On Easter morning 1686, Mette Stisen from Ebeltoft was seen sweeping backwards with her broom – away from her neighbour’s house. Easter morning is not just a Christian holiday, but also a festival for witches. So the only explanation for her odd behaviour had to be that she was a witch trying to sweep her neighbour’s fortune away.
In the 17th century, the broom is not just an everyday implement, after all – it is linked to tales of witches and superstition. It may be used to clean your home and to keep away sorcery and black magic. But it may also be used by witches to displace or steal other people’s good fortune.
Besides, witches and sorcerers ride on it – or on pitchforks and the like, or on various animals like cats and goats – right across the night sky.