How Norwegians made sure criminals went to Hell

How Norwegians made sure criminals went to Hell
March 31, 2017 - 06:20

During the Middle Ages, people were deeply concerned about the fate of bad criminals: Not only was it necessary to punish them on Earth, but every effort had to be made to make certain they went to Hell.

By: Nancy Bazilchuk, based on an article by Bård Amundsen




During the Middle Ages, people had a clear vision of what Hell was like. The Church helped fuel
these fears of what could happen to you in the afterlife. This picture was painted on the wall of
a church in Denmark during the 1400s. (Photo: Hideko Bondesen, CC BY-SA 2.5)


Skulls buried in a half-circle, facing southeast. A decapitated skeleton, with its head buried between its thighs and the feet cut off. Skeletons where the skulls have been removed and heads buried separately, upside down.

These might sound like the ingredients of a Hollywood horror movie, or perhaps a pagan ritual, but they are not. Instead, they are all examples of ways that Norwegian society from 500 years ago tried to guarantee that criminals and other bad people got the punishment they deserved, not only on Earth but also in the eternal afterlife.

All of these examples have been excavated over the last 20 years in Norway from an area southwest of Oslo, in a town called Skien. Archaeologists recognize an area in the town as one of first Christian burial grounds. Later, the same area was a place where criminals were executed.

Unconsecrated ground near the gallows

Sometime between 1010 and 1040, Hakastein Church was erected in the area where the skulls were found. The church may have been Norway's first.

More:
http://sciencenordic.com/how-norwegians-made-sure-criminals-went-hell