Letters on Demonology and Witchcraft: Modern English Edition

by Walter Scott, Tarl Warwick (Editor)

Walter Scott's magnum opus on witchcraft and demonology is one of the most in depth and intelligent works of its entire era. Informed by the secular wisdom of the Enlightenment, it exposes fraud and stupidity in religious and spiritual circles while relating anecdotal and historical tales of imps, witches, banshees, demons, Satan, and much more. An invaluable philosophical treatise and a historical tract in ten letters twain, "Letters on Witchcraft and Demonology" relates dozens of tales from dozens of cultures, forming a rational and intricate look at the burning times, demonology, the occult, witchery, and far more. Modern English edition.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Classics, Witchcraft, Occult, Religion, Essays

270 pages, Paperback

First published September 14, 1830

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

Sir Walter Scott was a Scottish novelist, poet, historian, and biographer, widely recognized as the founder and master of the historical novel. His most celebrated works, including Waverley, Rob Roy, and Ivanhoe, helped shape not only the genre of historical fiction but also modern perceptions of Scottish culture and identity.

Born in Edinburgh in 1771, Scott was the son of a solicitor and a mother with a strong interest in literature and history. At the age of two, he contracted polio, which left him with a permanent limp. He spent much of his childhood in the Scottish Borders, where he developed a deep fascination with the region's folklore, ballads, and history. He studied at Edinburgh High School and later at the University of Edinburgh, qualifying as a lawyer in 1792. Though he worked in law for some time, his literary ambitions soon took precedence.

Scott began his literary career with translations and collections of traditional ballads, notably in his Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border. He gained early fame with narrative poems such as The Lay of the Last Minstrel and The Lady of the Lake. As the popularity of poetic storytelling declined, especially with the rise of Lord Byron, Scott turned to prose. His first novel, Waverley, published anonymously in 1814, was set during the Jacobite rising of 1745 and is considered the first true historical novel. The success of Waverley led to a long series of novels, known collectively as the Waverley Novels, which blended historical events with compelling fictional narratives.

Over the following years, Scott produced a remarkable number of novels, including Old Mortality, The Heart of Midlothian, and The Bride of Lammermoor, each contributing to the romantic image of Scotland that became popular throughout Europe. With Ivanhoe, published in 1819, he turned his attention to medieval England, broadening his appeal and confirming his status as a major literary figure. His works were not only popular in his own time but also laid the groundwork for historical fiction as a respected literary form.

Scott married Charlotte Genevieve Charpentier in 1797, and they had five children. In 1820, he was granted a baronetcy and became Sir Walter Scott. He built a grand home, Abbotsford House, near Melrose, which reflected his passion for history and the Scottish past. However, in 1825, financial disaster struck when his publishers went bankrupt. Rather than declare bankruptcy himself, Scott chose to work tirelessly to pay off the debts through his writing. He continued to produce novels and non-fiction works at a staggering pace despite declining health.

Walter Scott died in 1832, leaving behind a literary legacy that influenced generations of writers and readers. His works remain widely read and studied, and he is credited with helping to revive interest in Scottish history and culture. Abbotsford House, now a museum, stands as a monument to his life and achievements.

Reviews

[Silvio Curtis]

Written in 1830. A popular history of belief in witches and spirits accessible to human control, especially in England and Scotland. Not written to argue a point; Scott considered witchcraft and demonology to be ridiculous superstitions and takes it for granted that readers will agree. The basic narrative is that belief in witches and spirits was originally near-universal and a pretty understandable mistake among non-Judeo-Christian people but is in no way justified by the Christian Bible and survived the Christianization of Europe, but until the end of the Middle Ages supposed witches were only persecuted when they supposedly actually harmed someone with their magic. Then the conflict between Catholics and Protestants motivated both to intensify their witch-hunting, bringing on the outbreak of mass panics. I imagine Scott belonged to the Church of England, since he presents it as a middle way that partly (but not completely) avoided participating in the rivalry and the persecutions. Scott credits the progress of both science and religion with ending the belief in witchcraft, though he doesn't really spell out how. Sometimes the history seems mostly an excuse to retell or quote sensational stories about supposed witches and sorcerers.

[Alexis]

Well this brought me right back to why these classics can be frustrating. This specific one being written in the 1700’s basically highlighted “Demonology and Witchcraft”. Let me break this one down quickly for everyone so they don’t have to waste time reading. Any type of ailment like concussion, pink eyes, elevated fever could have been considered a demon possession at that time. Medical knowledge was very narrow and people tended to blame the devil for basic health issues. I will absolutely say having the foresight of the future made this book very entertaining, and at sometimes funny. But the general ignorance of the time was frustrating to indulge in. I thought this book would be a lot more spooky and a lot less hokey. I’m still glad I read it and double glad I didn’t pay for it.

[Salem ☥]

This book is unfortunately not at all what I thought it would be in relation to the subject matter. I should've known going in that the author was a devout christian and would not be giving an unbiased depiction of either subject.

The letters contain various stories from people encountering spirits or otherworldly beings—despite not believing in them. Told from the point of view of a skeptic & someone who believes that those who entertain the ideas of non-christian beings are unintelligent.

Boring and convoluted.

[teacupsandunicorns]

Skeptical take on witchcraft, astrology, and ghosts. Very interesting read! He basically tried to explain “mob mentality” and “group think” but he didn’t have the terms.

It was sad to hear how many women admitted to being witches simply because they’d rather die quickly rather than live a terrible life on the fringes of society starving and hated.

[Richard]

The chapters are addressed to a "dear friend" who commissioned the work but otherwise there is not much that is epistolary about them. I would call them essays rather than letters. This work was a long read, but still thankfully much shorter than Demonology and Devil-lore, and much more focussed to boot.

It basically debunks the unenlightened superstition that fuelled the cruel crusade against witches. This was cruel because it largely victimized haplessly innocent and vulnerable people, most of whom were tortured to extract the desired confessions of being in league with the powers of darkness. The book also discusses dealings with fairies, which were considered only slightly less evil than dealings with the devil himself. The last subject is ghostly apparitions, many of which were caused by coincidence or by clever people who orchestrated them behind the scenes.

[Tucker]

Sir Walter Scott is famous for his novels. This nonfiction has a colorful, engaging style. It's a skeptical take on the witch trials in Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries along with legends and anecdotes of paranormal apparitions. Scott sympathizes with the victims burned as witches and he explains why superstitions about witches arose, why these superstitions are false, and just how illogical the accusations and interrogations were. In a typical Enlightenment sort of way, he makes it clear he's a Christian and believes that humans have souls; he just doesn't believe that God is overly generous with miracles involving resurrections, which means he doesn't believe in ghosts. A downside: The chapters aren't organized in any obvious way, and the rambling anecdotes make it like an encyclopedia with commentary rather than a grand cohesive argument.

[Gem K]

My life would have been so much easier had I just sucked it up and read this two years ago

[Cee Martinez]

Interesting and informative

Walter Scott wrote a series of letters in the later years of his life on the possibility of ghosts, demons, fairies and witches. He did some thorough research and cited his sources. This was written in the early 1800s which makes it a valuable contemporary account.

Some highlights include individual case accounts of witchcraft trials including the Salem witch trials, talk of ghost sightings being related to alcohol abuse and abuse of nitrous oxide as a drug, and fascinating talk on why the Catholic Church at one time tolerated witches.

This is a very easy to read well structured book which I find is a valuable historical record.

Sharp eyed fans of Diana Gabaldon's "outlander" series will be delighted to find a reference to a witch by name who shares a name with a famous witch in the novels . I'm assuming Ms. Gabaldon may have read this book as a resource!

Anyway if you have a love of witchcraft history and the paranormal then this book is for you.

[Bruce Graham]

Fairly early on in this book, Scott talks about a lunatic who constantly complains how everything he eats tastes and smells of oatmeal. Because, in fact, it was oatmeal. It describes how reading this book is: oatmeal all the way through.

Even the author is bored with his own book: "I am tempted to think that, if I were to write on the subject at all, it should have been during a period of life when I could have treated it with more interesting vivacity, and might have been at least amusing if I could not be instructive."

There was one major take-away: Despite the moon-biting madness of witch-hunters and ghost gossipers, the sub-atomic level of small mindedness, the eat-your-own-arms-level of idiocies displayed, what is obvious is- they were a lot smarter than what we are seeing with our behavior today.

[B.L. Blankenship]

This book accounts for an array of things from the best of Sir Walter Scott's understanding. Largely it details the trial and execution of alleged witches. The latter part of the book focuses on the author's dismissal of ghosts. The early part reflects on accounts within the Bible in regards to witches. It's interesting and overall charming.

[J. D. Román]

Tenía altas expectativas sobre el escritor Walter Scott (1771 - 1832) y, con mi primera lectura, he quedado satisfecho. Lo que hace Scott en este libro es recopilar leyendas y sucesos históricos reales acerca de la cacería de brujas en Inglaterra y Escocia, añadiendo su opinión escéptica sobre la veracidad de la brujería y la demonología.

Me parece un libro ideal para estudiar este tema sin caer en el fanatismo religioso ni la idealización que el cine le ha dado a todo lo relacionado con el ocultismo. De hecho, incluso Scott reconoce la barbarie detrás de ejecutar a mujeres que, en la mayoría de los casos, eran hábiles naturistas y expertas en pociones medicinales.

[Stephanie]

This was a slog. Dense and full of anecdotes, I would recommend this as an audiobook; I imagined it as my drunk important relative relating his wisdom for a week’s vacation.

There are great pearls of wisdom, especially from a 19th century perspective and his empathy towards the victims of superstition is refreshing. The author wholeheartedly believes its nonsense so if you’re looking for grimoire to pull demons into your life, look elsewhere.

[Cindy Belden]

Very interesting and sometimes horrifying history of witchcraft and supernatural superstitions of the British Isles prior to the early 1800s.

This would be a great reference for anyone writing horror, historical fiction, and even fantasy. The print is freely available online, you just have to search for it.

[Audrey]

There used to be a time I would have agreed with Mr. Scott's opinions. I hope I am never that close-minded again. I have to believe that there are more things in heaven and earth, Sir Walter Scott, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.

[Bobby Daugherty]

Some information on Mathew Hopkins and a few other similar people. Some information on people who were accused of witchcraft and tormented. Sort of reminded me of Foxes Book of Martyrs in a few parts.

[Sara]

Obviously this is outdated but even so, it reads like a looooong boring Wikipedia article. Not the take on the topic I wanted but one I should have expected given who wrote it. Still plenty of good information (but not worth a read ;).

[Jodelyn Perez]

reading

[Matthew Blokzyl]

Very enlightrning

Very fun to read the opinions of previous generations regarding the supernatural. The author treated the subject as a fancy and improbability at the same time.

[AttackGirl]

Where is my review?

[Les Wilson]

Perhaps worth more; but I read this book in audio format, and found the reader lacking.

[Joseph F.]

Oh boy, another book with no pic. I really read some obscure stuff.
Anywho, this classic of the field is a buried treasure. Scott shares his knowledge of this subject with many stories; well known and personal. I liked his skepticism, not only for (obviously witchcraft), but for the supernatural in general. This book is therefore still pertinent for this day, with all the supernatural beliefs that people still treasure. Of course, Scott is a Christian, and his religious beliefs are true as opposed to the false beliefs of the old pagan religions. But then again, it is a very old book.
Something I really liked about his letters that many other books on the history of witchcraft do not cover is his coverage of the faeries. A very beautiful and haunting couple of chapters.

[Shawn Fairweather]

An interesting look at the European Witch Trials and persecution of the accused. Most sadly was quite dry and flowed on the perspective of recounting legend and lore. Some of Scotts recollections lacked detailed facts and felt more like a campfire time of story telling. I appreciated much of Scotts skepticism especially with what we know now, however focusing on stories of fairies was a little out there even for the time period. The organization of the book left a lot to be desired in that much of his stories fell right into one another without a break sometimes causing it to be a garbled mess. An interesting period piece none the less, but not much really new to be exposed to.

[Nick Tramdack]

Walter Scott's "letters" on the topics of Demonology and Witchcraft didn't really draw me in. I read this book looking for picturesque details that I could use in SF/F short stories. And to be fair, I found a few

Why is the food in Faerie saltless? Because salt, a preservative, symbolizes the immortality that is denied to the fae. Cool, right?

Unfortunately, Scott does tend to go on at length with less-than-thrilling biblical analysis (the witch of Endor AGAIN?) and more-of-the-same accounts of witch trials in puritan england. For historical interest only.

[Tslyklu]

Many of the recalled stories are brilliant but I did a lot of skimming through Scott's rationalizations. A fair amount is Scott having a masturbatory skepticism carnival to anecdotes about seeing ghosts in configurations of curtains and feeling specters after touching yourself with a hand that's fallen asleep, but then the better stories don't have this cast of poshlost that most apparent ghost encounters do. I learned a lot more about the world Scott's dealing with from his asides about the aurora borealis in Edinburgh and mortal saltless fairy food, the oddities are right.

[Robert]

Written to address the errors of superstition and the infamy of the witch trials. The book shows, perhaps, the type of systemic error that can result from half-thinking an issue through using Theology without the check and balance of common sense and reason.

[Naina Kaylina]

I don't mind it, some of it is hard to understand because you have to put yourself inside the mind of someone who lived between 1771 and 1832 to understand a few things.

But his take and perception on things was interesting.

[Mike]

Scott brings a keen literary eye and sophisticated understanding of the rise of rationalism to this boffo folk history of European practices of and attitudes toward the occult. Fun stuff, and way ahead of its time.

[Lori Spier]

LETTERS ON DEMONOLOGY AND WITCHCRAFT by Walter Scott (1970)

[Velvetink]

kindle cloud

[Barbara Collins]

another book I could not get into so I stopped reading