THE PRACTICE OF SENTENCES, Museum of Icelandic Sorcery and Witchcraft ~ Höfðagata 14, 510 Hólmavík, Iceland

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THE PRACTICE OF SENTENCES

 

The heaviest sentence possible in criminal cases, to be burnt at the stake, was dealt out 21 times. In all probability these persons, 20 males and 1 woman, were burnt alive. Three times the sources mention that the culprits tried to escape from the fire, the ropes having burnt through before they lost consciousness. One of them shouted repeatedly from the flames: See my innocence!

 

A source from the 18th century tells that as much scrubwood as 20 horses could carry was necessary to burn a person at Þingvellir. A clergyman in the Westfjords that got a father and son burnt in 1656 mentions that all the firewood was taken from the home of the convicts. In all pطعي ability driftwood was used to burn the three convicts in Trékyllisvik Strandir in 1654.

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Uploaded on September 17, 2025
Taken on April 4, 2025