The rune Ægishjálmur, Helm of Awe, was (is) used more for protection than witchcraft
Witchcraft and sorcery in Iceland.
On our West Fjord tours we visit the Witchcraft and Sorcery Museum in Hólmavík, they have amazing fish soup in addition to the interesting, and educational museum
Iceland was the only country, as far as we know to burn more men (21) than women (4) for witchcraft. We are apart from this all about gender equality.
The witch hunt craziness started when 3 men were burnt in the west fjords of Iceland in the year 1654, just about 100 years after we converted from Catholicism to Lutheran religion. The Lutherans were the witch hunters, people were burnt before this but not for witchcraft.
It was written that from the autumn of 1652 and into the winter there was unease because of a ghost or ill spirit that went into people's throats making them burp nonstop, and throw up. Manly young women were affected by this and had to be carried out of the church, they figured that it was a 50-year-old farmer in the area Þórður Guðbrandsson, his motive was he did not want one of his workers a young woman leaving his farm, so the easiest explanation was that this was his witchcraft to blame, Þórður was one of the 3 men burnt in 1654
Már Jónsson. „Hvernig byrjaði galdrafárið á Íslandi og hvert var hlutverk almennings?“ Vísindavefurinn, 4. desember 2019. Sótt 28. febrúar 2024. http://visindavefur.is/svar.php?id=69800.
Translation Season Tours
Join us for the West Fjord tour to find out more about Witchcraft, Sorcery, and runes in Iceland
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