Customer Reviews

Letters on Demonology and Witchcraft

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a reprint of a book published in the 1830's by Sir Walter Scott as a favor to his son-in-law. Scott researches folklore, superstition, and witchcraft (through folklore, trial records, and previous scholars) in depth to give the reader a comprehensive body of knowledge. The modern reader will find more here than she ever knew. Countless court cases from all of Europe and especially Scotland (where the author resided) and England are presented. Scott writes from the point of view that he lives in a scientific age and that the possibility of these occurances is absurd, but, because he gives you all of the information from which he derives his opinion, you can make your own. Personally, I'm a fanciful person and would like to believe in ghosts and such, but in most of the cases he has plausible explanations for their being impossible (especially pertaining to witchcraft). Interesting to note, in not one of the cases of witchcraft did any of the accused, or the accusers mention goddess worship. Neither did they in any of the 'accepted' mystical hobbies of the era either. He talks of things of which I have never heard. For example, seers claimed to have captured fairies or slyphs in their crystal balls and they were not "seeing something" as in the movies, but getting the information from the agent inside the ball. It takes a while to read, as the editors of the period didn't know what to do with commas and run on sentences. Some of the words are outdated, and are used differently in our time than in his. This is an excellent book for both the sceptic and believer, as well as Christian or pagan.

Oddly enough, this book talks more about Faeries and defends many accused of witchcraft of influence by the fair folk upon the glens and moors.

It is a remarkable work that has Scott's own articulate hand bringing a very interesting world of Celtic myths and fables to life while the rigors of a new age dawn upon them.

I was pleased to see this book was free for the kindle, but upon begining it, discovered it most dificult to understand, which isn't suprising seeing how it was written so long ago. Just be warned.

I had always thought of Sir Walter as a rather rational, stodgy, Brit - then I came cross a copy of this book - now I'm not sure what to think. Sir Walter actually seemed to believe many local superstitions (the Banshee, for example). The odd thing is that he seems to have "scientificly" weighed all the evidence. But I guess that if you were sitting around the fire on a cold Scotish night being told ghost stories, your objectivity could be expected to drop at least somewhat.