different realities and reactions motive she gave was that she had dreamt about committing such a murder. Erich Walman, who defended her in court, saw it as significant that three weeks before the murder she had been to confession and communion. He also emphasised that her mental condition was the reason for her crime. Therefore, she should be executed by the sword and buried in holy ground.516 The then dean, Henric Gerner, in an autobiographical work published over three decades later, describes how he and probably all priests in the city that in her opinion were pious had be visited by a woman that probably was her.517 To Gerner self she had been a regular visitor. She looked for salvation but did not seem to be able to turn to Jesus. According to Gerner she then was seduced and saw this sexual sin as destroying everything for her – she had collected good deeds and now saw herself as ungodly. The view by Gerner of Margrethe Christensdatter before the murder seems to be that she was a person not really looking for the salvation God gives in forgiving sins, but instead perceived her own holiness as a possible way to salvation. In gaol, forgiveness through Jesus was preached to her and she came to believe that she was forgiven and was joyful. On her day of execution, she was decapitated after praying with her confessor, and Gerner judged the occasion as horrible, but still described her death as an example of how far God will go to save those lost.518 The situation in the prison was an important factor when in the prison of Glückstadt in Holstein in 1762 Johanna Spengler tried to murder her fellow prisoner Christina Emmen by cutting her throat. Her ultimate goal seems to have been her own death, by suicide or by execution. Late516 Krogh 2012 p 2 sq, Reeh and Hemmingsen 2019a p 66 sqq. 517 So is presumed by Krogh 2012 p 3, while Reeh and Hemmingsen 2019a p 71 sq notes that Gerner did not give a name for the visiting woman and also questions what they see as an apologetic theological tendensy and that his story was published 30 years later. I follow Krogh in the identification primarily because giving a name would make the problem with disclosing a story from pastoral care even greater. Also it is hard to concieve a story of this kind from this time lacking some clear tendency, especially a priest being theological. 518 Gerner 1777 p 109 sqq. ”Dette var vel en sæl Tildragelse, og Gud bevære hvert ærlig Menneske fra saadan en Førelse; men imidleritid er der dog noget Artigt, noget Evangeliskt og Fornøyeligt deri, og det er et meget stort Exempel paa den troe Hyrdens uendelige Laangmodighed og Taalmodighed i at giøre de Fortabte salige.” (p 114). 148
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