Anna Klemens
Encyclopedia
Anna Klemens was a Danish murder victim and an alleged witch. She was lynched
and accused of sorcery in Brigsted at Horsens
in Denmark
, a lynching considered to be the last witch lynching in her country and, most likely, in all Scandinavia
.
Long after the legal courts stopped executing witches after the execution of Anne Palles
, the belief led to private trials and lynching of alleged witches during the 18th-century. On the country side in Øster Grønning in Salling
in 1722, the villagers apprehended a woman, Dorte Jensdatter
, whom they suspected of having caused several deaths and problems in the village by magic, and held a private witch trial. When they were convinced, they tied her up in her own home and burned the house down with her in it; several of the villagers were later sentenced to death for her murder. Anna Klemens was the last of these lynch cases.
Anna Klemens was a beggar who consulted a cunning woman together with several other people. When she entered the room, the "Wise One" pointed at her and cried out: "Here we have the master of all the witch craft!" She ordered six of the men present to beat Anna up, as it was the belief that the magic of a witch left her when her blood had been spilt. The people gathered obeyed her, out of fear and respect for the wisdom and judgement of the "Wise one", and Anna died of the abuse. The cunning woman was executed for the murder and the men were banished.
Lynching
Lynching is an extrajudicial execution carried out by a mob, often by hanging, but also by burning at the stake or shooting, in order to punish an alleged transgressor, or to intimidate, control, or otherwise manipulate a population of people. It is related to other means of social control that...
and accused of sorcery in Brigsted at Horsens
Horsens
Horsens is a Danish city in east Jutland. It is the site of the council of Horsens municipality. The city's population is 53,807 and the Horsens municipality's population is 82,835 ....
in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, a lynching considered to be the last witch lynching in her country and, most likely, in all Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
.
Long after the legal courts stopped executing witches after the execution of Anne Palles
Anne Palles
Anne Palles was an alleged Danish witch. She was the last person legally executed for sorcery in Denmark.- Background :The trial against Anne Palles started with another case...
, the belief led to private trials and lynching of alleged witches during the 18th-century. On the country side in Øster Grønning in Salling
Salling
Salling is a Danish peninsula located in the north-west of the larger Jutland peninsula. The largest city in Salling is Skive.The Sallingsund Bridge connects the peninsula to the island of Mors, crossing the Salling Sund, part of the Limfjord...
in 1722, the villagers apprehended a woman, Dorte Jensdatter
Dorte Jensdatter
Dorte Jensdatter , was a Danish murder victim. She was lynched by being burned alive by her neighbors, after being accused of witchcraft....
, whom they suspected of having caused several deaths and problems in the village by magic, and held a private witch trial. When they were convinced, they tied her up in her own home and burned the house down with her in it; several of the villagers were later sentenced to death for her murder. Anna Klemens was the last of these lynch cases.
Anna Klemens was a beggar who consulted a cunning woman together with several other people. When she entered the room, the "Wise One" pointed at her and cried out: "Here we have the master of all the witch craft!" She ordered six of the men present to beat Anna up, as it was the belief that the magic of a witch left her when her blood had been spilt. The people gathered obeyed her, out of fear and respect for the wisdom and judgement of the "Wise one", and Anna died of the abuse. The cunning woman was executed for the murder and the men were banished.