The Witches of Vardo by Anya Bergman
1662. Norway. A dangerous time to be a woman, when even dancing can lead to accusations of witchcraft. When Zigri, a normal fisherman’s wife, desperate and grieving after the loss of her husband and son, embarks on an affair with the married son of a wealthy merchant, it is not long before she is sent to the fortress at Vardø, to be tried and condemned as a witch. Summer is twenty-four hours of light and winter is twenty-four hours of darkness, and night is closing in.
Zigri’s daughter Ingeborg leaves her younger sister and sets off into the wilderness to try to bring her mother back home. Accompanying her on this quest is Maren – herself the daughter of a witch – whose wild nature and unconquerable spirit gives Ingeborg the courage to venture into the unknown, and to risk all she has to save her family.
Also captive in the fortress is Anna Rhodius with instructions to extract the confessions from the supposed witches. Once the King of Denmark’s mistress, she has been brought to Vardø in disgrace. What will she do – and who will she betray – to return to her privileged life at court?
These Witches of Vardø are stronger than even the King of Denmark. In an age weighted against them they refuse to be victims. They will have their justice. All they need do is show their power.
The Witches of Vardø is based upon the real events of witch hunts in Norway in 1662. A blend of historical fact with magic realism, retellings of old Nordic folktales, Norse mythology and Sámi mythology, and told from the points of view of Anna and Ingeborg, it will take your breath away.
About the author
Anya Bergman lives in Ireland. She graduated from Edinburgh Napier with a Master’s in Creative Writing with distinction in 2020. She lived for six years in Norway researching this book extensively. The Witches of Vardø, a passion project, is her debut novel.She says: “My aim is to raise the lost of voices of the women of Vardø with tenderness, to reclaim their agency and to empower the reader with a strong sense of F*** the patriarchy!”
Review
‘The Witches of Vardo’ is a beautifully haunting tale based around true events on a tiny island in the north of Norway. As a mass fan of historical fiction I was looking forward to reading this book and it did not disappoint. If you picked this book up with no idea about it you would never know it was a debut! It’s such a strong opening novel from this author that I am already excited about what is coming next! Its prose was hauntingly beautiful, especially when detailing the Sami tales, and this was an evocative read. One made all the authentic for the reader since it is based around real events and real people who were put on trial for being witches in this period.
I absolutely loved all the Sami elements, references to Odin and the biofrost. It made for an added element to what could have been a general book about women being put to trial. It is clearly an impeccably researched book as it's truth radiates off the page. Plus, when their is a bibliography at the back you know it has been written by a lover of history. It comes across an authentic and a very real cry from the women of Vardo. It also looks at the relationships between the women and a woman’s place in society. The family dynamics between Ingeborg and her mother and sister was astounding, especially when it comes to her mother's suspicions of her youngest daughter.
I loved this book! Let me know if you read it!
