Traces of Shamanism in the Witch Trials of Norway. The 1692 Trial of the Sami Shaman Anders Poulsen

Abstract

According to legal sources of the three counties which together make up Arctic Norway about 180 people were prosecuted for the crime of witchcraft between 1593 and 1695. Most of these cases are to be found in the region of Vardøhus, known today as Finnmark - the northernmost county in Norway, near the Russian border. In a few small fishing communities along the coast of Finnmark more than 90 people were burned at the stake. This is one of the worst cases of witch persecutions in all of Europe in comparison to the relatively small size of the population. In 1664 there were about 3000 inhabitants living this county.