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This essay aims to contextualize the placement of deviant and atypical graves within the landscape of Västerbotten county in Sweden, in relation to the contemporary Christian cemeteries from the Middle Ages to the year 1960. To understand the need and reasoning for deviant and atypical graves from a religious standpoint several medieval laws are studied, such as the Cannon law of the Catholic church, the Swedish medieval landscape laws, and the Norwegian medieval regional laws. The revision and the annulment of the medieval laws are also taken into consideration to understand how the regulations surrounding deviant and atypical graves changes over time in Sweden and Norway.

To build an understanding how deviant and atypical graves has been utilized in Västerbotten county throughout history, ethnographic and historical literature is studied. Geographical and historical contexts are also considered to contextualize the placement of the graves within the landscape. The placement of Churches and cemeteries within the landscape over time is also studied to understand how the need for atypical graves changed over time.