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Letters on Demonology and Witchcraft
In ill health following a stroke, Sir Walter Scott wrote Letters on Demonology and Witchcraft at the behest of his son-in-law, J. G. Lockhart, who worked for a publishing firm. The book proved popular and Scott was paid six hundred pounds, which he desperately needed (despite his success as a novelist, Scott was almost ruined when the Ballantyne publishing firm, where he was a partner, went bankrupt in 1826).
Letters was written when educated society believed itself in enlightened times due to advances in modern science. The book, however, revealed that all social classes still held beliefs in ghosts, witches, warlocks, fairies, elves, diabolism, the occult, and even werewolves. Sourcing from prior sixteenth- and seventeenth-century treatises on demonology along with contemporary accounts from England, Europe, and North America (Cotton Mather's Magnalia Christi, for one), Scott's discourses on the psychological, religious, physical, and preternatural explanations for these beliefs are essential reading for acolytes of the dark and macabre; the letters dealing with witch hunts, trials (Letters Eight and Nine), and torture are morbidly compelling.
Scott was neither fully pro-rational modernity nor totally anti-superstitious past, as his skepticism of one of the "new" sciences (skullology, as he calls it) is made clear in a private letter to a friend. Thus, Letters is both a personal and intellectual examination of conflicting belief systems, when popular science began to challenge superstition in earnest.
Letters was written when educated society believed itself in enlightened times due to advances in modern science. The book, however, revealed that all social classes still held beliefs in ghosts, witches, warlocks, fairies, elves, diabolism, the occult, and even werewolves. Sourcing from prior sixteenth- and seventeenth-century treatises on demonology along with contemporary accounts from England, Europe, and North America (Cotton Mather's Magnalia Christi, for one), Scott's discourses on the psychological, religious, physical, and preternatural explanations for these beliefs are essential reading for acolytes of the dark and macabre; the letters dealing with witch hunts, trials (Letters Eight and Nine), and torture are morbidly compelling.
Scott was neither fully pro-rational modernity nor totally anti-superstitious past, as his skepticism of one of the "new" sciences (skullology, as he calls it) is made clear in a private letter to a friend. Thus, Letters is both a personal and intellectual examination of conflicting belief systems, when popular science began to challenge superstition in earnest.
221 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1830
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About the author
Walter Scott
11.3k books1,966 followersLibrarian 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
September 3, 2016
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.
January 24, 2022
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.
May 7, 2025
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.
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.
August 5, 2024
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.
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.
October 20, 2024
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.
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.
January 19, 2024
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.
January 30, 2018
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.
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.
May 20, 2021
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.
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.
April 21, 2022
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.
April 22, 2019
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.
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.
September 18, 2021
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.
December 14, 2021
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.
January 15, 2025
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 ;).
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October 20, 2020reading
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September 29, 2023Very 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.
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.
March 8, 2017
Perhaps worth more; but I read this book in audio format, and found the reader lacking.
May 26, 2013
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.
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.
March 28, 2014
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.
March 10, 2011
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.
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.
June 26, 2013
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.
December 14, 2012
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.
July 7, 2014
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.
But his take and perception on things was interesting.
January 25, 2016
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.
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May 11, 2010LETTERS ON DEMONOLOGY AND WITCHCRAFT by Walter Scott (1970)
Want to read
June 30, 2013kindle cloud
April 3, 2018
another book I could not get into so I stopped reading
Want to read
April 16, 2009Found at Sacred Texts under the subject of Neopaganism.
April 22, 2017
I am researching witches for a book, and boy… is that a deep research hole to fall into. Somehow I ended up in this. No idea… seriously, the journey of a thousand sites begins with a single click! It is not quite what I expected; far more sceptic than evidence.
Oh now, isn’t this a great name!
Along with the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (which sounds like a superhero librarian organization).
It is a series of lectures, written just before he had a stroke, in which he analyses and critiques evidence of witches and demons.
He talks of the ‘cheap tricks’ used by Richard the first to defeat the Saracens.
He mentions the Native Americans, Zoroastrians, the Celts who still practised Beltane (and still do! On May 1st), and points out that Christians were the underdog religion initially. He suggests that preachers might well argue against leaving farmland fallow for the fae when agriculture was an economic imperative; its own kind of ‘god’.
The presumption that if the old gods exist, they aren’t your friend anymore.
Any number of current traditions come from heathen sources; including carrying the bride over the threshold, eating cake at the wedding, and avoiding May for marriages. And names like Fantome (phantom), Haxa (hex) and so on have heathen origins.
He tells the story of Asmund and Assueit, from the Eyrbiggia Saga (or Orkneyinga Saga). Two warriors that swore to be buried together even if one still lived. [how gay is that?] After 100 years someone tried to dig them up and heard the sounds of battle coming from the tomb. The dead man had been possessed by a demon and the live one battled him for a century. Then died of his wounds as they took him out. *eyes narrow*
[Oh… so the stake is supposed to stop you getting taken up to heaven. Huh.]
He proposes that in the trade of people, goods and agriculture they may also have traded superstitions. Fair point. Satyrs show up in all stories from Scotland to the middle east.
I read an interesting proposal recently on tumblr that the theory of the changeling child could just be autism. Your child changes character, almost overnight, and you struggle for an explanation. We know it’s not vaccines, but some people like to have something to blame. Here, he talks of a sudden death as the victim being ‘carried off by the fairies’.
Fairy taxes? [NO, brain]
Letter V he cites all the crazy stories that people were accused of and is very sceptical.
He talks of how Chaucer, Milton and Shakespeare have contributed to repeat fairy myths in which they are most often portrayed as harmless and playful. But that the belief in witches as more powerful remained.
Indeed.
In letter VII he talks of how the Church took possession of older ritual places or items for themselves. And how the accusation of witchcraft spread like wildfire. Mostly when people could not be accused of anything else. Heresy and scepticism became blurred with witchcraft.
But the Pope gave the inquisitors a papal bull and in the 16th century thousands of people died in Italy and France. In some towns the people rose up and forced the inquisitors out. [I fail to see how this could possibly be good for the Church.] It also wasn’t good for the studies of chemistry, algebra and science, all of which could be tagged as magic.
He mentions using children as witnesses, who ‘through sport or gaiety made shipwreck of men’s lives.’ Even in sensible Sweden in 1669.
Letter VIII moves to England where the situation is complicated by Henry VIII and the new church of england.
He proposes that prior to the papal bull the church made money from magic; there can be no fee for an exorcism without a possession, no cure sold without a spell cast. Huh. Good point.
In 1523 Pope Adrian VI extended the bull to cover heresy. This, in England, had a pronounced effect if protestants, puritans and calvinists are considered heretics. By 1652 science and reason were in the ascendant.
Letter IX Scottish witches. All hail Macbeth. Accused were tortured, deprived of sleep, starved, stuck with pins etc until they confessed. He tells of one trial where a young woman stood and said she was innocent but she had confessed to end her life - and all the person who reported on this thought was ‘gee, the devil made her say a nice speech that made people cry’.
King James was even worse. But the crime of witchcraft stuck on Scotland until the mid 17th century. Cromwell didn’t even try to stop it. They mostly seem to be accused of sinking ships. In 1613 Margaret Barclay confessed after they placed 30 stone of iron on her legs. 420 pounds. This was described as ‘gentle torture’. Riiiight.
In 1697 the only witness was an 11 year old girl and her evidence put 20 people to charges and several to death.
By 1800 people still talked of witches to his own knowledge. [Scott died in 1832]
Letter X - astrology. Based on your birth date.
He’d be horrified to learn people still think this and your astrology fortune is printed in the daily paper.
Huh… is that what a banshee is supposed to do?
He also talks of ghost stories and points out that it is never the witness themselves who tells the story; it is usually a friend or family member. Yeah.
It was reported that a ghost haunted a man in a regiment because a female witness saw a naked man go in his hut.
Oh, honey…
Most stories turn out to be trickery or accident and coincidence.
He tells his own experience of staying in the castle of Glammis.
I like that line. And I know exactly what he means. ‘Too far from the living and somewhat too near the dead.’ Everything seems creepy in such a situation.
He proposes that such beliefs are more rampant in the young; people under 40. Lmao.
But he hopes we have given up torturing people until they confess the impossible and then executing them.
Shhh… don’t tell him about Guantanamo Bay. He’d be sadly disappointed with humanity.
Entirely NOT what I expected, but quite interesting reading nonetheless.
4 stars
Oh now, isn’t this a great name!
The Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge had been founded in the autumn of 1826, (Kindle Locations 11-12).
Along with the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (which sounds like a superhero librarian organization).
It is a series of lectures, written just before he had a stroke, in which he analyses and critiques evidence of witches and demons.
He talks of the ‘cheap tricks’ used by Richard the first to defeat the Saracens.
He mentions the Native Americans, Zoroastrians, the Celts who still practised Beltane (and still do! On May 1st), and points out that Christians were the underdog religion initially. He suggests that preachers might well argue against leaving farmland fallow for the fae when agriculture was an economic imperative; its own kind of ‘god’.
The presumption that if the old gods exist, they aren’t your friend anymore.
…but he might indulge his superstition by supposing that though he must not worship Pan or Ceres as gods, he was at liberty to fear them in their new capacity of fiends. (p. 32). Kindle Edition.
Any number of current traditions come from heathen sources; including carrying the bride over the threshold, eating cake at the wedding, and avoiding May for marriages. And names like Fantome (phantom), Haxa (hex) and so on have heathen origins.
He tells the story of Asmund and Assueit, from the Eyrbiggia Saga (or Orkneyinga Saga). Two warriors that swore to be buried together even if one still lived. [how gay is that?] After 100 years someone tried to dig them up and heard the sounds of battle coming from the tomb. The dead man had been possessed by a demon and the live one battled him for a century. Then died of his wounds as they took him out. *eyes narrow*
The body of Assueit was taken out of the tomb, burnt, and the ashes dispersed to heaven; whilst that of the victor, now lifeless and without a companion, was deposited there, so that it was hoped his slumbers might remain undisturbed.[19] The precautions taken against Assueit's reviving a second time, remind us of those adopted in the Greek islands and in the Turkish provinces against the vampire. It affords also a derivation of the ancient English law in case of suicide, when a stake was driven through the body, originally to keep it secure in the tomb. (p. 36).
[Oh… so the stake is supposed to stop you getting taken up to heaven. Huh.]
He proposes that in the trade of people, goods and agriculture they may also have traded superstitions. Fair point. Satyrs show up in all stories from Scotland to the middle east.
I read an interesting proposal recently on tumblr that the theory of the changeling child could just be autism. Your child changes character, almost overnight, and you struggle for an explanation. We know it’s not vaccines, but some people like to have something to blame. Here, he talks of a sudden death as the victim being ‘carried off by the fairies’.
The reason assigned for this kidnapping of the human race, so peculiar to the elfin people, is said to be that they were under a necessity of paying to the [lower] infernal regions a yearly tribute out of their population, which they were willing to defray by delivering up to the prince of these regions the children of the human race, rather than their own. (p. 42).
Fairy taxes? [NO, brain]
Letter V he cites all the crazy stories that people were accused of and is very sceptical.
He talks of how Chaucer, Milton and Shakespeare have contributed to repeat fairy myths in which they are most often portrayed as harmless and playful. But that the belief in witches as more powerful remained.
Learned writers arose in different countries to challenge the very existence of this imaginary crime, to rescue the reputation of the great men whose knowledge, superior to that of their age, had caused them to be suspected of magic, and to put a stop to the horrid superstition whose victims were the aged, ignorant, and defenceless,…(p. 60).
Indeed.
In letter VII he talks of how the Church took possession of older ritual places or items for themselves. And how the accusation of witchcraft spread like wildfire. Mostly when people could not be accused of anything else. Heresy and scepticism became blurred with witchcraft.
The accusation in both cases was only chosen as a charge easily made and difficult to be eluded or repelled. (p. 64).
But the Pope gave the inquisitors a papal bull and in the 16th century thousands of people died in Italy and France. In some towns the people rose up and forced the inquisitors out. [I fail to see how this could possibly be good for the Church.] It also wasn’t good for the studies of chemistry, algebra and science, all of which could be tagged as magic.
He mentions using children as witnesses, who ‘through sport or gaiety made shipwreck of men’s lives.’ Even in sensible Sweden in 1669.
Letter VIII moves to England where the situation is complicated by Henry VIII and the new church of england.
He proposes that prior to the papal bull the church made money from magic; there can be no fee for an exorcism without a possession, no cure sold without a spell cast. Huh. Good point.
In 1523 Pope Adrian VI extended the bull to cover heresy. This, in England, had a pronounced effect if protestants, puritans and calvinists are considered heretics. By 1652 science and reason were in the ascendant.
Letter IX Scottish witches. All hail Macbeth. Accused were tortured, deprived of sleep, starved, stuck with pins etc until they confessed. He tells of one trial where a young woman stood and said she was innocent but she had confessed to end her life - and all the person who reported on this thought was ‘gee, the devil made her say a nice speech that made people cry’.
King James was even worse. But the crime of witchcraft stuck on Scotland until the mid 17th century. Cromwell didn’t even try to stop it. They mostly seem to be accused of sinking ships. In 1613 Margaret Barclay confessed after they placed 30 stone of iron on her legs. 420 pounds. This was described as ‘gentle torture’. Riiiight.
In 1697 the only witness was an 11 year old girl and her evidence put 20 people to charges and several to death.
By 1800 people still talked of witches to his own knowledge. [Scott died in 1832]
Letter X - astrology. Based on your birth date.
Imagination was dazzled by a prospect so splendid; and we find that in the sixteenth century the cultivation of this fantastic science was the serious object of men whose understandings and acquirements admit of no question. (p. 107).
He’d be horrified to learn people still think this and your astrology fortune is printed in the daily paper.
Of these, one of the most beautiful is the Irish fiction which assigns to certain families of ancient descent and distinguished rank the privilege of a Banshie, as she is called, or household fairy, whose office it is to appear, seemingly mourning, while she announces the approaching death of some one of the destined race. (p. 109)
Huh… is that what a banshee is supposed to do?
He also talks of ghost stories and points out that it is never the witness themselves who tells the story; it is usually a friend or family member. Yeah.
It was reported that a ghost haunted a man in a regiment because a female witness saw a naked man go in his hut.
Oh, honey…
Most stories turn out to be trickery or accident and coincidence.
He tells his own experience of staying in the castle of Glammis.
After a very hospitable reception from the late Peter Proctor, Esq., then seneschal of the castle, in Lord Strathmore's absence, I was conducted to my apartment in a distant corner of the building. I must own, that as I heard door after door shut, after my conductor had retired, I began to consider myself too far from the living and somewhat too near the dead.
I like that line. And I know exactly what he means. ‘Too far from the living and somewhat too near the dead.’ Everything seems creepy in such a situation.
He proposes that such beliefs are more rampant in the young; people under 40. Lmao.
The sailors have a proverb that every man in his lifetime must eat a peck of impurity; and it seems yet more clear that every generation of the human race must swallow a certain measure of nonsense. (p. 123).
But he hopes we have given up torturing people until they confess the impossible and then executing them.
Shhh… don’t tell him about Guantanamo Bay. He’d be sadly disappointed with humanity.
Entirely NOT what I expected, but quite interesting reading nonetheless.
4 stars
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