7 Deadly Witch Trials That Didn’t Take Place In Salem

Published October 24, 2023
Updated October 26, 2023

The Mass Killing Of Witches During The Torsåker Witch Trials

Witch Trials In Sweden

Public DomainA depiction of witch trials in Sweden, which ramped up in the 17th century.

On a spring day in 1675, thick billowing smoke choked the streets of Torsåker, a parish in Sweden. There, an astounding 71 accused witches were beheaded and burned at the stake on the same day. As HISTORY notes, the Torsåker witch trials stand as one of the largest mass killings of witches in history and the largest witch hunt in Swedish history.

Paranoia about witches gripped Sweden during the 17th century. This frightful period is referred to as Det Stora Oväsendet or “the Great Noise” and resulted in the deaths of 400 people.

This “noise” reached a roar in Torsåker in 1674 when a minister named Laurentius Christophori Hornæus of Ytterlännäs received instructions to investigate witchcraft in his parish. He enlisted two boys to identify women with hidden “devil’s marks” and quickly put together a list of possible witches.

Torsaker Memorial

Public DomainA memorial stone marks the spot where 71 accused witches were buried after their mass execution during the Torsåker witch trials.

Like elsewhere, people accused of witchcraft were tortured until they confessed. In Torsåker, victims were whipped and forced into frozen lakes. Their interrogators also allegedly threatened to bake their children in the oven if they didn’t confess. So, of course, many did.

In 1675, 71 accused witches — 65 women and six men — were beheaded and burned at the stake. That wiped out a jaw-dropping one-fifth of all women in Torsåker. They were buried under a local hilltop, which now bears the inscription: “In 1675 witches’ pyres burnt here. Women died, men judged. The belief of the time befalls man.”

The Torsåker witch trials, and the others we’ve covered so far, happened hundreds of years ago and seem to be relics of another age. But witch hunts continue even in our modern era.

author
Kaleena Fraga
author
A senior staff writer for All That's Interesting since 2021 and co-host of the History Uncovered Podcast, Kaleena Fraga graduated with a dual degree in American History and French Language and Literature from Oberlin College. She previously ran the presidential history blog History First, and has had work published in The Washington Post, Gastro Obscura, and elsewhere. She has published more than 1,200 pieces on topics including history and archaeology. She is based in Brooklyn, New York.
editor
Jaclyn Anglis
editor
Based in Brooklyn, New York, Jaclyn Anglis is the senior managing editor at All That's Interesting, where she has worked since 2019. She holds a Master's degree in journalism from the City University of New York and a dual Bachelor's degree in English writing and history from DePauw University. In a career that spans 11 years, she has also worked with the New York Daily News, Bustle, and Bauer Xcel Media. Her interests include American history, true crime, modern history, and science.
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Fraga, Kaleena. "7 Deadly Witch Trials That Didn’t Take Place In Salem." AllThatsInteresting.com, October 24, 2023, https://allthatsinteresting.com/witch-trials. Accessed July 25, 2025.