At least 135 people were accused of being witches between 1620 and 1665 - a period where the total population in Finnmark was about 3000. No other region in Europe suffered a witch hunt of similar intensity. 91 people were condemned to the stake. Of these, two of the first were burnt at Omgang in today’s Gamvik Municipality. In 1620, Karen Edisdatter was accused of causing Abraham af Hop to drown, as he tipped over the gunwale of his boat while answering the call of nature. She was supposedly also responsible for the death of Hendric af Gangviken, who deceased two days after having refused to borrow her a pan. ”Finn-Kari” was found guilty and burnt. Before she died, she informed upon Lisbet Joensens in Omgang. The following year, Lisbet was brought to confess that she had learnt sorcery from “Finn-Kari,” and that she had participated in dancing and drinking at Baldvolden in Omgang in the guise of a wolf. Lisbet was also condemned to the stake. According to tradition, Korset («The Cross») in Omgang is the site of the burnings.
Witchcraft trials
According to Christian scholars, Finnmark was Ultima Thule – the End of the World. The descent to hell was supposed to be a hole in the ground somewhere on the Varanger Peninsula, and polar nights and devils spread out over the world from this place. No wonder then, that the density of witches in Finnmark was above the average.