Traditional folklore in pagan Sweden was full of fairies, elves, sprites, sirens, and other supernatural creatures of the forest. Occasionally, humans would meet these fairies and be charmed into sex. Women who gave birth to babies with an unusual appearance were accused of such fornication, and there were cases of men who used seduction by fairy as an excuse for their absence from their military duties. No doubt some accounts were the result of dreams or mental illness, or cover for actual trysts with strangers. Or animals.
Things changed when Christianity spread to Sweden in the Middle Ages. Christian authorities maintained that there was no such thing as fairies, and those who experienced such sexual encounters were obviously cavorting with the devil, which was illegal. The question at a fairy sex trial would be whether the accused was guilty of sorcery for dealing with the devil, or a victim of the demon's crimes. The conclusion was usually guilt. Then eventually, the witch trial craze reached Sweden, and that country furiously executed around 300 people between 1668 and 1676.
Sweden in the 17th century was a clash between the mostly benign pagan belief in fairy folk, the medieval Christian stance on good vs. evil, and the emerging field of science. Read about Sweden's fairy sex trials at Atlas Obscura.
(Image credit: John Bauer)
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