Kirkjuból witch trial

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The Kirkjuból witch trial was the perhaps most known witch trial in Iceland. It took place in Kirkjuból in 1656.

The witch trial was caused by the priest sira Jón Magnússon. Magnusson had since 1654 had a bad health. The same year, a with trial was held, and he believed that his own sickness was also caused by magic. He accused a father and son, Jón Jónsson the Elder and Jón Jónsson the Younger, for witch craft. He acused them of having made him sick with magic. The father confessed that he owned a book about magic and that he had used it against the priest. The son was confessed having used magical signs and having used farting-runes (Fretrúnir) against a girl, and caused the sickness of the rev. Magnusson.

Both father and son was judged guilty for sorcery and was executed by burning at the stake. After they were executed, the priest received all their material holdings but was not satisfyed and tried to accuse Jónsson’s daughter of witchcraft. The case was brought to Thingvellir, but was dismissed and the woman let free. In Iceland, magic was often practised and not associated with the Devil, but the authorites in shape of priests, often from Denmark, had a completely different wiev on the subject.

The witch trial was made in to a film by Hrafn Gunnlaugsson in 2000 called (In English) "The Prince of Darkness".

[edit] Victims of the Icelandic witch hunt

In Iceland, in contrast to many other countries, the majority of people executed for withc craft was male. This is a sample of the executed on Iceland. Women where normally drowned, while men was burned.

1625 - Jòn Rögnvaldsson‎ á Melaeyrum í Svarfaðardal.
1654 - Þórður Guðbrandsson frá Trékyllisvík á Ströndum (Undrin í Trékyllisvík).
1654 - Egill Bjarnason frá Trékyllisvík á Ströndum (Undrin í Trékyllisvík).
1654 - Grímur Jónsson frá Trékyllisvík á Ströndum (Undrin í Trékyllisvík).
1656 - Jón Jónsson eldri frá Kirkjubóli í Skutulsfirði (Kirkjubólsmálið).
1656 - Jón Jónsson yngri frá Kirkjubóli í Skutulsfirði (Kirkjubólsmálið).
1667 - Þórarinn Halldórsson frá Birnustöðum í Ögursveit við Ísafjarðardjúp.
1669 - Jón Leifsson frá Selárdal í Arnarfirði (Selárdalsmálin).
1669 - Erlendur Eyjólfsson frá Ströndum (Selárdalsmálin).
1671 - Sigurður Jónsson úr Ögurhreppi við Ísafjarðardjúp.
1674 - Páll Oddsson í Ánastaðakoti á Vatnsnesi.
1674 - Böðvar Þorsteinsson frá Snæfellsnesi.
1675 - Magnús Bjarnason úr Arnarfirði (Selárdalsmálin).
1675 - Lassi Diðriksson (Selárdalsmálin).
1677 - Bjarni Bjarnason úr Breiðdal í Önundarfirði.
1677 - Þorbjörn Sveinsson (Grenjadals-Tobbi) úr Mýrarsýslu.
1678 - Stefán Grímsson brenndur í Húnavatnssýslu.
1678 - Þuríður Ólafsdóttir (Selárdalsmálin), (The only woman executed by burning.)
1678 - Jón Helgason (Selárdalsmálin).
1681 - Ari Pálsson hreppsstjóri.
1683 - Sveinn Árnason (Selárdalsmálin).