During recent decades, interpretation of mass allegations of Satanist child
abductions have challenged psychiatrists and mental health professionals in the
Western world. It has been argued that a useful perspective on this phenomenon may
be gained from a study of historical parallels from countries such as Spain, Germany
and Sweden. The texts translated below are an eyewitness account of the witch panic
in Rättvik 1670–71 and a letter of 1671, both written by the
Reverend Gustav Elvius.
Ankarloo, B.
(1984) Trolldomsprocesserna i Sverige[The trials for
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rättshistorisk forskning
), 1–17.
2.
Ankarloo, B.
(1990) Sweden: the mass burnings
(1668–76). In
B. Ankarloo
and
G. Henningsen
(eds), Early Modern European Witchcraft(
Oxford: Clarendon Press
), 285–318.
3.
Ankarloo, B.
and
Clark, S.
(1999) Witchcraft and Magic in Europe: The Eighteenth and
Nineteenth Centuries(
Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press
).
4.
AriËs, P.
(1962) Centuries of Childhood: A Social History of Family Life(
New York: Vintage Books
).
5.
Boyer, P.
and
Nissenbaum, S.
(1975) Salem Possessed: The Social Origins of
Witchcraft (
Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press
).
6.
Briggs, R.
(1996) Witches & Neighbors: The Social and Cultural
Context of European Witch Craft (
London: Fontana Press
).
7.
Ceci, S. J.
and
Bruck, M.
(1993)
Suggestibility of the child witness: a historical review and a synthesis
. Psychological Bulletin, 113,
403–439
.
8.
Ceci, S. J.
and
Friedman, R. D.
(2000)
The suggestibility of children: scientific research and legal implications
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33–108
.
9.
Cohn, N.
(1975) Europe’s Inner Demons: An Enquiry Inspired
by the Great Witch Hunt(
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).
10.
Henningsen, G.
(1980) The Witches’ Advocate: Basque Witchcraft and
the Spanish Inquisition (1609–1614)(
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).
11.
Henningsen, G.
(1996)
The child witch syndrome: Satanic child abuse of today and child witch
trials of yesterday
. Journal of Forensic Psychiatry, 7,
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.
12.
Hyman, I. E.
and
Loftus, E. F.
(1998)
Errors in autobiographical memory
. Clinical Psychology Review, 18,
933–947
.
13.
Jerselius, K. T.
(2003) Den stora häxdansen: Vidskepelse,
väckelse och vetande i Gagnef 1858[The great witch dance: superstition,
revival and knowledge in Gagnef 1858] (
Uppsala: Studia Historica Uppsaliensa
).
14.
Jonker, F.
and
Jonker-Bakker, P.
(1991)
Experiences with ritualist child sexual abuse: a case study from the Netherlands
. Child Abuse and Neglect, 15,
191–196
.
15.
Kröningssvärd, C. G.
(1849) BlÂkullefärderna eller handlingar
om trolldomsväsendet i Dalarne Âren 1668–1673[The
voyages to BlÂkulla or document concerning the witchcraft turmoil in
the county of Dalarna 1668–1673],2nd edn (
Stockholm: Lundberg & Co.
).
16.
LaFontaine, J. S.
(1994) The Extent and Nature of Organised and Ritual Abuse:
Research Findings(
London: HMSO
).
17.
LaFontaine, J.
(1998) Speak of the Devil(
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
).
18.
Lagerlöf-GÈnetay, B.
(1990) De svenska häxprocessernas utbrottsskede
1668–1671: Bakgrund i övre Dalarna: Social och ecklesiastisk
kontext[The outbreak of the Swedish Witch Panic in Upper Dalarna
1668–1671: an ethno-religious background study of contributing social
and ecclesiastical factors] (
Stockholm: Almqvist & Wiksell International
).
19.
Lanning, K. V.
(1991)
Ritual abuse: a law enforcement view or perspective
. Child Abuse and Neglect, 15,
171–173
.
20.
Levack, B. P.
(1995) The Witch-hunt in Early Modern Europe, 2nd
edn (
Singapore: Longman
).
21.
Lindsay, D. S.
and
Read, J. D.
(1994)
Psychotherapy and memories of childhood sexual abuse: a cognitive perspective
. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 8,
281–338
.
22.
Loftus, E. F.
and
Pickrell, J.
(1995)
The formation of false memories
. Psychiatric Annals, 25,
720–724
.
23.
Monter, W.
(1990) Scandinavian witchcraft in Anglo-American
perspective. In
B. Ankarloo
and
G. Henningsen
(eds), Early Modern European Witchcraft: Centres and Peripheries(
Oxford: Clarendon Press
), 425–434.
24.
Muchembled, R.
(1990) Satanic myths and cultural reality. In
B. Ankarloo
and
G. Henningsen
(eds), Early Modern European Witchcraft: Centres and Peripheries(
Oxford: Clarendon Press
), 139–160.
25.
Mulhern, S.
(1991) Satanism and psychotherapy: a rumour in search of
an inquisition. In
J. T. Richardson
,
J. Best
and
D. G. Bromley
(eds), The Satanism Scare(
New York: Aldine de Gruyter
), 145–172.
26.
Rudenmark, L.
(1967) Trolldoms och häxväsendet
1670–1671 [The witchcraft turmoil 1670–71]. In
G. Ekström
,
G. Landberg
and
A. Vikars
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VästerÂs: Rättviks socken
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27.
Schreiber, N. (2000a) Zeugenbefragung von Kindern: Wie wirkt die Technik
“Einladen zur Spekulation”?(Hamburg: Linos).
28.
Schreiber, N.
(2000b)
Interviewing techniques in sexual abuse cases: a comparison of a daycare
abuse case with normal abuse cases
. Swiss Journal of Psychology, 59,
196–206
.
29.
Sebald, H.
(1996) Hexenkinder: Das Märchen von der kindlichen Aufrichtigkeit(
Frankfurt a. M.: Fisher
).
30.
Sinason, V.
(1994) Treating Survivors of Satanist Abuse(
Kent: Routledge
).
31.
Sjöberg, R. L.
(1995)
Child testimonies during an outbreak of witch hysteria: Sweden 1670–1671
. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 36,
1039–1051
32.
Sjöberg, R. L.
(1997)
False allegations of satanic abuse: case studies from the witch panic in
Rättvik 1670–71
. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 6,
219–226
.
33.
Sjöberg, R. L.
(2000)
Child testimonies during a witch panic as related to knowledge of
Luther’s catechism
. Memory, 8,
65–69
.
34.
Sjöberg, R. L.
(2002)
False claims of victimisation: a historical illustration of a contemporary problem
. Nordic Journal of Psychiatry, 56,
132–136
.
35.
Sjöberg, R. L.
(2003)
Mass allegations of Satanist child abuse in early modern Sweden:
demographic data relevant to the Rättvik outbreak of 1670–1671
. History of Psychology, 6,
3–13
.
36.
Skragge, E.
(1849). Een kort relation öfver det som passerat
är vedh ransakningen utj Moora A:o 1670 [A brief account of what
happened during the inquiry in Mora 1670]. In
C. G. Kröningssvärd
(ed.), BlÂkullefärderna eller handlingar om
trolldomsväsendet i Dalarne Âren
1668–1673,2nd edn (
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), 47–67.
37.
Spanos, N. P.
(1994)
Multiple identity enactments and multiple personality disorder: a
sociocognitive perspective
. Psychological Bulletin, 116,
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.
38.
Spanos, N. P.
,
Menary, E.
,
Gabora, N. J.
,
DuBruil, S. C.
and
Dewhirst, B.
(1991)
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sociocognitive perspective
. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 61,
308–320
.
39.
Sprenger, J.
and
Institoris, H.
(1948) Malleus Maleficarum(
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40.
Trevor-Roper, H. R.
(1990) The European Witch-Craze of the Sixteenth and
Seventeenth Centuries(
London: Penguin Books
).
41.
Young, W. C.
,
Sachs, R. G.
,
Brown, B. G.
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Watkins, R. T.
(1991)
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. Child Abuse and Neglect, 15,
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