Lisbeth Nypan

Lisbeth Nypan

Lisbeth (Elisabeth) Nypan (née Pedersdotter) (c. 1610 – September 1670) was an alleged Norwegian witch. She and Anne Pedersdotter were the best-known victims of the charge in Norway.

Lisbet was married to the farmer Ole Nypan (ca. 1602–1670) and had three children. From the 1640s, Lisbet was a cunning woman often employed as a healer and a magician. The fact that she charged people for curing sickness, led to the rumor that she made people ill to earn money. Her husband, Ole Nypan often reminded people to whom he was married during conflicts he had, which fed the rumors.

In 1670, the couple sued other people for slander, but the case was turned against them during the trial, and they were investigated in Trondheim. Lisbeth said that she did not cause sickness, only cure it, and that they were subjected to slander. But the court believed that her power to heal came from Satan. The Christian priests tried to convince the couple to confess, but they claimed innocence even after torture, without showing any remorse, which was seen as contempt for the court. The court claimed that the Devil helped them to endure torture, and judged guilty 5 September 1670. Lisbet was seen as more guilty than Ole, and she was sentenced to be burned alive at the stake, while Ole was to be decapitated.

References

• Prestvik, Torbjørn: Lisbet Nypan : Den siste hekseprosess i Trøndelag som førte til bål og brann, Trondheim 1962
• Hagen, Rune Blix: Hekser - Fra forfølgelse til fortryllelse, Oslo 2003
• Hagen, Rune Blix: ”Nypan, Lisbet”; i: Norsk biografisk leksikon 2. utg., 7. bd, Oslo 2003
• Trondheim byleksikon
• www.trondheim.com: «Trondhjemmere før oss. Lisbeth Nypan»
• Rune Blix Hagen: «Norwegian witches: Lisbet Pedersdatter Nypan», 2005
• www.trondheim.com: «Trondhjemmere før oss. Lisbeth Nypan.»
• Universitetet i Tromsø. Rune Blix Hagen: «Norwegian witches: Lisbet Pedersdatter Nypan», 2005
• Høgskoleavisa, Einar Myrenget: «Til minne om Lisbet Nypan» (om monumentet på Nypvang skole).
• Trønderbladet, Harald Langås: «Lisbet Nypan æres i heimbygda», 19. mai 2005 (om monumentet på Nypvang skole).
• Rune Hagen: Den europeiske hekseforfølgelsen, 1999 – 2005.
• Norwegian witches, part 1

Persondata
Name	Nypan, Lisbet
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Date of death	1670
Place of death