MAREN SPLIDS (SPLIID)
On November 9th 1641 Maren Splids was burned at a fire at the Gallows Hill near Ribe. Maren was one of the last and probably the most wellknown Danish victim for persecutions of witches.
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Marble memorial plaque at the house in Sønderportsgade in Ribe where the Maren Splids’ house was placed. The memorial was built into the wall in 1904 by Ribe Tourist Association.
The memorial text: Here lived Tailor Laurids Splid, whose poor wife Maren on the 9th of November 1641 was accused of witchcraft and burned at a fire at the Gallows Hills near Ribe
Nobody knows for sure how many women were burned as witches in Europe. Maybe 50.000, maybe several hundred thousands. In Denmark the witch hunts began after the Reformation in 1536 and continued into the 17th century, where the plague and innumerable wars destroyed large parts of the country and left a great part of the population poor. The hard pressed people needed scapegoats.
After the Reformation you could no longer buy yourself absolution from the Catholic Church. Instead you could argue you were bewitched to sin. In this way you could still be saved.
Especially women – and especially the poor and elderly - were accused and convicted as witches. They had a hard time just to survive and often they had conflicts with their neighbours and fellow citizens. In such conflicts men would resort to physical violence, but women more often used verbal abuses against each other. They might threaten their opponents with all kinds of misfortunes, and if some of them came through – well then women were obvious targets for persecution as witches.
Maren Splids was not a typical witch, because she was a wealthy and respected citizen in Ribe. She was married to the tailor Lauritz Spliid and was a successful landlady of the inn in Lauritz’ house in Sønderportsgade.
Maren was a selfassured lady and probably many thought she ought to be a little more modest and accommodating.
In 1637 she was accused of being a witch by the tailor Didrik Skrædder. He might have been jealous of Lauritz Splids’ success in business and angry with his own incompetence. He claimed that three women had entered his house at night. Two of them he didn’t know, but the third was Maren. They had held him, and Maren had forced his mouth open and breathed into his throat. After that he had become ill and vomited. In the vomit was a strange lump of living matter. This lump of vomit became the most important proof against Maren. The lump of vomit was shown to all – also the supreme authority in Ribe – the feudal overlord Gregers Krabbe at Riberhus. The priests and bishop in Ribe were assembled and everyone believed that the lump could not be a natural phenomenon. A witch had to have had a hand in it.
Maren was put on trial. At first Lauritz Splid succeeded in having the trial dismissed against his wife. But in 1639 Didrik had found some more witnesses and had approached King Christian the 4th himself. It so happened that the king himself was quite obsessed by witches, thinking they harmed him in both wars and as well as home. So Christian the 4th was directly responsible for having Maren put on trial again in Ribe.
Maren Splids was found guilty. However shortly thereafter she was once more acquitted by another court in Ribe. Then the case was submitted to the Supreme Court of Denmark, where the King himself was judge. Christian the 4th imprisoned Maren in a tower in Copenhagen. Maren was then tortured until she confessed being a witch, although it is was prohibited to torture a prisoner before her being found guilty.
Maren reported a number of other witches in her confessions, among them a cripple named Anne. The day after the sentence Maren Splids was burned as a witch at Galgebakken in Ribe. So many people watched her execution that the priest hardly could get through to her. She had had half a pint of beer and a load of gunpowder was tied to her back, so that her death would be hastened. After that she was tied to a ladder and thrown into the high flames.
In the period between 1572 and 1652 12 witch trials were conducted in Ribe. The last one was concerned Anna Bruds who was burned April 7th 1652.
© Danhostel Ribe Hostel. The stories may be used by our guests for private use and for education - and by others by using a link to Danhostel Ribe. Any other use requires permission.
Kilder:
John Andersen, Torben Andersen, Thomas Wad: Heksenes historie
Gretelise Holm: Maren Splids - En heks fra Ribe
David Grønlund: Historisk Efterretning om de i Ribe By for hekseri forfulgte og brændte Mennesker
Palle Petersen: Heksen på bålet (Roman)
