Ana Koldings

Ana Koldings

“Mother of the Devil” in Danish Witch Trials

When King James IV of Scotland (later James I of England) has his grand wedding plans thwarted by bad weather in 1590, an investigation is launched as to the cause. Instead of discovering the gross incompetence of the men in charge of outfitting the royal fleets, they find a much more sinister cause – WITCHES who conspired to send tiny devils in barrels across the ocean to cause the storms and prevent James’ marriage!

Historians can’t tell us very much about Ana Koldings because not much documentation of her witchcraft trial exists, but when Ana confessed to these crimes against the crown, she became not only a dangerous, but also a celebrity witch dubbed “Mother of the Devil”.

Hear the full story of how this strange trial came to be and how it inspired James to ignite the witch trial fires in Scotland for centuries to come.

“The feaefull aboundinge at this time in this countrie, of these detestable slaves of the Devil, the Witches or enchanters, hath moved me (beloved reader) to dispatch in post, this following treatise of mine (…) to resolve the doubting (…) both that such assaults of Satan are most certainly practised, and that the instrument thereof merits most severely to be punished.”

Daemonologie, by King James I