SLOVENIA, May 31 - Among the many valuable records preserved by the Archives of the Republic of Slovenia are also numerous court records, dating from the Middle Ages until the present day. Particularly interesting among them are records and documents referring to the so-called witch trials. During different times in the past when authorities were known to pass unjust laws, the courts were often the site of judicial murders, abuse and cruelty. An example of such abuse in the Modern Period were witch trials, which became synonymous with unjust judicial persecution. The witch trial against Marina Vukinec (Vukanec) is one of the more well-known witch trials in Styria and part of a widespread persecution of witchcraft that took hold of many Styrian courts.

The report of the blood court judge Lampertič, in which he describes the trial against Marina between December 1 and 19, 1673, is an interesting document, since, on the one hand, it sheds some light on the harsh judicial practice of that time, and, on the other hand, offers information about the relations between villagers and about the images and rumours that at the time were widespread.

Marina was along with her husband first suspected of witchcraft already in 1661 during a number of trials that followed a severe hailstorm. She was summoned to the Hrastovec Castle and faced Urša Černe (also Černič), who accused her of participating in the devilish witchcraft. Marina (probably) had to swear to return to the court when summoned, and then went home. In 1671, the town of Ljutomer witnessed a massive persecution that soon spread to the neighbouring courts; on December 1, 1671, upon the orders of Count Friderik Herberstein, Maina was imprisoned again. She was 57 years old cottage woman and together with her husband lived in Vinička vas. In addition to Urša Černe’s testimony, Marina was accused of witchcraft also by other witnesses.

At the hearing where no torture was applied Marina confessed that she had known Urša Černe. In August 1659, they had an argument in the Vinička vas, because Urša accused Marina that her cow did some damage to Urša’s garden. Marina, on the other hand, was convinced that the footprints in the garden were those of a deer. Later the two women reconciled in the presence of the mayor Lovrenc Zorc. Men from the Hrastovec Castle searched Marina’s house and found several suspicious objects. She was interrogated by the administrator of the local territorial court Jurij Šoster, who, not satisfied with her answers, confronted her with a number of witnesses she mentioned in connection to the suspicious objects found in her house. Šoster also ordered her to be tortured. Executioner found two suspicious marks of witchcraft on Marina’s body.

Marina stated that her husband occasionally came home drunk and that it was possible he might have come into contact with witchcraft circles.  In regard to the objects found in her house, she said that the bread was from an old woman, the lard was a leftover from frying carnival doughnuts, and marrow was used for helping women in childbirth. The white medicine she obtained from a desetnica (the tenth daughter who had to leave home and roam the world). The old piece of bread that looked like cake she baked more than a year ago, when she had a new stove made. Bread that is made for the first time in a new stove was supposed to be a good remedy for fever. The black candle she used for the baptism of her daughter Lucija, and later carried it to church every year for the Candlemas. It would have also come in handy if someone died and she would have something to place in their hands. The ointment brought to her by her son-in-law she would use to treat swelling. She also had a herb that was said to be very good for children.

To continue the trial, Count Herberstein called for the blood court judge Lampertič, who arrived to the Hrastovec Castle on the evening of December 6.  After studying the court records, Lampertič concluded that Marina was incriminated by the statements of the witches that had already been burnt, as well as by the witchcraft objects found in her house and the witch marks found on her body by the executionary. Lampertič was especially keen to connect the statement that all women in Dogoše were believed to be witches with the statement of the imprisoned Marina, who allegedly referred to these women as holy women. Confrontations with witnesses give modern readers an insight on how at the time various superstitions and herbs were used to ward off illnesses. On December 7, Lampertič interrogated Marina without torture, but since he hadn’t received her confession, he ordered the executioner to torture her severely on the chair of torture. Torture included the pouring of boiling hot lard into Marina’s boots and with some intervals continued until December 13. Marina consistently denied the accusations of being a witch. Since she was in poor physical condition, Lampertič decided to give her a couple of days to think things over. However, due to severe torture, Marina began to lose her mind.

On the morning of December 18, she complained to the guard that she had not had any peace all night, since the devils kept pumping her blood from her feet into boxes and carrying it away. That same day, at around one in the afternoon, Lampertič came to see her together with Primož Rižnar, the hospital master, who was also the Hrastovec seigniory’s surgeon. At around nine in the evening the following day, when Šoster and Rižnar came to see her, Marina told them that she was seeing many white women on the roofs and that she would soon be joining them. Šoster and Rižnar came to see her every day. According to Lampertič, her screams were so intense that it made their hair stand on end. Her last night was especially hard. At midnight her screams and wild behaviour became even more intense. Amid her wild screaming, they returned to prison and sprinkled her with holy water, but to no avail. Marina was delirious, seeing devils all around her, pumping blood from her feet into a pot and toasting themselves with it. She said the devil's mother was pulling her hair while her children were running around. Petrified, both men left and instructed the guard to keep watch over her with a lit candle. In the morning, they returned to the prison and the guard offered them soup and wine mixed with the holy water. On the morning of December 19, Marina died as a result of severe torture. On December 20, Lampertič wrote a report about the trial, cold-bloodily concluding that Marina was a witch and that she was killed by the devils. Lampertič ordered not to burn her body; instead, the executioner secretly buried it in the forest on December 19. Lampertič came from a bourgeois family in Ptuj and was one of the blood court judges in Styria, who conducted witch trials in a particularly horrendous manner post-1660. Several suspected women and one man died in those trials due to horrific torture; those who confessed, were sentenced to death. Lampertič also found his place as one of the characters in the novel by Drago Jančar called Galjot.

Simultaneously with Marina, her husband Jurij Vukinec, a vineyard cottager from Vinička vas, was also imprisoned on December 1, 1673, on suspicion of witchcraft. He was found innocent and released. On December 28, 1673, Jurij Vukinec took an oath, on behalf of himself and his heirs, to pay his share of the court costs as soon as possible. He further swore that if he were to be summoned again to court, he would appear immediately. The mayors of Sv. Rupert, Jablance and Gruševa signed and sealed his oath as witnesses.

Matevž Košir