Jón Magnússon, Píslarsaga Jóns Magnússonar [An Account of the Torments of Jón Magnússon]

Katelin Parsons (Árna Magnússon Foundation for Icelandic Studies)
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Píslarsaga séra Jóns Magnússonar

[An Account of the Torments of the Rev. Jón Magnússon] is a first-hand account of a witchcraft case and its aftermath in the Westfjords of Iceland in 1655–1656. It was authored by the Rev. Jón Magnússon of Eyri in Skutulsfjörður (c. 1610–1696), who claimed that he and his household had been the target of malefic magic on the part of three parishioners, two of whom he succeeded in having tried for witchcraft and burned at the stake. Jón Magnússon’s

Píslarsaga

has become one of the best-known works of autobiographical literature from post-Reformation Iceland. A complete English translation by Michael Fell was published in 2007.

The trial of the farmer Jón Jónsson of Kirkjuból and his son, who was also named Jón Jónsson, is recorded in

2577 words

Citation: Parsons, Katelin. "Píslarsaga Jóns Magnússonar". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 18 August 2024 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=41108, accessed 21 November 2024.]

41108 Píslarsaga Jóns Magnússonar 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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