Joined in 2023 
82 
63 About this deal
It’s slow going especially in the beginning but so worth it to push forth and dive into this dark, cold, violent, vibrant and fiery story where women suffer, die, but also persist and find happiness, searching inside for their inner lynx, their fierceness and royal-ness. When I first started researching the history of the witch trials in northern Norway, I had no idea how deep I would go and how much it would take over my life. What I love most about being an historical fiction writer is deep diving into research and immersing myself in worlds of the past. But with The Witches of Vardø there were times when it took over. Many of the women told the court that they had been celebrating, dancing and drinking with the Devil. This was said to have taken place at Domen, a small mountain between the fishing villagesKibergandVardø. The story is inspired from the real events of 16th Century in Vardo (the easternmost town in Norway). With glimpses of actual history run Ning in parallel with the storyline is this book that will take you in world filled with real atrocities of male dominance. The brilliant writing weaves a brutal, heart aching yet moving story with resilience, love and kindness triumphing over cruelty at the heart of it. This isn’t one to take lightly and I found it really difficult to read at times, not because of the quality of the writing but because of the brutality faced by the women accused. There is beautiful imagery and connection between the characters but the strength of the writing is also woven into the sense of dread and fear inspired by the terrorising governor and his henchman.
The Steilneset Memorial, often called the “The Witches’ Memorial”, is a monument to 91 people who were burned as witches during the period of 1600 to 1692 in Vardø. The memorial consists of a building, designed by Swiss architect Peter Zumthor, and the “Flammehuset” artwork featuring a sculpture by the Franco–American artist Louise Bourgeois. The witch trials were a European wide phenomenon And finally – after years of research and writing – what’s it like seeing the book out in the world and in the hands of readers? My new novel The Witches of Vardø is my passion project, the writing of which has been an obsession for ten years. Set in 1662 the book is inspired by the true events of a series of witch trials on the arctic island of Vardø in Northern Norway, and tells the story of three women – Anna, Ingeborg and Maren caught up in the witch panic.
On June 23, 2011 Norway's Queen Sonja opened the Steilneset Memorial to the Victims of the Witch Trials in Vardø, a new monument by the Swiss architect Peter Zumthor and the French-American artist Louise Bourgeois. It is also hoped that the Steilneset Memorial will draw visitors to a remote and economically depressed region of Norway. The Vardø project is also part of the Norwegian Public Roads administration’s National Tourist Routes program, through which distinctive buildings are being erected to encourage visits to outposts of exceptional natural beauty. On 24 December 1617 Eastern Finnmark in northern Norway suffered a terrible storm, where "sea and sky became one." [2] This happened suddenly, "as if loosened from a bag." [2] A great majority of the male population was out at sea at that time and were surprised by the storm, which sank ten boats and drowned forty men. The same year, the new law of sorcery and witchcraft for the union of Denmark-Norway was issued and announced in Finnmark in 1620. [2] Witch trial [ edit ] A passionate indictment of the patriarchy … a vibrant exaltation of the resilience of women … Anya Bergman summons a historic witch trial with breathtaking detail and immediacy’ Hannah Kent When Mari flew with Kirsti through the air south towards the sabbath of Satan she saw many people she knew doing the same, mostly women but also two men; they came from Kiberg, Vardø, Ekkerøy, Vadsø and other communities along the Varangerfjorden, transformed into cats, dogs, sea monsters and birds so they would not be recognized. Kaarboe, Ragnhild. Benezit Dictionary of Artists. Oxford University Press. 2011-10-31. doi: 10.1093/benz/9780199773787.article.b00096617.
Wow what a debut. Beautiful, emotional, haunting, powerful. This is as finely crafted a debut as I've had the pleasure to read in quite some time. The prose is immaculate, the pacing is perfectly balanced, and the characters are allowed time to breathe, to grow, to become the truest version of themselves. Nothing here is rushed, and it makes it all the more impactful for it.This is a thought-provoking and beautifully told story, one that historical fiction fans won’t want to put down. The setting of The Witches of Vardø, an isolated fishing community in a remote part of Norway in the latter half of the seventeenth century along with its subject matter, reminded me strongly of The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave which I read in 2021. And those who have read, as I have, books such as The Manningtree Witches by A. K. Blakemore or Widdershinsby Helen Steadman will be familiar with accusations of witchcraft being levelled against women, especially those considered "different", for instance women skilled in healing. Also how fear of association can turn a community against those accused, how natural events can be interpreted as portents of evil or how unconventional behaviour can be viewed as a sign of possession by the Devil. Steilenset remains to remind us to never forget the causes of their misfortune–or the consequences of fear and persecution. Related Entries
Great Deal 
New Comment