and Ingeborg. I especially enjoyed the incorporation of various folktales into the narrative including those of the Sámi people. The visionary transformation of the witches into birds was very evocative and reminded me of the portrayal in Philip Pullman’s ‘His Dark Materials’ of the northern witches, who were also gifted with weather magic. During the witchcraft trials in Finnmark in northern Norway, during the seventeenth century, 135 persons were tried, 91 of whom were executed, most of them at the stake.’– Author note (On Fact and Fiction). Marianne Gunn O’Connor, Marianne Gunn O’Connor Agency said: ‘Bergman’s brilliant novel The Witches of Vardø totally captivated me as it tells the story of deep-rooted fear: of women’s power, of things that couldn’t be understood by science and logic, themes that will resonate with women world-wide today. I am beyond thrilled that the wonderful Margaret Stead and Kate Parkin and all the fabulous team at Bonnier are shepherding Anya Bergman and these witches out into the world.’

I loved Ingeborg and Maren - such strong female characters. So young but full of fight and life and with an inbuilt spirit for all the injustice women faced. The witch trials of Vardø were held in Vardø in Finnmark in Northern Norway in the winter of 1662–1663 and were one of the biggest in Scandinavia. Thirty women were put on trial, accused of sorcery and making pacts with the Devil. One was sentenced to a work house, two tortured to death, and eighteen were burned alive at the stake. Margaret Stead, publisher said: ‘ The Witches of Vardø is a fierce, feminist look at male power and misogyny at the time of the witch trials of the seventeenth century. Anya’s novel gripped us all: The Witches of Vard ø is a story of danger, intrigue and female empowerment with a clever and surprising twist in its tail. We’re all very excited to be working with Anya on this compelling novel, and a second to come the following year.’Steilneset has become a popular stop on the Varanger scenic route, one of Norway's 18 road trips designated National Scenic Routes. The Louise Bourgeois installation at the Vardø memorial Norway, 1662. A dangerous time to be a woman, when even dancing can lead to accusations of witchcraft. After recently widowed Zigri's affair with the local merchant is discovered, she is sent to the fortress at Vardø to be tried as a witch.

Perhaps. Or perhaps it was the 1662 panic was the work of one woman–Anne Rhodius. Though her husband was later pardoned, Anne lived in exile in the Vardo fortress until her death in 1672. Her deeds had contributed to the last of the great witch trials in Northern Norway. Though more people were accused in the following decades, only two of those cases led to death sentences. The witch trials of Vardo were over.admin (2016-12-28). "The evil north: Vardø's witch trials". The Norwegian American . Retrieved 2019-10-25. There are no witches in our village, Ingeborg, but the Devil does exist. Look into the eyes of our accusers and you will see him there.’ Are the Witches of Vardø victims of the injustices of their age or do they possess powers that can set them free? Some of the accusations made against the women were so bizarre, clearly the product of fevered imaginations.