[Scene: A cozy evening at Mikkel’s summer cottage near Aarhus. It’s Sankt Hans aften, and a large bonfire with a witch effigy on top crackles in the background. Mikkel and Jonas are sipping beer on foldable chairs, watching the flames.]
Mikkel:
grinning
Ahhh, nothing beats the smell of burning evil. That witch’s got no chance this year. Bad vibes—poof!—gone.
Jonas:
chuckles
You know it’s just a stuffed rag doll with a hat, right? Not a real witch. No “evil” is going anywhere except up in smoke and carbon dioxide.
Mikkel:
nods solemnly
Yeah, but that’s the point. It’s symbolic. Every year we burn the witch, and every year I don’t get food poisoning or stub my toe in July. Coincidence? I think not.
Jonas:
raises an eyebrow
You think lighting a scarecrow on fire once a year keeps your stomach and pinky toe safe? That’s some very… targeted magic.
Mikkel:
leans in dramatically
Last year, I almost didn’t burn the witch. Guess what happened? I lost my bike keys for three days and my plants got aphids. Aphids, Jonas.
Jonas:
gasping sarcastically
Not the aphids! Clearly, that’s the work of ancient Norse witchcraft and not just… nature.
Mikkel:
You joke, but this tradition goes back centuries. Our ancestors knew something. Why else would they have started it?
Jonas:
Well, our ancestors also thought sneezing was the soul trying to escape the body, and that tomatoes were poisonous. Maybe they were just wrong sometimes?
Mikkel:
Sure, but it’s not just superstition. It feels like it works. The ritual brings people together. Kids singing, the bonfire, warding off darkness… there’s something comforting in it.
Jonas:
I totally agree on the community part. I love the food, the music, the creepy chorus of kids singing “Vi elsker vort land” while a straw woman goes up in flames. Very hygge. But that doesn’t mean there’s actual dark magic being driven off.
Mikkel:
Maybe science just hasn’t caught up to explain the spiritual realm yet.
Jonas:
Or maybe humans are pattern-seeking machines. You connect the witch-burning to good luck the same way people think wearing lucky socks helps their football team win.
Mikkel:
mock offense
Lucky socks do work. I wore my red ones when Denmark beat France last year. Coincidence? I think not.
Jonas:
You keep saying that like it’s proof. You sound like my grandma when she blamed her neighbor’s bad vibes for her power outage.
Mikkel:
snorts
Power of intention, my friend.
Jonas:
Power of worn-out wiring.
Mikkel:
grinning, raising his beer
Okay, okay, maybe witches aren’t real, but the tradition still makes me feel protected. Isn’t that worth something?
Jonas:
Absolutely. Feeling safe matters. But let’s be honest about what it is—a cultural ritual, not a cosmic insurance policy.
Mikkel:
You know, I might still believe in witches. But I also believe in beer, friendship, and setting symbolic things on fire. And tonight, all four are here.
Jonas:
Fair enough. Just promise me you won’t start blaming a bad internet connection on 17th-century sorcery.
Mikkel:
No promises. If my Wi-Fi goes down, that effigy gets two hats next year.
[Both laugh as they clink bottles and the flames crackle higher.]
Science Vs Superstition 
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