Scottish Witches

by Lily Seafield

Let warlocks grim, an wither'd hags, Tell, how wi you, on ragweed nags,

They skim the muirs an dizzy crags,

Wi wicked speed;

And in kirkyards renew thier leagues,

Owre howkit dead.

Robert Burns's famous poem "Address to the Deil" describes the hag-like appearance and demonic presence that for most people epitomizes the image of the witch. But just what is a witch, and who are the figures that scotland has accused of witchcraft? Scottish Witches aims to explain.

All over Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries a wave of paranoia and hysteria was taking hold. All the ills of society were blamed on witchcraft, and Scotland did not escape this obsession with the supernatural.

This book gives the stories of Scotland's witches, the accused, the confessed, the trials, and the superstisions.

This fascinating book will also explain about the beliefs of modern white witches and the place of Wicca in society today.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Scotland, Historical, Witchcraft, Witches, European History

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the sister of my several x great Grandmother was burnt as a Witch in Fife I found this book of particular interest.

[Colin Garrow · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of factual, and no-so-factual, tales of Scottish witches, ghosts, superstitions and folklore, and ranges from the seventeenth century through to the twentieth. For the most part, the stories are about witches and the various confessions, trials and punishments dished out to them by a society that believed ordinary folk could converse with the Devil and cast evil spells on anyone who disagreed with them.

Though many of the stories are about real people and events, such as The North Berwick Witches, Isobel Gowdie, and Christian Shaw of Bargarran, the author doesn’t always seem concerned about providing factual accounts. Admittedly, in some cases the ‘facts’ may be hard to come by, but with books such as ‘The Witches of Fife: Witch-Hunting in a Scottish Shire’ available, I wonder why Ms Seafield didn’t bother doing a bit more research. Some accounts of the punishments meted out to anyone silly enough to confess to being a witch are fascinating and well worth reading, but there’s an awful lot of, ‘and it was said’ and ‘apparently’, along with a generally tedious writing style that doesn’t do the subject matter justice.

The latter part of the book deals with folklore and folk tales which don’t seem to fit with the rest of the text and give the impression of ‘padding’ by the author—the retelling of the antics of Lord Soulis and Alexander Skene are just plain silly and make no sense in a book titled, Scottish Witches’.

Interesting and flawed.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick little read I picked up post traveling to Scotland. Gives a great breakdown of the time period that most of the witches in Scotland were persecuted. Also goes into detail on various myths about witches/warlocks and contrasts that with actual witches who were executed. Makes our Salem Witch Trials look like a blip.

[Chicken Circles · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always love to read books about Scotland that include places I've been, stories I've heard of before and in the context of the country I live in and am in love with. My favourite part of this was definetly going through all the most famous cases of witchcraft, it's place in Scottish mythology and fiction as well as witchcraft in present day. The start definetly bored me a bit with all the descriptions of how trials worked and how woman were proven to be witches. The whole reality of it-- the visible witch-burning places on the Royal Mile, Grassmarket, Pittenweem, North Berwick-- is out of the realm of understanding for us in present day. Though, these places and accounts are all proof of the grim reality of being a foul-tempered outspoken woman of the past.

What really interested me was the reasoning behind to many confessions, especially when the person accusing them had no connection to them whatsoever. I like the author's questioning stance on things at the end of every second. Were Scottish witches (surprisingly a lot of male warlocks too) just fanatical people who met up to drink and cast hypothetical spells to escape the grim reality of life in the sixteenth-seventeenth centuries? Or were they true servants of the Devil, seeking to destroy Christianity one ailing livestock at a time.

[Isla Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this an interesting read. It talks of the various punishments given to those accused of/suspected of carrying out witchcraft, as well as detailing the cases of some of the more famous instances. A rough history of the subject is explained and I liked that the book was quite short and thus more accessible, not a daunting, weighty tome as such.

I also particularly liked that it quoted excerpts from various publications or otherwise written accounts dating from the relevant times (the 16th and 17th centuries), as well as quotes from poems such as Tam O'Shanter by Robert Burns, which makes mention of things relating to the subject area. I was intrigued to read about how the subject area has had a resurgence in interest by modern generations - with mention given to an Aleister Crowley who was mentioned in passing in numerous pop culture pieces in the 1960s/70s and the like.

I didn't know a great deal about the topic, never mind specifically about it within my country (Scotland), so I found this an interesting read and I'd recommend it on that basis - its possibly not the most in-depth read about the topic but it makes for a great introduction to it at the very least and it suited me just fine.

[Hannah Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit of a slow start compared to the other books I have read by Seafield but, as usual, she delivers intriguing stories based on facts and grizzly tales from bygone eras. Well worth the read.

[Kirsty McCracken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review link in bio

[Morvie Fik · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

This book is to be taken with a pinch of salt, but enjoyable none the less. (There are real stories in here, but it is not a fully factual book.)

[Keira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting

[Manon · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5 stars .

Some very interesting fact but didnt see the point of the last part. Also thought the analysis was not always relevant .
This remains a great source material

[Michael John Paul McManus · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book on Scottish Witches by Lily Seafield. I bought this book as I have a spiritual connection with Agnes Sampson. Well written and a good look at ancient witchcraft. 10/10

[Gaby · Rating 3 out of 5]

This week's review is a short one over a relatively difficult to find Scottish non-fiction book "Scottish Witches" which I bought on a whim in Edinburgh in February.
I don't have a Goodreads description this time around, so I will just get right into my thoughts.
Right away, I think this is a good book for people who are interested in the with hunt periods throughout history or people who like lore and legends. However, this isn't the most elaborate reference. It's a concise introduction that gives the reader enough information to have a better understanding or jump into more research.
The book itself had a few technical problems.
There were a few typos and missing words in sentences. It got repetitive at times and jumped around in ways that didn't stick to the chapter topics.
I enjoyed the book, it was a quick read, and it was fairly inexpensive when I bought it. Is it a must read for the topic it deals with? No, but if you have the chance, I would recommend giving it a try.

[A.L. Butcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scotland suffered in the Witch craze years as much as England and other European Countries, and this was a well written and informative book about those times. The author covered well known and lesser known examples, the kinds of punishments meted out to those suspected of Witchcraft and some of the history and politics of the region and era. It is an easy to read book, although the subject matter is not lighthearted. From a modern perspective it is hard to understand the reasoning behind the accusations, and the rationale of the times but the subject is dealt with well.

[Valeria · Rating 4 out of 5]

A trip into the more esoteric aspects of Scottish history. What is superstition? What is misogyny? I had never read such an accurate account of the Witch Hunts. I was both impressed and horrified. Good work. Liked it a lot.