A history of Scottish witches : the devil's handmaidens

Craig, Mary W.2026

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Summary

Looking at the influence of John Knox and James VI of Scotland, this book examines the magic and fairy beliefs that underlay witchcraft and how this became twisted by the Scottish Kirk's obsession with the Devil. Using examples from actual trial records and so-called witch confessions, Craig explores how societal norms surrounding women caused so many to face the rope and the flames and how those norms were exacerbated by the chaos of the reformation and the wars of the Three Kingdoms. How did the magical beliefs of ordinary people become twisted into Devil worship? And why did so many believe this? How did the Scottish church and courts fall into a frenzy of belief that the Devil was around every corner, causing terror across Lowland Scotland, and how did they extract themselves from that frenzy? The book looks at how this period of persecution affected Scots and what lessons it might hold for today.