This essay traces the development of some of the central ideas behind the 1980s and 1990s Satanism scare. In the first part of the essay I trace some of the ideas that were disseminated in Norway in 1991-1992 back to their (primarily) American origins in different professions and ideologies. Some of the ideas, such as the "brainwashing" motif and the framework of a dangerous, subversive movement are well-established in "traditional" American subversion myths. Others seem to have been shaped around interpretations of troubling events or claims in popular books. In the essay, I emphasize the interplay between the ideas brought up by interest groups and by ideologists as well as the interplay between highly profiled events and later allegations.
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