Wild About Science - Fire and Flames by Maria Østerby Elleby

The fire is lit, it crackles and flames - and a person is bound to a ladder. When the fire is hottest, the ladder is tipped into the flames. The condemned is burned alive.

This is how sentences were carried out against those called witches. In the 17th century, witch hunts ravaged all of Europe, and in Denmark alone over a thousand people - mostly women - were convicted and executed for witchcraft. But what was actually feared? And how did ordinary people become witches?

Maria Østerby Elleby tells the story of the witch hunts and the cases that form the basis of her latest book "Fire and Flames: Witch Hunts in Denmark". Elleby holds a PhD in history, is a lecturer and communications director at Rudersdal Museums with a specialization in witchcraft trials.

The lecture is part of Copenhagen Public Library's festival "Wild About Science", which runs in October and November with science communication for adults at all Copenhagen Public Libraries. Location: 3rd floor. Tickets are non-refundable unless the conditions of the event change.