Witchcraft and Second Sight in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland

by John Gregorson Campbell

From witchcraft and the evil eye to the "two sights," ghosts and the supernatural denizens of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, this volume presents material collected by folklorist and minister of Tiree, John Gregorson Campbell, in the mid-late nineteenth century. A native Gaelic speaker, Campbell presents many examples of prayers and charms in the original Gaelic, with English translations.

Genres: Scotland, Witchcraft, Folklore, History, Magic, Reference, Nonfiction

330 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1901

About the author

John Gregorson Campbell (1836 - 1891) was a Scottish folklorist and Free Church minister at the Tiree and Coll parishes in Argyll, Scotland. An avid collector of traditional stories, he became Secretary to the Ossianic Society of Glasgow University in the mid-1850s. Ill health had prevented him taking up employment as a Minister when he was initially approved to preach by the Presbytery of Glasgow in 1858 and later after he was appointed to Tiree by the Duke of Argyll in 1861, parishioners objected to his manner of preaching.

Several of the anecdotes he amassed were published in magazines and, just before his death, work began on collating the first of four compendiums of the tales; three were published a few years after his death. He was fluent in several languages, including Scottish Gaelic, and transcribed the legends precisely as dictated by the narrators.

Reviews

[Shimon de Valencia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is more folklore archive than exploration of theory, philosophy or cultural context. Whilst it is useful as a snapshot of traditions that were under threat of erasure, it does little to illuminate us as to the place such views had on the worldview of the people of the Highlands and Islands. This would sadly be left until the scholarship of the 21st century. When religious sensitivities had receded, and people began to openly take pride in their esoteric heritage.

[Rick Potter · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not a "How To" book of Scottish Witchcraft as some seem to have been expecting. It is, however, a large collection of Scottish folklore regarding witches, spirits, charms, spells and plant lore. The print is rather small for my old eyes (I have the paperback edition), so be sure to read in lots of light or have a magnifying glass handy. Pagan readers may be put off by the author's skepticism of real witchcraft and his feeble attempts to divorce paganism from any of the practices, but if one chooses to ignore this and simply read through the folklore, certain patterns of belief (magical and pagan) will begin to emerge. It is interesting to read what people believed worked magically during those days (and who is to say that it didn't) I gave only three stars because of the small print, but also since there is no title page, no bibliography, no author bio and very few source references. Still an enjoyable read nonetheless.

[Freya Gordon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of stories but no insight. He's repeating what he's heard but he's not got anything to say about any of it.

[psvansc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read for anyone researching Scottish Highland magical traditions.

[ash (mymodernrenaissance) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really great read found on Kindle and jam packed full of information about Scottish witchcraft in the highlands.

[Lesley-anne Brewster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic. Still interesting though. Often referred to and/or quoted from in later works.