The Witches’ Hole | EP 5

When a new governor, Christoffer Orning, and a well-born Danish exile, Anna Rhodius, arrive in Vardø, a darker idea takes hold: once the Devil has a foothold in a family, he will not let them go. Now the young daughters of accused women are brought before the court.

I finally go to Mount Domen, long believed to be the entrance to Hell, where the women were said to hold their witches’ gatherings. Then I visit the long-feared witches’ hole.

Along the way, Professor Liv Helene Willumsen guides us through the court books to find out how the chain of accusations came to reach the girls.

And I talk to Anya Bergman, author of The Witches of Vardø, about her own reading of Anna Rhodius.

Find me on Instagram: instagram.com/vardowitchtrials

Sound design by Craig Edmondson.

Featuring Professor Liv Helene Willumsen of UiT The Arctic University of Norway, novelist Anya Bergman and Isa Maline Isene of Vardø Museum.

Anya Bergman’s novel The Witches of Vardø: anyabergman.com/the-witches-of-vardo

The court records in this episode were transcribed by Professor Liv Helene Willumsen.

Voices by Olivia, Anne Mali Sæther, Ingrid, Anne Elizabeth and Jon Erik.

Written, hosted and produced by Lisa Williams.