
audiobook
THE AMBER WITCH - by - Wilhelm Meinhold - The most interesting trial for witchcraft ever known. Printed from an imperfect manuscript by her father Abraham Schweidler, the pastor of Coserow, in the Island of Usedom. - Translated from the German by Lady Duff Gordon. - Original publication date: 1846.
PREFACE
INTRODUCTION
The Seventh Chapter - HOW THE IMPERIALISTS ROBBED ME OF ALL THAT WAS LEFT, AND LIKEWISE BROKE INTO THE CHURCH AND STOLE THE VASA SACRA; ALSO WHAT MORE BEFELL US
The Eighth Chapter - HOW OUR NEED WAXED SORER AND SORER, AND HOW I SENT OLD ILSE WITH ANOTHER LETTER TO PUDGLA, AND HOW HEAVY A MISFORTUNE THIS BROUGHT UPON ME
The Ninth Chapter - HOW THE OLD MAID-SERVANT HUMBLED ME BY HER FAITH, AND THE LORD YET BLESSED ME HIS UNWORTHY SERVANT
The Tenth Chapter - HOW WE JOURNEYED TO WOLGAST, AND MADE GOOD BARTER THERE
The Eleventh Chapter - HOW I FED ALL THE CONGREGATION: ITEM, HOW I JOURNEYED TO THE HORSE FAIR AT GÜTZKOW, AND WHAT BEFELL ME THERE
The Twelfth Chapter - WHAT FURTHER JOY AND SORROW BEFELL US: ITEM, HOW WITTICH APPELMANN RODE TO DAMEROW TO THE WOLFHUNT, AND WHAT HE PROPOSED TO MY DAUGHTER
The Thirteenth Chapter - WHAT MORE HAPPENED DURING THE WINTER: ITEM, HOW IN THE SPRING WITCHCRAFT BEGAN IN THE VILLAGE
A curious clergyman uncovers a tattered vellum volume hidden in a church niche, its pages warped by age and neglect. The manuscript, penned by a long‑dead pastor, recounts a chilling witch‑craft trial from a remote island community. As the narrator pieces together the fragmentary text, listeners are drawn into the uneasy atmosphere of superstition and solemn faith that pervades the seventeenth‑century setting.
Within the trial’s first act, a grieving mother, on the brink of the stake, shockingly names her beloved teenage daughter as a witch in a desperate attempt to save her own soul. The accusation sends the court into a bewildering inquiry, while clergymen and physicians debate the limits of reason and belief. This early portion offers a vivid portrait of fear, duty, and the fragile line between piety and paranoia, inviting listeners to contemplate how far a human heart will go when caught between terror and salvation.
Full title
Mary Schweidler, the amber witch The most interesting trial for witchcraft ever known, printed from an imperfect manuscript by her father, Abraham Schweidler, the pastor of Coserow in the island of Usedom / edited by W. Meinhold ; translated from the German by Lady Duff Gordon. The most interesting trial for witchcraft ever known, printed from an imperfect manuscript by her father, Abraham Schweidler, the pastor of Coserow in the island of Usedom / edited by W. Meinhold ; translated from the German by Lady Duff Gordon.
Language
en
Duration
~6 hours (370K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Distributed Proofreaders
Release date
2005-08-01
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1797–1851
Best known for the eerie historical tale The Amber Witch, this German pastor-novelist had a gift for making invented documents feel uncannily real. His stories blend folklore, religion, and Gothic atmosphere in a way that still feels vivid today.
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