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Haakon H. Sørlie @haakonsor.bsky.social · Aug 18

Her book about Oslo from 1624-1924 is probably her most known work, but she also published several articles, among them "a witch in Aker 1620" published in Heimen, which dealt with the trial against the swede Peder Johansen.

Haakon H. Sørlie @haakonsor.bsky.social · Aug 18

She then went on to work with the publication of Norway's oldest laws (Norges gamle love anden række) which granted her, allegedly as one of the first females in history, access to the Vatican library. She then began workin in the national archives where she remained until retirement.

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Haakon H. Sørlie @haakonsor.bsky.social · Aug 18

They were both talented historians and while Taranger folllwed a more traditional path into academia, Natrud flourished in different parts of the humanities and later the archives. In her youth she was awarded the king's gold medal for excellent research conducted at the University of Oslo.

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Haakon H. Sørlie @haakonsor.bsky.social · Aug 18

When the opportunity presents itself I enjoy collecting books owned by other historians. The most recent addition is a 1657 reprint of the Norwegian church ordinance of 1607. Previously owned by professor of legal history Absalon Taranger (1858-1930) and Gudrun Natrud (1888-1967)

Front cover - a very faded signature is barely visible.

First page with the signatures of Absalon Taranger and Gudrun Natrud on the inside of the cover

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Haakon H. Sørlie @haakonsor.bsky.social · Jul 10

In 1696 the infamous Anna Kristina Orning killed her husband by poisoning him with "rat powder". A lesser known aspect is that she had tried to kill him the year before, by sending a servant girl to Trondheim where she was to order an assassination via witchcraft from an undisclosed woman!

Haakon H. Sørlie @haakonsor.bsky.social · Jul 8

4/ The hopeful young shepherd, however, eventually found himself in a legal dispute with his would be in-laws, who claimed that their daughter never received gifts or money from him. Their engagement was therefore void and his treasure was lost.

Moral of the story: in-laws have always been tricky.

Haakon H. Sørlie @haakonsor.bsky.social · Jul 8

3/ After some hesitation she eventually accepted and, according to his confession, he gave her the coins and the silver, including a silver wedding crown.

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Haakon H. Sørlie @haakonsor.bsky.social · Jul 8

2/ with his newfound wealth he proposed to his nine year old colleague, Gjertrud Ingebrigtsdatter, and promised her that she would receive all of his treasure if she accepted.

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Haakon H. Sørlie @haakonsor.bsky.social · Jul 8

1/ In 1694 the twelve year old sheperd Niels Rolandsen found, according to his own confession, roughly 100 coins and several items made of silver in a cave in the woods. The entrance to the cave had been blocked with a stone but he had managed to sneak in.

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Haakon H. Sørlie @haakonsor.bsky.social · Jul 6

4/ she was sentenced to flee the lands of the Oldenburg monarchy and all her property was forfeited to the King

Haakon H. Sørlie @haakonsor.bsky.social · Jul 6

3/ for fires: "Virgin Mary sat in asamts[sic] door, slept in the light, awoke in water, God the father and the hand put out both the light and the danger"

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Haakon H. Sørlie @haakonsor.bsky.social · Jul 6

2/ Her formula for stopping bleedings: "the virgin Mary rode on a fly[Beelzebub?], then she stopped the blod, halted the blood, just like the man who stood in hell, who sentences wrongful deeds with righteousness."

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Haakon H. Sørlie @haakonsor.bsky.social · Jul 6

Always interesting, although nothing new, to see how the veneration of the Virgin Mary survived and was used by cunning folk in post-reformation Norway. In 1690 the cunning woman Beritte Clausdatter was accused of healing the disbelievers/heretics [vantro] by parish priest Fredrich Mejer in Yttrrøy.

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Haakon H. Sørlie @haakonsor.bsky.social · Dec 17

12/ We often talk about how travellers were viewed with scepticism by the locals, but there were also good reasons for travellers to be sceptical of the locals as well - especially if they were carrying a lot of valuables

Haakon H. Sørlie @haakonsor.bsky.social · Dec 17

11/ The initial report that they were missing could be therefore be delayed, as their families were uncertain, and the murderer would have more time to get rid of the evidence.

There was some safety in numbers, but as the initial case shows even a party of four could be taken out by a couple.

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Haakon H. Sørlie @haakonsor.bsky.social · Dec 17

10/ Long distance travellers were ideal targets for these murders and robberies because their friends and family could seldom be completely sure exactly when they would return. "I will be back in March, after the market ends" or other such broad periods.

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Haakon H. Sørlie @haakonsor.bsky.social · Dec 17

9/ He would escort the unassuming victim into the mountains and then kill them and take their belongings. He hid the corpses in frozen lakes or in the forests. If I remember correctly he confessed to four murders when he was brought in front of court.

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Haakon H. Sørlie @haakonsor.bsky.social · Dec 17

8/ He worked as a "grenselos", a man for hire who knew the routes over the mountains separating Norway and Sweden. He targeted people going to Sweden because they often had participated in markets or conducted other business in Norway. Their purses were heavy and filled with coin.

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Haakon H. Sørlie @haakonsor.bsky.social · Dec 17

7/ But it also reminded me of a serial killer I once encountered in the court records from Southern-Trøndelag. He was active during the 1720s, and his modus operandi was to murder (preferably swedes) travelling from Norway to Sweden.

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Haakon H. Sørlie @haakonsor.bsky.social · Dec 17

We also learn that the travellers were moving a lot of valuables. One of them was carrying over 250 riksdaler or enough to buy roughly 50 cows.
Carrying such wealth in a somewhat poor region made them a target.

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Haakon H. Sørlie @haakonsor.bsky.social · Dec 17

6/ The neighbours aided the couple in destroying the evidence. Among other things chopping the boat belonging to the travellers into pieces, and trading and selling their belongings.

When brought in front of court the husband confessed that they had killed the travellers.

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Haakon H. Sørlie @haakonsor.bsky.social · Dec 17

5/ the servant girl had been awoken by a scream, and had seen the couple drag the corpses out of the barn and away from the farm. When she the following morning asked the couple why there was blood in the courtyard, they threatened to kill her as well.

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Haakon H. Sørlie @haakonsor.bsky.social · Dec 17

4/ the four men had arrived late one evening and asked for a place to sleep, and were granted a night in the barn. Almost immedately the couple had grabbed an axe each and walked into the barn where they killed the travellers.

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Haakon H. Sørlie @haakonsor.bsky.social · Dec 17

3/Then, in January 1694, a 13-year old servant girl appeared at court and confessed that the couple she worked for had killed them.

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Haakon H. Sørlie @haakonsor.bsky.social · Dec 17

2/ In 1693 four men who were travelling went missing in the magistrate district of Namdal. Quite extensive resoures were used to find them but to no avail.

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