The witch trials of Iceland present a distinctive chapter in European history. During the 17th century, while much of the continent was swept by a fear of women practicing witchcraft, Iceland stood out for its focus on men. It is also a case where witch hunts were initiated not by local culture but by foreign authorities seeking religious uniformity.
Views on magic and the Danish influence
Magic, or galdur in Icelandic, has long held a place in Icelandic folklore, surviving the arrival of Christianity. Traditional practices divided magic into white (beneficial) and black (harmful) forms, with practitioners known as galdra-masters often using magic symbols (galdrastafir), books, runes, or chants. Another important term, fjölkynngi, referred to wisdom or esoteric knowledge, valued for properly using magic but not synonymous with it.
Before the Reformation, Iceland’s approach to sorcery did not involve the Christian Devil. Magic was judged by its intent, only black magic that caused harm led to serious consequences, and even then executions were rare. This changed in the 17th century under Danish rule, after the Danish Witchcraft Act was introduced in 1630. The law, following widespread European demonology, outlawed books and practices connected to magic, now reframed as a pact with the Devil.
Men at the centre of the Icelandic witch hunt
Unusually for Europe, most people accused and executed for witchcraft in Iceland were men. Out of at least 21 confirmed executions for sorcery, only one or two involved women. The prominence of men ties back to education: from the Middle Ages onwards, literacy and access to magic books, often limited to men trained in Latin schools and convents, made male magicians, known as kunnáttumenn (‘wise men’), dominant figures in magic. These men commanded respect within their communities. The famous Jón lærði Guðmundsson, for example, was celebrated for allegedly using galdur to defend coasts from Barbary pirate attacks and managed to survive several trials.
The Danish authorities and Danish-educated clergy saw the persistence of local magical practices as an obstacle to religious conformity. The authorities pressed bailiffs to report heresy, especially as Christian belief was seen as weak across much of Iceland well into the late 16th century.
The burnings and their end
Documents show that trials and punishments for sorcery in Iceland rarely led to executions before the 17th century. The first confirmed case dates to 1554, involving a priest exiled for using black magic for personal gain. Iceland’s “burning age” (brennuöldin) stretched from 1625, when Jón Rögnvaldsson was executed, to 1690. The most intense period occurred from 1667 to 1685. By the end of the 17th century, at least 134 formal witchcraft cases were recorded. Around 170 people were accused, but nearly all those executed were men.
The last confirmed execution for sorcery was that of Sveinn Árnason in 1683. Danish law later required Copenhagen’s high court to confirm death sentences for witchcraft. No further confirmations were given, and the Icelandic witch hunts faded away. Klemus Bjarnason, the last person condemned to death for sorcery in 1690, died awaiting trial in Copenhagen, marking the close of this chapter in Icelandic history.
Sources
- Wikipedia
- Wikipedia (Icelandic) in Icelandic
