Dorte Jensdatter
Encyclopedia
Dorte Jensdatter was a Danish murder victim. She was lynched by being burned alive by her neighbors, after being accused of witchcraft
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Dorte Jensdatter was unmarried and supported herself by spinning in the village Øster Grønning in Salling
. She was suspected of having made two children as well as cattle sick by use of magic. After the death of a horse in 1722, the suspicions turned to open conflict. The owner of the dead horse and the mother of one of the dead children apprehended Jensdatter and arranged a private witch trial with the help of her neighbors. They judged her as guilty of witch craft and sentenced her to death. They tied her to a chair in her home and then killed her by setting fire to her house: it was the woman who had accused her who lit the fire.
The two accusers were arrested for her murder and executed.
Witchcraft
Witchcraft, in historical, anthropological, religious, and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft...
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Dorte Jensdatter was unmarried and supported herself by spinning in the village 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...
. She was suspected of having made two children as well as cattle sick by use of magic. After the death of a horse in 1722, the suspicions turned to open conflict. The owner of the dead horse and the mother of one of the dead children apprehended Jensdatter and arranged a private witch trial with the help of her neighbors. They judged her as guilty of witch craft and sentenced her to death. They tied her to a chair in her home and then killed her by setting fire to her house: it was the woman who had accused her who lit the fire.
The two accusers were arrested for her murder and executed.