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THE STORY ABOUT FIRST BURNING WITCH IN NORWAY, ANNE PEDERSDOTTER

My feet burn on the fire,I hear the wood crackling as it burns,my face feels the heat of the fire getting hotter and hotter,I can barely breathe,I hear the crowd shouting,my heart beats in my chest like a drum,I can only close my eyes and wish it would be over soon...Maybe Anne Pedersdotter felt something like this on the 7th of April 1590 in Nordnes,when she was burnt at the stake,accused of witchcraft.Thus began the witches' hunt in Norway. Anne was an intelligent woman married to Absalon Pederssøn,a priest and historian,with whom she had 9 children.Absalon inherited a good fortune and social position when his uncle(bishop)died.Many people accused Anne of murdering the bishop by practicing witchcraft but it all remained rumours...until Absalon,her husband,died suddenly.Anne inherited a fortune,became tax free and well off in Norwegian high society,then the rumours returned. Anne was accused of witchcraft,a trial was held against her but she went free.But the seed was planted and everything started to get worse,and for 15 long years Anne endured the accusations and became lonely and bitter until in 1590 another trial was held against Anne,accused of practising witchcraft and murdering several people.At the trial she was even betrayed by her son and her maid,who testified against her as well as many other people who lied during the trial blaming Anne for misfortunes in the village. Her maid accused her of riding through the air to Lyderhorn and Fløyen to go to a meeting with other witches.Anne defended herself intelligently but fear,envy and poor minds didn´t want to see the truth and on the 7th of April 1590 Anne was taken to the stake while her voice was torn apart screaming that she was innocent...if I close my eyes and listen carefully I can hear her screaming through the crowd,and I wonder why they didn´t want to hear her...


 
 
 

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