Lisbeth Nypan

Lisbeth (Elisabeth) Nypan
Monument of Lisbet Nypan at the Nypvang Primary School in Leinstrand, Norway
Born	Elisabeth Pedersdotter circa 1610 Høllandet (now Hølonda), Trøndhjems amt (now Sør-Trøndelag, Norway
Died	1670 (aged 59–60) Trondheim, Trøndhjems amt (now Sør-Trøndelag, Norway
Cause of death	Executed by burning at stake
Known for	Alleged witch
Criminal charge	Witchcraft
Criminal penalty	Execution by burning at stake
Spouse(s)	Ole Nypan
Children	Ingeborg, Ane, Marit, Peder
Parent(s)	Peder Kulgrandstad, Mother Unknown

Lisbet Nypan (née Elisabeth Pedersdotter Kulgrandstad) (circa 1610 – September 1670) was an alleged Norwegian witch. As one of the most famous victims of the witch-hunts in her country, she was also the penultimate defendant to be executed for witchcraft in Norway.

The case against Lisbet and her husband, Ole Nypan, is the only Norwegian witch-hunt described by Rossell Hope Robbins in his 1959 book, Encyclopedia of Witchcraft and Demonology. Its fame grew a few years later, in 1962, when it was dramatized in Norway by Torbjørn Prestvik in his novel, Lisbet Nypan : Den siste hekseprosess i Trøndelag som førte til bål og brann (Lisbet Nypan : The Last Witch Trial in Trøndelag, from the Beginning to the Burning).

Lisbet was born and baptized as Elisabeth Pedersdatter, from the Kulgrandstad farm in Høllandet (now Hølonda), 25 miles (40 kilometers) southwest of Trondheim, in the district of Trøndheim (“Trøndhjems amt”, now Sør-Trøndelag). Although her father's name is known, the name of her mother remains unknown. Lisabet was not the only member of her family to be accused as a witch. Her sister was also “stamped” as a witch. It is not known exactly when and where Lisbet married the farmer and innkeeper Ole Nypan (circa 1602–1670). The parish records for Høllandet did not start until 1732. However, it is known that, in 1670, the year of their trial, they were already in their sixties, with four grown children. Their children were Ingeborg, Ane, Marit and Peder. The family’s surname was taken from its farm, Nypan, in Leinstrand, just south of the city of Trondheim, in Sør-Trondelag. (Leinstrand is now a neighborhood of Trondheim.)

Charges against Lisbet and Ole were brought in 1670, when they sued in the courts for slander, but their case was quickly turned against them. This led to the interrogation in Leinstrand and later in the courtrooms of the Lagting Hall in Trondheim. The trial lasted for six months, from March to September 1670. According to the testimonies of witnesses, Lisbet had had a reputation as a healer since the 1640s. People often came to her with their illnesses and sufferings. The methods she used was a mixture of Christian belief, black arts and natural medicine. One of her methods was "reading in salt", which was an old folk tradition. She would recite a prayer over the salt, which were afterwards eaten by the patient. Several witnesses claimed that they were better off after the treatment by Lisbet. Four of her verses were recorded and preserved in the documents of the case. One of them was used and presented by Lisbeth during her trial in the following lines: