It all started when a huge storm drowned 40 men on Christmas Eve, 1617. The people of Vardø, northern Norway, needed someone to blame. What followed were devastating witch trials, which featured one of the highest execution rates in Europe, and implicated the town's women and the surrounding indigenous population. This episode was edited by Tim Arstall. Produced by Stuart Beckwith and McKenna Fernandez. Edited by Anna Brant. The senior producer was Freddy Chick. After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal is a History Hit podcast. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe. All music from Epidemic Sounds. #HistoryHitPodcast #AfterDark #Witches