Women and Demons in the Late Medieval Wall Paintings in the Church of Espoo (Finland)

Abstract

The late-medieval stone church of Espoo (county of Uusimaa), situated on the south coast close to the current-day capital of Finland, Helsinki, displays a wealth of medieval wall paintings executed around the 1510s by a group of painters that has remained anonymous. In the fourth vault of the north aisle a demon has been depicted as the proxy and associate of women who are seen in typical household tasks of milking and churning. On the west wall above the entrance a depiction shows a demon passing a pair of shoes to a woman, and above, three demons are seen twiddling with a parchment. This article analyses the images and places them in the context of social control that aimed at regulating behaviour by maintaining and emphasising notions about gender and gender roles.