Scottish Demonology and Witchcraft (Folklore History Series)

Walter Scott

Description

This insightful essay delves into old Scottish records to uncover the grisly truth behind the country’s witch trials.

First published in 1830, this short fascinating volume reveals the true extent of demonology and witchcraft in Scotland. Disclosing multiple tales that evidence supernatural presences, Walter Scott chronicles the eerie history of sorcery in his home country.

Sujets

• Demonology
• Satanism
• Religion

Informations

• Publié par: Read Books Ltd.
• Date de parution: 24 novembre 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781528798488
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

SCOTTISH DEMONOLOGY AND WITCHCRAFT
FOLKLORE HISTORY SERIES
By
SIR WALTER SCOTT

First published in 1830



Copyright © 2022 Pierides Press
This edition is published by Pierides Press, an imprint of Read & Co.
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Contents
Sir Walter Scott
SCOTTISH DEMONOLOGY AN D WITCHCRAFT




Sir Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1771. Despite the fact that an early illness left him with a lame right leg, he spent much of his youth exploring the Border country and immersing himself in old Scottish ballads and legends. Scott attended Edinburgh High School before studying arts and law at Edinburgh University. He was called to the bar in 1792 and appointed sheriff depute of the county of Selkirk seven years later.
An avid reader and collector of tales, Scott began writing professionally at the age of 25.In 1802-1803 he published his first major work, an idiosyncratic three-volume set of collected ballads entitled The Minstrelsy of the Scott ish Border .
Two years later he rose to fame as a poet with the publication of The Lay of the Last Minstrel (1805), a huge success which made Scott the most popular author of his day.
This was followed by further romantic poems, such as Marmion (1808) and The Lady in the Lake (1810), before Scott turned to writ ing novels.
It was during the 1810s that he produced some of his most enduring works, including the hugely popular historical novels Waverly (1810), Guy Mannering (1815), and Ivanhoe (1819).Scott’s productivity didn’t wane in the following decade, during which he produced eleven more novels and was made a baronet. His acclaimed biography Life of Napoleon was published in nine volu mes in 1827.
In 1826, a banking crisis swept Britain, and Scott’s printing business crashed. He spent the rest of his life writing his way out of debt, and took a grand tour of Europe, being welcomed and celebrated wherev er he went.
He died in 1832, aged 61.He was the first English-language author to have an international career, being popular across Europe and North America, and is regarded as a key figure in the development of Scottish and world literature.


SCOTTISH DEMONOLOGY AND WITCHCRAFT
Scottish Trials—Earl of Mar—Lady Glammis—William Barton—Witches of Auldearne—Their Rites and Charms—Their Transformation into Hares—Satan’s Severity towards them—Their Crimes—Sir George Mackenzie’s Opinion of Witchcraft—Instances of Confessions made by the Accused, in despair, and to avoid future annoyance and persecution—Examination by Pricking—The Mode of Judicial Procedure against Witches, and nature of the Evidence admissible, opened a door to Accusers, and left the Accused no chance of escape—The Superstition of the Scottish Clergy in King James VI.‘s time led them, like their Sovereign, to encourage Witch-Prosecutions—Case of Bessie Graham—Supposed Conspiracy to Shipwreck James in his Voyage to Denmark—Meetings of the Witches, and Rites performed to accomplish their purpose—Trial of Margaret Barclay in 1618—Case of Major Weir—Sir John Clerk among the first who declined acting as Commissioner on the Trial of a Witch—Paisley and Pittenweem Witches—A Prosecution in Caithness prevented by the Interference of the King’s Advocate in 1718—The Last Sentence of Death for Witchcraft pronounced in Scotland in 1722—Remains of the Witch Superstition—Case of supposed Witchcraft, related from the Author’s own knowledge, which took place so late as 1800.
For many years the Scottish nation had been remarkable for a credulous belief in witchcraft, and repeated examples were supplied by the annals of sanguinary executions on this sad accusation. Our acquaintance with the slender foundation on which Boetius and Buchanan reared the early part of their histories may greatly incline us to doubt whether a king named Duffus ever reigned in Scotland, and, still more, whether he died by the agency of a gang of witches, who inflicted torments upon an image made in his name, for the sake of compassing his death. In the tale of Macbeth, which is another early instance of Demonology in Scottish history, the weird-sisters, who were the original prophetesses, appeared to the usurper in a dream, and are described as volæ , or sibyls, rather than as witches, though Shakspeare has stamped the latter character indelibl y upon them.
One of the earliest real cases of importance founded upon witchcraft was, like those of the Duchess of Gloucester and others in the sister country, mingled with an accusation of a political nature, which, rather than the sorcery, brought the culprits to their fate. The Earl of Mar, brother of James III. of Scotland, fell under the king’s suspicion for consulting with witches and sorcerers how to shorten the king’s days. On such a charge, very inexplicitly stated, the unhappy Mar was bled to death in his own lodgings without either trial or conviction; immediately after which catastrophe twelve women of obscure rank and three or four wizards, or warlocks, as they were termed, were burnt at Edinburgh, to give a colour to the E arl’s guilt.
In the year 1537 a noble matron fell a victim to a similar charge. This was Janet Douglas, Lady Glammis, who, with her son, her second husband, and several others, stood accused of attempting James’s life by poison, with a view to the restoration of the Douglas family, of which Lady Glammis’s brother, the Earl of Angus, was the head. She died much pitied by the people, who seem to have thought the articles against her forged for the purpose of taking her life, her kindred and very name being so obnoxious to the King.
Previous to this lady’s execution there would appear to have been but few prosecuted to death on the score of witchcraft, although the want of the justiciary records of that period leaves us in uncertainty. But in the end of the fifteenth and beginning of the sixteenth centuries, when such charges grew general over Europe, cases of the kind occurred very often in Scotland, and, as we have already noticed, were sometimes of a peculiar character. There is, indeed, a certain monotony in most tales of the kind. The vassals are usually induced to sell themselves at a small price to the Author of Ill, who, having commonly to do with women, drives a very hard bargain. On the contrary, when he was pleased to enact the female on a similar occasion, he brought his gallant, one William Barton, a fortune of no less than fifteen pounds, which, even supposing it to have been the Scottish denomination of coin, was a very liberal endowment compared with his niggardly conduct towards the fair sex on such an occasion. Neither did he pass false coin on this occasion, but, on the contrary, generously gave Burton a merk, to keep the fifteen pounds whole. In observing on Satan’s conduct in this matter, Master George Sinclair observes that it is fortunate the Enemy is but seldom permitted to bribe so high (as £15 Scots); for were this the case, he might find few men or women capable of resisting his munificence. I look upon this as one of the most severe reflections on our forefathers’ poverty whic h is extant.
In many of the Scottish witches’ trials, as to the description of Satan’s Domdaniel, and the Sabbath which he there celebrates, the northern superstition agrees with that of England. But some of the confessions depart from the monotony of repetition, and add some more fanciful circumstances than occur in the general case. Isobel Gowdie’s confession, already mentioned, is extremely minute, and some part of it at least may be quoted, as there are other passages not very edifying. The witches of Auldearne, according to this penitent, were so numerous, that they were told off into squads, or covines , as they were termed, to each of which were appointed two officers. One of these was called the Maiden of the Covine, and was usually, like Tam o’ Shanter’s Nannie, a girl of personal attractions, whom Satan placed beside himself, and treated with particular attention, which greatly provoked the spite of the old hags, who felt themselves insulted by the preference. 1 When assembled, they dug up graves, and possessed themselves of the carcases (of unchristened infants in particular), whose joints and members they used in their magic unguents and salves. When they desired to secure for their own use the crop of some neighbour, they made a pretence of ploughing it with a yoke of paddocks. These foul creatures drew the plough, which was held by the devil himself. The plough-harness and soams were of quicken grass, the sock and coulter were made out of a riglen’s horn, and the covine attended on the operation, praying the devil to transfer to them the fruit of the ground so traversed, and leave the proprietors nothing but thistles and briars. The witches’ sports, with their elfin archery, I have already noticed. They entered the house of the Earl of Murray himself, and such other mansions as were not fenced against them by vigil and prayer, and feasted on the provisions they found there.
As these witches were the countrywomen of the weird sisters in Macbeth, the reader may be desirous to hear some of their spells, and of the poetry by which they were accompanied and enforced. They used to hash the flesh of an unchristened child, mixed with that of dogs and sheep, and place it in the house of those whom they devoted to destruction in body or goods, saying or singing—
“We put this intill this hame, In our lord the Devil’s name; The first hands that handle thee, Burn’d an