Witch Trials in Njurunda,

Medelpad, 1642

Elin of Kvissle

Njurunda is a parish about 10 km (6 miles) south of Sundsvall City in Medelpad province, central Sweden. Kvissle or formally Kvissleby is the major place in the parish, located at the mouth of Ljungan River. In 1642, the Njurunda District Court sentenced the widow Elin of Kvissle to be "burned at the stake", but she was later released by the Court of Appeal for lack of evidence. Elin and her sister Sigrid were suspected of practicing witchcraft. They were accused by the parish minister in Njurunda of using magic to make his cows stop producing milk. Among other things, a snake skull with other suspicious objects such as snake-skin and black flour etc. had been found in a casket at widow Elin's home. Nothing could be proved but Elin was prosecuted anyway. After several investigations in 1640-1642, according to preserved documents, Elin was sentenced to be burned alive "on a stake" for sorcery as a deterrent. However, the sentence was not carried out. The parish minister who pushed the case in the district court had already in 1620 accused Elin of being responsible for the under-milking of his cows and accused her and her sister Sigrid several times of sorcery, including in 1638, but due to lack of evidence the case was not settled that time. Elin and her sister were also convicted in 1629 of having sexual intercourse with two traveling coppersmiths, but were pardoned. In the kept minutes of the district court proceedings, we can read that Elin and Sigrid were very much disliked in the parish. They were probably not very submissive to the local authorities either. In 1642, the Court of Appeal acquitted Elin completely for lack of evidence.

Related Links

• Local history, Sundsvall • The Armsjö murder in 1849, Njurunda • The Witch Trials in Torsåker, Ångermanland, Sweden, 1675