Jón Rögnvaldsson

Who was Jón Rögnvaldsson?

Jón Rögnvaldsson was an alleged Icelandic sorcerer.

The bailiff Magnus Björnsson had been educated in Copenhagen where he read about witch persecutions in 1487. He had brought this book with him to Iceland. In 1625 he heard a rumour, that ghosts had made a boy ill and killed several horses. He evidently made the assumption, that this had been caused by unknown witches, who needed to be exposed.

The sick boy pointed out Jon Rögnvaldsson. During the search of his house an arch of paper with Icelandic runes written on it was found. Jon admitted having written them. The Jon's brother the poet Thorvald Rögnvaldsson, testified in his defence that although Jon might have attempted to use rune magic, so called Galdrar, he had neither the strength nor the intelligence to succeed. But Magnus Björnsson judged Jon as guilty of sorcery and sentenced him to death. He was one of the first people to be executed for sorcery on Iceland.

Iceland, which was under the jurisdiction of the union of Norway and Denmark, had kept the old pagan customs alive, Christianity was weak and magic was admired.