When Did Denmark Stop Trusting Possession Claims?

Introduction

The Thisted possession affair of 1696–1698 marked a decisive turning point in Danish attitudes towards claims of demonic possession and witchcraft. What began in the north Jutland town of Thisted as reports of women suffering violent fits and claiming to be possessed by evil spirits developed into one of Denmark’s last major witchcraft controversies. Unlike earlier episodes, however, higher authorities increasingly doubted the testimony rather than accepting it at face value. By the end of the case, attention had shifted away from prosecuting alleged witches and towards questioning the reliability of the supposed victims and the local priest who had championed their claims. Historians now regard the affair as an important example of official scepticism replacing automatic belief in spectacular accusations, helping to end large-scale witchcraft prosecutions in Denmark.[pure.kb.dk]pure.kb.dk1696-1699) - The Ministry of Culture Research PortalJanuary 1, 2021…Published: January 1, 2021

The spread of fits and accusations

The affair began in Thisted in 1696 when several women reported convulsions, trances and other dramatic physical and emotional disturbances. These episodes were interpreted locally as evidence of demonic possession. The first widely reported sufferer, Maren Christensdatter Spillemand, was soon joined by other women who displayed similar symptoms.

As more people accepted the possession narrative, the women identified local individuals whom they claimed had sent demons against them through witchcraft. The local parish priest, Ole Bjørn, became convinced that the possessions were genuine. He organised prayers and exorcism-like religious interventions and actively encouraged investigations into suspected witches. His confidence gave the accusations considerable authority within the community.[pure.kb.dk]pure.kb.dk1696-1699) - The Ministry of Culture Research PortalJanuary 1, 2021…Published: January 1, 2021

The pattern resembled many earlier European possession scares:

Because late seventeenth-century Denmark still retained widespread popular belief in witchcraft, many townspeople accepted these explanations even as elite opinion was beginning to change.[OpenEdition Journals]journals.openedition.orgOpen source on openedition.org.

Fraud, suggestion and uncertain diagnosis

The Thisted affair became unusual because investigators increasingly examined the alleged victims rather than concentrating solely on the accused witches.

Bishop Jens Bircherod grew suspicious of the reports and arranged for some of the women to be removed from Thisted and questioned away from the influence of Ole Bjørn and the supportive local community. Once separated from that environment, at least some of the women began to withdraw or alter their testimony. Maren Spillemand admitted that she had often behaved in ways she believed the priest expected, rather than because she was genuinely possessed.[OpenEdition Journals]journals.openedition.orgOpen source on openedition.org.

Modern historians do not claim that the entire episode can be reduced to deliberate fraud. Instead, they emphasise a mixture of factors:

The surviving evidence makes it difficult to separate conscious deception from genuine conviction. What is clear is that investigators became increasingly willing to ask whether the possession narrative itself had shaped the behaviour being observed. This represented a significant departure from earlier witchcraft investigations, which generally assumed that extraordinary symptoms confirmed supernatural attacks.[pure.kb.dk]pure.kb.dk1696-1699) - The Ministry of Culture Research PortalJanuary 1, 2021…Published: January 1, 2021

How sceptical officials overturned the case

The dispute soon moved beyond local authorities. Appeals reached regional courts and eventually the Danish Supreme Court, bringing the case under closer legal scrutiny.

Rather than accepting the local interpretation, royal commissions and senior officials examined inconsistencies in the testimony and questioned the methods used by Ole Bjørn. The focus shifted from proving the guilt of supposed witches to assessing whether the possessions themselves were credible. This reversal was remarkable in a legal culture that had previously treated claims of witchcraft with much greater seriousness.[pure.kb.dk]pure.kb.dk1696-1699) - The Ministry of Culture Research PortalJanuary 1, 2021…Published: January 1, 2021

The outcome reflected this new approach. The alleged witches escaped conviction, while the supposed possessed women and Ole Bjørn himself became the principal targets of legal sanctions. Although severe sentences were initially proposed, the Supreme Court ultimately commuted them, and no executions followed. An anonymous account published in 1699 even mocked belief in the possession story, illustrating how rapidly elite opinion had shifted towards scepticism.[pure.kb.dk]pure.kb.dk1696-1699) - The Ministry of Culture Research PortalJanuary 1, 2021…Published: January 1, 2021

Officials also attempted to calm public opinion. Bishop Bircherod instructed neighbouring clergy to explain from the pulpit that the Thisted affair had been a misunderstanding rather than evidence of genuine demonic possession. Even after his suspension, Ole Bjørn reportedly continued to encourage belief through private conversations with supporters, showing that popular belief did not disappear as quickly as official policy changed.[TOHMAS – Thys historie på nettet]tohmas.dkThys historie på nettetBesættelsen i Thisted | TOHMAS – Thys historie på nettet…

Why the Thisted affair mattered

The Thisted possession case did not eliminate belief in witches or demons among the Danish population. Many ordinary people continued to accept such ideas well into the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. What changed was the attitude of the state’s senior legal and ecclesiastical authorities.

Historians see the affair as demonstrating several broader developments:

The Thisted affair therefore occupies an important place in Denmark’s history of collective fear. It illustrates how institutional scepticism, rather than the disappearance of popular belief, helped bring the era of major Danish witchcraft prosecutions to a close. Instead of reinforcing a panic, senior authorities increasingly investigated the mechanisms by which spectacular claims arose, making the case a landmark in the transition from accepting possession narratives to critically examining them.[pure.kb.dk]pure.kb.dk1696-1699) - The Ministry of Culture Research PortalJanuary 1, 2021…Published: January 1, 2021

Amazon book picks

Further Reading

Books and field guides related to When Did Denmark Stop Trusting Possession Claims?. Use these as the next step if you want deeper reading beyond the article.

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Endnotes

1. Source: pure.kb.dk
Link:https://pure.kb.dk/en/publications/la-grande-tyrannie-et-le-terrible-pouvoir-du-diable-sur-certaines/

Published: January 1, 2021

2. Source: journals.openedition.org
Link:https://journals.openedition.org/sourcesarche/138?lang=en

3. Source: tohmas.dk
Link:https://www.tohmas.dk/temaer/nyere-tid/tro-i-thy/hekse/besaettelsen-i-thisted

4. Source: pure.kb.dk
Title: dk Trolddom: Episode 11: De sene trolddomsprocesser
Link:https://pure.kb.dk/en/publications/trolddom-episode-11-de-sene-trolddomsprocesser/

Published: June 6, 2023

5. Source: pure.kb.dk
Title: la grande tyrannie et le terrible pouvoir du diable sur certaines
Link:https://pure.kb.dk/da/publications/la-grande-tyrannie-et-le-terrible-pouvoir-du-diable-sur-certaines/

Additional References

6. Source: portal.findresearcher.sdu.dk
Link:https://portal.findresearcher.sdu.dk/en/publications/la-grande-tyrannie-et-le-terrible-pouvoir-du-diable-sur-certaines/

7. Source: themis.dk
Title: I kommissionens kløer
Link:https://themis.dk/synopsis/docs/artikler/i_kommissionens_kloer.html

8. Source: youtube.com
Title: The Witch-Hunt in Early Modern Europe: A Discussion with Brian Levack
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSvFMkcO2d4

9. Source: youtube.com
Title: Danish Witch Trials, Ghost Stories, and Modern Magic in Denmark
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVuiWaAqh_4

10. Source: youtube.com
Title: The 91 Norwegian “Witches” Sentenced to Death
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnNVyBIg0xU

11. Source: researchgate.net
Link:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/364445076_La_grande_tyrannie_et_le_terrible_pouvoir_du_diable_sur_certaines_femmes_de_Thisted_Le_dernier_cas_de_possession_demoniaque_au_Danemark

12. Source: scribd.com
Link:https://www.scribd.com/document/702156940/Literature-Escandinavia-XVIII-Century

13. Source: 9pdf.org
Link:https://9pdf.org/article/trolddoms-bes%C3%A6ttelses-handel-tisted.qmj8k609

14. Source: gyldendalogpolitikensdanmarkshistorie.lex.dk
Title: dk Besættelsen i Thisted – Gyldendal og Politikens Danmarkshistorie | Lex
Link:https://gyldendalogpolitikensdanmarkshistorie.lex.dk/Bes%C3%A6ttelsen_i_Thisted

15. Source: youtube.com
Title: Witchcraft, Storms, and a Marriage
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pT8lwUl6jJ0