Göran Malmstedt - Premodern Beliefs and Witch Trials in a Swedish Province, 1669-1672

The history of European witchcraft and magic continues to fascinate and challenge students and scholars. There is certainly no shortage of books on the subject. Several general surveys of the witch trials and numerous regional and micro studies have been published for an English-speaking readership. While the quality of publications on witchcraft has been high, some regions and topics have received less attention over the years. The aim of this series is to help illuminate these lesser known or little studied aspects of the history of witchcraft and magic. It will also encourage the development of a broader corpus of work in other related areas of magic and the supernatural, such as angels, devils, spirits, ghosts, folk healing and divination. To help further our understanding and interest in this wider history of beliefs and practices, the series will include research that looks beyond the usual focus on Western Europe and that also explores their relevance and influence from the medieval to the modern period.

A valuable series. - Magic, Ritual and Witchcraft

More information about this series at http://www.palgrave.com/gp/series/14693

1th edition: Nordic Academic Press 2017

Cover illustration: The Shipwreck, a painting by Ann Petersson Malmstedt

This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG

The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland

This book was first published in Swedish in 2018. With the exception of some clarifications and additions to the footnotes and bibliography, no changes have been made to the text.

One advantage of the publication of an English translation is that it allows me once again to thank all those who have in some way contributed to my work. I owe a debt of gratitude to the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Gothenburg for being able to devote time to research and to the staff at Gothenburg University Library, the National Archives of Sweden, and the Regional State Archives in Vadstena for their efficiency in dealing with my many requests. I would also like to thank Richard Potter, who managed to turn my hand-drawn sketches into a comprehensible image of the spread of witchcraft in Bohusln, and Fugazi form that produced the final map.

I am indebted to all colleagues who have read and commented on the manuscript at various stages. In particular, I thank Lennart K. Persson, Christer Ahlberger, Linda Oja, Fredrik Skott, and Terese Zachrisson for their wise advice. Any remaining shortcomings and errors are my own.

I am deeply grateful to Charlotte Merton for the precision and stylistic elegance of the English translation. The many archaic Swedish expressions in the quotes from my source material were particularly challenging and her comments as the work progressed were much appreciated.

The translation would not have been possible without financial support from various funding bodies. My thanks are due to Konung Gustav VI Adolfs fond fr svensk kultur, Lngmanska kulturfonden, and Torsten Sderbergs Stiftelse.

My warmest thanks are for Ann, who provided the cover painting, read numerous drafts, and has been a constant source of insight and encouragement.

The book is dedicated to Ann, Johan, and Sara.