Olga Ravn on dangerous female friendship

The witch trials marked the first spadefuls of soil in the construction of the modern state, claims the acclaimed Danish author Olga Ravn. In "The Wax Child", she depicts how women's communities began to be stamped as dangerous.

» Updated: October 07 2024

» Published: August 26 2024

Olga Ravn on dangerous female friendship
Photo: Fredrik Sandberg/TT

There has been more research on herring than on people who were burned at the stake, says Olga Ravn in amazement at a Swedish café. In her new book, she wanted to highlight the witch trials of the 17th century, but without claiming to know what the condemned women thought.

So she gives voice to a wax doll – a kind of Scandinavian voodoo doll. Through it, she portrays the unmarried noblewoman Christenze Kruckow and her female friends, who were sentenced to death for witchcraft.

The doll is a narrator who on the one hand has experienced the historical, but on the other hand does not quite understand it. I thought that's a position I can have, she says.

Female Community

Olga Ravn was praised for "My Work" which came out in 2021, where she portrayed her own postpartum depression. After two births, she began to wonder about the lack of female communities – and why loyalty to the nuclear family always came first.

It was a transcendental experience to give birth, which most expanded my consciousness. It's philosophy, poetry, and religion – which then becomes diapers and coffee. The contrast is our condition. So "The Wax Doll" is an extension of "My Work", because it's about the history of women's communities.

With three laws, the power in Denmark wanted to create a Protestant state in the 17th century, claims Olga Ravn. The king criminalized witchcraft in 1617 and simultaneously banned luxury and extravagance. At the same time, the meaning of the term "best friend" changed – "god sibling" became "gossip", rumor, explains Olga Ravn meaningfully. Women in groups were seen as threatening – one of the strongest pieces of evidence against Kruckow was a fisherman who saw her "doing something together" with other women through a window.

We think the witch trials were the last gasp of the Middle Ages, but I think we should see them as the first spadefuls of the modern state. For me, the trials are not something in the past, says Olga Ravn, who means that the threat of punishment still hangs over:

When women start deviating too far from the nuclear family, "the priest" arrives.

Understanding Violence

In addition to the formal historical sources, Olga Ravn has also devoured books on folk magic, which include instructions on how to become invisible.

It's never happened, so what's the function of the text? I think of it as poetry, I found a whole literary tradition. It was very important for me to engage in dialogue with it.

She has also felt a "deep need" to understand the brutal violence against women in a controlled environment.

That's something you can do in literature.

Born: 1986

Lives: In Copenhagen

Family: Husband and two sons, 4 and 8 years old.

Background: Debuted in 2012 with the poetry collection "I Eat Myself as Heather". "The Employees" (2018) was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize and nominated for The Ursula K Le Guin Prize for Fiction and National Book Award. The novel "My Work" (2021) was awarded Politikens Litteraturpris and led to updates of Denmark's parental leave laws.

What are you reading: "I'm having a horror period. So I've read Daphne du Maurier's 'The Birds' with great pleasure and I've read a fantastic Belgian book called 'The One Who Never Knew Men' by Jacqueline Harpman. And 'The Year of the Donkey' by Athena Farrokhzad."

Tags

TTT
By TTThis article has been altered and translated by Sweden Herald

More news

The Traitors Wins Program of
1 MIN READ

The Traitors Wins Program of the Year at Sweden's Riagalan Awards

Swedish Authors Call on Culture
1 MIN READ

Swedish Authors Call on Culture Minister to Address Meta's AI Use

Uppsala Pavilion Wins Prestigious Kasper
1 MIN READ

Uppsala Pavilion Wins Prestigious Kasper Salin Architecture Prize

Muse Delays Istanbul Concert to
1 MIN READ

Muse Delays Istanbul Concert to 2026 Over Organizer Concerns

Sabrina Carpenter Shines in Sold-Out
2 MIN READ

Sabrina Carpenter Shines in Sold-Out Stockholm Shows

Michel Houellebecq Debuts Concert at
1 MIN READ

Michel Houellebecq Debuts Concert at Danish Literature Festival

Bruce Springsteen Unveils Seven Lost
1 MIN READ

Bruce Springsteen Unveils Seven Lost Albums in New Box Set

Royal Library to Create National
1 MIN READ

Royal Library to Create National Digital Book Lending Standard

Drake Gains Access to Key
1 MIN READ

Drake Gains Access to Key Documents in Kendrick Lamar Legal Battle

Italian Director Nanni Moretti Stable
1 MIN READ

Italian Director Nanni Moretti Stable After Heart Attack in Rome

Genre image
1 MIN READ

Lena From Appointed Permanent Secretary at Academy of Fine Arts

Ralph Fiennes Steps into Opera
1 MIN READ

Ralph Fiennes Steps into Opera Directing with Eugene Onegin in Paris

Christina Nilsson Shines as Aida
1 MIN READ

Christina Nilsson Shines as Aida at Birgit Nilsson Days in Båstad

Hilma af Klint Foundation Board
1 MIN READ

Hilma af Klint Foundation Board Stays Intact Pending Court Decision

Love is Blind Reunion: Swedish
2 MIN READ

Love is Blind Reunion: Swedish Couples Share Joyful Updates

Incurably Ill Woman's Journey to
3 MIN READ

Incurably Ill Woman's Journey to Fulfill Her Desires Becomes TV Series

Swedish Radio Journalist Åke Pettersson
1 MIN READ

Swedish Radio Journalist Åke Pettersson Passes Away at 77

Swedish House Mafia Joins Denniz
1 MIN READ

Swedish House Mafia Joins Denniz Pop Awards Jury

Medea's Children Returns to Stockholm
1 MIN READ

Medea's Children Returns to Stockholm Stage 50 Years Later

Swedish Violinist Johan Dalene Awarded
1 MIN READ

Swedish Violinist Johan Dalene Awarded Alfvén Society Scholarship

Genre image
1 MIN READ

60s Hitmaker Johnny Tillotson Dies at 84

Culture Minister Unfamiliar with Noted
1 MIN READ

Culture Minister Unfamiliar with Noted Directors Nolan and Widerberg

Swedish Artist Lap-See Lam Wins
1 MIN READ

Swedish Artist Lap-See Lam Wins Prestigious Norwegian Art Prize

Dick Bengtsson's Art Challenges Perceptions
3 MIN READ

Dick Bengtsson's Art Challenges Perceptions at Stockholm Exhibit

Hollywood Remembers Val Kilmer: Tributes
2 MIN READ

Hollywood Remembers Val Kilmer: Tributes Pour in for the Iconic Actor

Tarantino's Hollywood Sequel May Land
1 MIN READ

Tarantino's Hollywood Sequel May Land on Netflix with Fincher Directing

New Films and Series: Minecraft
3 MIN READ

New Films and Series: Minecraft Movie Debuts and More This Week

Susanne Yakes Could Be Chosen
2 MIN READ

Susanne Yakes Could Be Chosen as Listeners' Summer Host on P1

Munich 1972: How Live TV
3 MIN READ

Munich 1972: How Live TV Coverage Changed Journalism Forever

Val Kilmer, Iconic Actor from
2 MIN READ

Val Kilmer, Iconic Actor from Top Gun and Batman, Dies at 65

The Hives Announce New Album
1 MIN READ

The Hives Announce New Album and European Tour Starting October

Meg Westergren Honored with 2023
1 MIN READ

Meg Westergren Honored with 2023 Fatima Prize by Karl Gerhard Society

Authors Demand UK Action on
1 MIN READ

Authors Demand UK Action on Meta Over Alleged Book Copyright Breach

Ane Brun Cancels Istanbul Concert
1 MIN READ

Ane Brun Cancels Istanbul Concert Following Protest Backlash

Marion Brunet Wins Alma Prize
4 MIN READ

Marion Brunet Wins Alma Prize for Young Adult Literature

Oliver Stone to Testify in
1 MIN READ

Oliver Stone to Testify in Congress on New JFK Documents

Maria Montazami and Samir Badran
1 MIN READ

Maria Montazami and Samir Badran Join The Traitors on TV4

Masked Singer Tops TV Ratings
1 MIN READ

Masked Singer Tops TV Ratings with 1.5 Million Viewers

New Beatles Biopics Cast Revealed:
1 MIN READ

New Beatles Biopics Cast Revealed: Mescal, Quinn, Keoghan, Dickinson

World's Largest Children's Book Prize
3 MIN READ

World's Largest Children's Book Prize Set for 1 PM Announcement