Norwegian women were burned at the stake here

The name of the hill reveals a dark past.

A man and woman stand talking with their backs to the camera. The city can be seen in the background.

Trollkjerringheia is located in Lund. The name bears witness to a history connected to the witchcraft trials.

(Photo: University of Agder)

Magnus Nødland Skogedal Magnus Nødland Skogedal Magnus Nødland Skogedal Communications Adviser

Presented by: Presented by: Presented by: University of Agder

Published 11 November 2025 - 00:01

"It's clear that the authorities wanted to frighten others from witchcraft," says Associate Professor Terje Sødal at the University of Agder.

Together with colleague Camilla Mørk Røstvik, he is part of a project to create a memorial for the witch trials in Agder, Southern Norway.

"Burning someone at the stake wasn't legally sanctioned until 1687. But in this country, we burned people before that time, because that was how witchcraft cases were resolved in neighbouring countries. Burning people at the stake is a demanding process, and it's clear that the authorities wanted to frighten others from witchcraft," says Sødal.

We've taken the trip to Trollkjerringheia – troll hag heath – in Lund for the occasion. In this area, women were burned at the stake for witchcraft offences.

A man and a woman stand talking to each other outside with the sea in the background. — Camilla Mørk Røstvik and Terje Sødal are part of a project to create a memorial for those sentenced to death for witchcraft in Agder.

"We know that several women were burned at the stake at or near Trollkjerringheia on Kuholmen in Lund. We don't know exactly where, but both the name and history of the place are connected to this," says Sødal.

Annonse

He has previously published a book about witchcraft, capital punishment, and criminality in Agder from 1550 to 1700.

It's been documented that around 330 people were executed for witchcraft in Norway from around 1570 to 1695. The majority of these were women.

Continues to make an impression

"It's interesting to see how burning a human at the stake continues to make an impression many hundreds of years later," says Camilla Mørk Røstvik.

When the researchers asked art students for ideas about what a memorial could look like, it was the stake that kept recurring.

"This was probably also part of the thinking behind using this execution method," she says.

She is an associate professor at the University of Agder's Department of Religion, Philosophy and History. Her research field includes feminist art history, medical history, and studies of witches in modern times.

Together with Sødal and several other researchers and artists at the university, she is part of the Remembering Witches project.

The researchers want a memorial site for those who were sentenced to death for witchcraft in Agder. See more about the project in the video below:

(Video: University of Agder)

"A memorial helps to put a full stop to this story. It's important to acknowledge what has happened, document it, and write it into history. That's why a memorial is important," says Røstvik.

Memorials already exist in Vardø and Gloppen for those who were executed in the witch trials.

Separation from the devil

The goal of burning a woman for witchcraft offences was to separate her from the pact that had been made with the devil. Fire was considered the only thing that could break this pact.

If the woman had confessed and repented her crimes, she could gain entry to heaven through fire.

Annonse

"This is an understanding of reality that can be difficult for us to grasp. But for those who lived at that time, these were completely real powers that affected their lives. From their standpoint, burning at the stake became a logical way to punish witchcraft and clear it away," says Sødal.