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.
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.
I began researching the book when I lived in Bergen in Norway. One of my Norwegian friends told me about the ferocious witch trials which raged on the tiny island of Vardø as far north and east as you could imagine living in Norway. I discovered that the original trial records still existed interpreted by Professor Liv Helene Willumsen and translated into English by Katjana Edwardsen. Their big black book became like a bible for me as I sat for hours leafing through all the trial records. It was heart-breaking to read through the lines of the testimony of the women accused of being in league with the Devil when to dance or drink beer was tantamount evidence of being a witch.
I took a research trip up to the island of Vardø in mid-December to find out what it was like to live there in the middle of the winter when the trials took place. I experienced twenty-four hours of darkness, howling winds, blinding blizzards of snow, the raging arctic seas, and the spectral northern lights. It wasn’t hard to imagine how the people living in this place of such extremes believed in the Devil. Indeed, the far north has always been associated as the place where the Devil, and his witches reside evident in writings going back to the classical period. Remember, Macbeth’s witches were from Norway? Talking of the Scottish play, I discovered close ties between the Scottish and Norwegian witch trials. In 1662 Norway was under the domain of the Danish Empire, and Frederick was as fearful of witches as his father, Christian IV, and his aunt’s Scottish husband, King James VI of Scotland when he instigated the ferocious Scottish witch hunts. There are many different reasons from economic, to religious to political for the witch hunts which flared up all over Europe and the New World between 1350 and 1750 and resulted in the execution of thousands of people, mainly women. However, I believe at their heart was misogyny, the oldest of all prejudices.
In Norway also, the witch trials are entwined with the story of the indigenous Sámi people, who have their own religion and culture. The Christian settlers were fearful of their shamans and believed they communicated with the Devil. Moreover, the Sámi thrived in the arctic region where the settlers struggled to survive of which they were envious. Part of the witch trials in this region were bound up in the colonisation of these people.
I returned to Vardø in mid-summer to experience another side to the island. It was completely different, and this time I drove along the whole Varanger Peninsula visiting the villages where the accused women had lived. With twenty-four hours’ of daylight, I found it hard to sleep especially with the screeching of the seabirds nesting on the cliffs. On this research trip I understood why the women had been accused of turning into birds and enacting weather magic to wreck the merchants’ ships.
In writing The Witches of Vardø I wanted to remain as true as I could to the real events, while at the same time write a story which didn’t leave the reader in a horrifying place. The facts are hard to stomach as twenty women were killed, two of whom were tortured to death, while the others were burned at the stake. To lift this harsh reality, I wove a thread of magic realism through the narrative, and focused on Anna, Ingeborg and Maren who in different ways defy the authorities. The purpose of this was to liberate the women from their brutal fates at the hands of the patriarchy. I wanted the reader to be left feeling empowered and uplifted despite this dark time in history. It took a while for me to work out the best way to tell this story. But when it did come, the writing was fast and intense during the first pandemic lockdown which I spent completely alone. In my own isolation during a time of global crisis, I found myself dropping into the world of witch trials and dwelling on the experiences of these women in the past. My vision was to raise their voices with tenderness and highlight parallels in the world we live in now. Our new era of witcherature represent a time of reckoning and feminist retellings, and an opportunity to acknowledge the witch inside each any every one of us – our wild, rebellious spirit whose voice matters.
The Witches of Vardø is published by Manilla Press. Hardback out now.
(c) Anya Bergman
About The Witches of Vardø:
‘Three women’s fight for survival in a time of madness’ Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of The Mercies.
They will have justice. They will show their power. They will not burn.
Norway, 1662. A dangerous time to be a woman, when even dancing can lead to accusations of witchcraft. After recently widowed Zigri’s affair with the local merchant is discovered, she is sent to the fortress at Vardø to be tried as a witch.
Zigri’s daughter Ingeborg sets off into the wilderness to try to bring her mother back home. Accompanying her on this quest is Maren – herself the daughter of a witch – whose wild nature and unconquerable spirit gives Ingeborg the courage to venture into the unknown, and to risk all she has to save her family.
Also captive in the fortress is Anna Rhodius, once the King of Denmark’s mistress, who has been sent in disgrace to the island of Vardø. What will she do – and who will she betray – to return to her privileged life at court?
These Witches of Vardø are stronger than even the King. In an age weighted against them, they refuse to be victims. They will have their justice. All they need do is show their power.
‘An intricately woven, timeless novel about prejudice, misogyny, freedom and the power and strength we can find within’ – Christy Lefteri
‘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
‘A vividly atmospheric exploration of power in all its forms’ Claire Askew
‘Brilliant and powerful. Haunting and beautifully written. A complex and gripping novel reclaiming and retelling the stories of the women accused of witchcraft in Norway. Hugely atmospheric. Read it!’ – Liz Hyder, author of The Gifts
Order your copy online here.
