#scottish witch trials

[thewatersandthewilds]

I shall go into a hare

A beautiful rendition of Isobel Gowdie’s chant, given during her confession during the Witch Trials in Scotland, 1662. It’s a chant with echoes of the love chase in the story of Cerridwen and Taliesin (originally, Gwion Bach ap Gwreang).

[excelsior9173]

my mom made a basque burnt cheesecake and i don’t think i can ever go back to eating regular cheesecake

so so so good. it doesn’t have a crust, it’s so insanely smooth and rich and creamy and oh my god

i need to make one for myself to eat all on my own lmao

[scotianostra]

A series of witch trials began in Aberdeen on February 17th 1597.

The ‘unprecedented’ scale of witchcraft paranoia in Aberdeen occurred  between 1587 and 97, around 40 cases were recorded locally, with many of the individuals – the vast majority female – executed following significant periods of incarceration and torture.

Dittays - lists of charges against a witch read out before the court - often went back 25 - 30 years and included accusations from neighbours and, occasionally, family members. The ‘dittays’ were compiled as the first step in bringing witches to trial. At the trials witnesses would testify to seeing or being involved in certain events corresponding to the charges listed. Many of the dittays were written to a common formula and contained dates and times of day when acts of witchcraft supposedly happened.

One of the most interesting cases in Aberdeen happened from 1596 and concerned a whole family. The mother, Jane Wishart, was brought to trial and eventually convicted on 18 points of witchcraft, although the total number of charges brought against her exceeded 30 and covered a period of over 20 years. The charges included casting a spell on a fisherman who then took to his bed and 'lay bedsick for one month’. The earliest charge related to an incident when five men caught her coming out of the yard of Adam Mair, one of her neighbours, at two in the morning. The men woke up Adam’s wife to tell her what they had discovered and, later that day at about two or three o'clock in the afternoon, two of the men were found drowned in the Auld Wattergang at the Links where they had gone to wash themselves.

Two others who had seen Janet leave her neighbour’s house subsequently offered the testimony against her. Janet’s son-in-law, John Allan testified against her following an incident when he hit his wife and was chastised by Janet. Following this, a brown dog started to come into his bedroom and attack him, although it left his wife alone. This continued until John threatened to complain to the minister and the Kirk Session. Eight days before Janet was apprehended there was heard a rumbling noise in her house which frightened her next door neighbour who thought his house might fall over. This, too, was attributed to Janet’s supernatural powers and formed one of the points of witchcraft on which she was convicted.

Janet’s son, Thomas Leyis, was found guilty of being a ringleader and convicted on three accounts of witchcraft. He is said to have presided at a meeting held at midnight in the Castlegate when many witches convened at the mercat and fish cross 'under the conduct and guiding of the devil present with them’. These people all danced and played instruments about the crosses and Thomas was accused of being foremost amongst them and of hitting Kathren Mitchell 'because she spoilt the dance and ran not so fast as the rest’. Both Janet and Thomas were strangled and burnt as the, following accounts show.

On the 22nd of March the same year John Leyis (Janet’s husband) and their three daughters, Elspet, Janet and Violet were also accused of sorcery. They were absolved on all counts of witchcraft but found guilty of being in the company of Janet and Thomas and acting as their accomplices. As a result they were banished from Aberdeen and the surrounding area and were forbidden to come within 10 miles of the burgh. Unfortunately the dittays for each of these trials no longer exist but Aberdeen’s City Archives do still have the original dittay for the trial of Isobel Strathauchyn - also known as Isobel Skuddie. She was found guilty of witchcraft and burned in March 1597. The charges against her included making up a love charm and gathering up bones in Dyce churchyard, boiling them in water and then taking the water and washing William Symmer of Hatton of Fintray. Thereafter she caused William’s mother to take the bones and throw them in to the River Don, which when she did 'caused the water to rumble in such a manner as [if] all the hills had fallen therein’.

Her dittay includes this passage……..

“Transcription and Translation of Charge Two in the Dittay Given Against Isobel Strathanchyn, February 1597 Secundlie thou are art Indyttit for cu[m]ming to elspet mutray in vodheid vodes and askng  fra hir to len the a pennie, q[ui]lk quhen sche had gevin the, thou tuik the pennie and bowitt it, and than tuik a clout and a piece of reid wax, and sewit the pennie and the wax within the clout, and therefter thow having Inchantit that clout thow gawe it to the said elpset mutray, Bidding hir hing the same about hir craig, and quhen sche saw the man sche luffit best, baid hir thin tak the clout w[it]h the pennie and the wax and straik hir face thereft[er] and she sua doing sult atteane to the mariage of the man quhom sche luffit best, and the s[ai]d elspet understanding that thy said directioun to hir was plane witchcraft and devilrie she keist that clout in the fyre, q[ui]lk had almost birnt all hir hous, and this you can not deny.

Which translates to……

Secondly you are indicted for coming to Elspet Mutray in Woodhead woods and asking her to lend you a penny, which when she had given you, you took the penny and bent it, then took a cloth and a piece of red wax and sewed the penny and the red wax inside the cloth, and then having enchanted that cloth you gave it to the said Elspet Mutray bidding her to hang the same about her neck, and when she saw the man she loved best, bade her then take the cloth with the penny and the wax and stroke her face thereafter, and she so doing should attain to the marriage of the man whom she loved the best, and the said Elspet understanding that the said direction to her was plain witchcraft and devilry she cast the cloth in the fire, which had almost burned all her house, and this you can not deny

The Treasurer’s accounts for the execution of 'Skuddie’ are as follows:

"Item, for teuntie sex leadis of peattis to burne thame, 2lib. 13s. 4d. Item, for sex lead of fir 1 lib. 10s. Item, four tar barrellis, 6s. 8d. Item, for tua irne barrellis, 6s. 8d. Item, for a staik, careing and upsetting thairof, 13s. 4d. Item, for sex fadome of towis, 6d. Item ,for careing the barrellis, fir and coillis, to the staik, 6s. 8d. Item, to Jon Justice for his fie, 13s. 4d. Item, the xxi. Of March, 1596, gevin to Gilbert Bairnis, be vertew of one ordinance of counsall, for satisfaction of the expensis maid be him in sustenatioun of the witches preceding that dait, induring thair remaining in prisoun, 20 lib.”

Pics are a drawing of a Witch Trial and  Mosaics on St. Nicolas Lane featuring tributes to the victims of Aberdeen's witch hunting past and the Suffragettes

Read much more on the excellent Doric Columns pages here. https://doriccolumns.wordpress.com/city-streets/1841-street-directory/hangmans-brae/witches/

[shitty-mechs-headcannons]

Brian is irish no i will not be taking any questions at this time

I think if he was burned as a witch, that's actually a reasonable assumption? That would place him in the 1710s on Earth. The council (me) has decided: not shitty!

[letsgethaunted]

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Episode 82: The Curse of The Scottish Play Photodump

Image 01: According to the lore, Shakespeare used a real witch’s dark magic spell as dialogue in his 1606 tragedy, Macbeth. This misuse of sacred incantation upset a coven of witches who cursed the play forevermore. The Three Witches painting by Macbeth by Alexandre-Marie Collin. Image 02: Around the time of Macbeth’s debut, the North Berwick Witch Trials were in effect. During the trials, over 70 people confessed to witchcraft while under extreme torture (which often resulted in death). This pamphlet from 1590 entitled “Newes of Scotland” depicts the coven meeting in a cemetery. Image 03: Records from the North Berwick Witch Trials maintain that the accused witches held their covens on the cemetery of Aulld Kirk Green, part of the modern-day North Berwick Harbour area, Scotland. Image 04-05: The Globe Theatre where Shakespeare’s Macbeth debuted was built in 1599 during the height of witch hunting mania. Image 06: Orson Welles’ all black cast of “Voodoo Macbeth” opened April 14, 1936 in Harlem, NYC. Welles changed the setting of his Macbeth to 19th century Haiti and featured real voodoo practitioners. Image 07: Welles’ Voodoo Macbeth was a hit, launching his directing career at only 21 years old. This is easily my favorite part. Comment “what is thy name” or “my name’s Macbeth” if you agree. Image 08: According to the legend, after a bad review of the show was written, a member of The Voodoo Macbeth cast offered to "make beri-beri (heart failure) on this bad man.” Within a week the critic had dropped dead. Image 09: Sir Patrick Stewart speaks about the superstitions surrounding Macbeth and he legally cannot tell a lie. SHOUT OUT TO @mikeyblaster for making the spooky music for this episode!

[soulsanitarium]

Let's continue with Scottish themes for a few days🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

WITCH TRIALS HISTORY - Paisley

🐑Paisley town located in 11 km west of Glasgow. It is known for its shawls, unfortunately the famous museum was under repair during my visit, so I missed it and only passed the town. The Paisley witches, also known as the Bargarran witches, or the Renfrewshire Witches, trials happened in 1697.

CLICK THE Video

🤮According to Levack (2008) In this case, the 11-year-old girl Christian Shaw began 1696 to experience fits and various bodily contortions and sensory disturbances. At times her head twisted around, as if her neck bone had been dissolved. Her stomach ‘swelled and at the times she had difficulty breathing and felt as if she was being choked. Witnesses claimed that she was even carried through the house in the air🛌

⚖️Christian accused maid Katherine Campbell and old widow Agnes Nasmith. Later she added others to the list. This affair was referred to the privy council, which commissioned Lord Blantyre and 8 other members to interrogate and imprison persons suspected of witchcraft and to examine witnesses. This led to the confessions of Elizabeth Anderson (aged 17), James Lindsay (14), and Thomas Lindsay (a minor) and the naming of accomplices who had allegedly gathered with the Devil. 24 persons were indicted for witchcraft, seven of these persons went to trial. (Levack 2008, 168.)

Four 👩‍🦳& two 👱‍♂️ were strangled or hanged on the Gallow Green and then had their bodies burned. Their remains were buried at Maxwellton Cross at a site marked by a 🧲and circle of cobbled stones.One👱‍♂️did a suicide in the prison and it was claimed that he was strangled by the Devil (Neilson 1809).

This drawing is probably from Spain, because the condemned is wearing a sanbenito, a penitential hat decorated with flames worn by heretics at the Inquisition’s behest. I think in Scotland the strangulation was done a bit differently, but it is hard to find any evidence.

Paisley Development Trust has unveiled a fresh tribute at the site in the shape of a stainless steel and bronze horseshoe piece sculpted by the town’s most famous craftsman, S.Stoddard. (Dailyrecord.co.uk 2008).

Christian and her mother smuggled from the Netherlands pieces of a Spinning Jenny back to Paisley under their skirts and set up Bargarran Threads, which became Bargarran Mills, which was then bought out by the Coats family. So the Paisley's industrial heritage was founded by those women. (BBC News, Williams 2012)🧶

[connectparanormal]

Witchcraft and Superstitious Record in the South-Western District of Scotland Video

It also has details on ghosts and faerie beliefs from this time period in Scotland. Transcript at Witchcraft and Superstitious Record in the South-Western District of Scotland.

Description:

The podcast discusses J. Maxwell Wood’s book on witchcraft and folklore in 17th and 18th century southwestern Scotland, exploring beliefs in witches, fairies, and ghosts. It highlights witch gatherings, protective practices, tragic witch trials, and the darker aspects of fairies stealing children, reflecting a deeply intertwined world of the supernatural and everyday life.

[flumptonbronzebottom]

Why Did James IV Start the Berwick Witch Trials?

[cherie-doll]

Listen, listen. Reader who usually think alot, like, she is highly educated, reads alot bla bla...When cuddling with her man, she suddenly asks him

"Would you defend me if we were in the witch hunt era and I was accused of being a witch ?"

(Would be great if you add Horangi btw)

my roman empire right here, maybe reader is just very interested in witchcraft (the "traditional" meaning that anon is referring to here not the neopagan term we know today)

��ེ ཻ ՞☾ Horangi, König, Nikto, Gaz, Soap, Ghost

Horangi

His eyes glance at your desk; eyes taking in various essays and papers you've written and researched on the witch hunts that happened in the 16th century in Salem and Europe in the 17th century

Maybe this is this your version of "Would you still love me if I was a worm?"

He knows he's got to pick his words carefully when he gives an answer, the amount of times you've talked about this subject and he should've picked something up

"If I did I would've also been hung alongside you" Because he remembers you mentioning that some men were also executed and he probably would have been considered an accomplice

König

König had been comfortable resting his head on your chest until you sort of startled him with this question

"...Yes.." he had answered but you caught onto the hesitation in his voice by the slight raise at the end

He looks up and glances over at the whiteboard you've scribbled over with notes and the term "Hexentum" stands out; the German term for witchcraft

"Most likely wouldn't have made it" he replies and it makes you laugh, the persecution was severe in Austria during that era and was included in the list of regions with the highest trials and executions

Nikto

You've had to ask him this question several times before you got an answer

And when he finally did it was, "It would first be the other way around, you would defend me"

Because unlike other places, the cause of the witch-hunts in Russia was not due to religious reasons as much as it was due to political reasons

The predominance of men in the percentage of accusations included soldiers and government officials and their wives

So imagine being Nikto's wife during that era and having to constantly watch out for him

Gaz

You've asked Kyle this sort of question a hundred times, each time switching it out for something else

He is no stranger to your interest in the witch-hunts as he is the one who takes you to visit Salem every year

At night when you can't sleep you'll go over and over the stories of the innocent women and children who were executed and he lies there listening to you

Soap

"You might've been able to get away with it yourself"

"How so?"

Not every trial resulted in execution + women used to be stripped and searched for a mark apparently left on her by the devil, two Scottish women however disguised themselves as men to be "witch-finders" so they too could do this

Persecution was only if harm was caused by the person doing witchcraft until the 15th century i think

Ghost

Simon doesn't even hesitate when answering "No"

"What- why not?"

"There's no saving yer"

Half-joking, but he was also right, there was no way anyone would've gotten away with the hunts and torture used

From limbs being cut off to being tied up and thrown into a river, surely anyone who was accused and convicted was sure to die

[natashasvixen]

Bunny love

Summary: As much as she may try to hide it from her Rio knows that Agatha gets lonely when she has to “work” and while away she finds what she hopes may be the perfect companion for her wife.

Tags: Pure fluff, married Agathario, soft Rio, soft Agatha, baby Señor Scratchy, pet names (mi amor, angel) , pre Agatha all along?

💢Spoilers if you don’t know Rio’s identity yet💢

Author’s note: Hi hello, I genuinely don’t remember the last time I wrote anything but I couldn’t get this idea out of my head and I just love them so much, we aren’t going to talk about how much research I did into rabbit breeds being introduced to which countries and in which years, it’s embarrassing…. Enjoy!

Scotland 1953

It was late into the night, maybe even early morning judging by the pitch blackness outside the windows as Agatha sat next to the fireplace she’d been tending with a blanket thrown over her lap and one of her many spell books balanced neatly on the arm of the couch. The Scottish winters were harsh but the little cottage nestled away in the highlands that her and Rio shared fared well and it was more than worth it for the beauty of the landscape that surrounded their home. Here she and her wife almost felt closer to their witch roots than even that of being back in Salem and Agatha certainly didn’t miss the reminders of her Mother and Coven everywhere she looked, here in the forest surrounded by only nature she knew they were safe to live their life together, not having to hide their magic or their love for one another.

With a slight sigh Agatha pulled herself out of her little daydream and focused her eyes back on the pages of the book in front of her, her head was starting to hurt from the jumble of Latin and other languages, Agatha reached forward for the piece of paper she was jotting down notes on, grabbed her pen and wrote down a few more things that could be of help for the spell she was trying to create, Rio said she was mad trying to make a child of magic that would be both of theirs equally but Agatha would go to the ends of the earth to make it true, she wanted nothing more than a family with the love of her life and deep down she knew Rio wanted it too, she didn’t care if it was against the laws of magic to do so and for hours upon end every day she would read every spell book and grimoire cover to cover trying to find all the answers and incantations she may need to finally make her and Rio’s dream a reality.

The Netherlands (somewhere)

To be perfectly honest Rio wasn’t sure where she was, the Netherlands that’s for sure but she’s not sure which city she is on the outskirts of, you’d think after hundreds of years of transporting souls of the dead to their final resting place all over the world she would be better at her geographical knowledge but it wasn’t really important when you always had the same destination to reach in the end. It had been a tiring trip, yes she was death personified but that didn’t mean what she had to do got any easier over the years, this time it had been a young family and while at least they could stay together it still drained her to think of the life they could have had. Gently she lowered herself to sit on a frosted log and took a moment to collect herself before heading home to her beloved. As Rio rested her head in her hands she heard a faint rustling in front of her, she narrowed her eyes and looked forward, faintly bringing her green magic to the surface, even now the memories of the witch trials hung over her head and she was always ready to protect herself if need be.

Much to Rio’s amusement a small rabbit emerged from the undergrowth, “wow lady death being spooked by a bunny rabbit that’s a new low” she mused to herself as she watched the rabbit tentatively move closer to her. “Well you certainly aren’t meant to be out here, you’re definitely not a wild rabbit” Rio spoke to the small creature slowly lowering her hand out for the bunny to sniff, the little thing was as far from a wild rabbit as you could get, bright white with speckles of light orange and black spots and the floppiest ears you’ve ever seen also far too tiny to be out wandering alone.

Being a green witch and yet also lady death was a confusing combination for nature to comprehend sometimes, Rio was drawn to nature and it often returned the same feeling towards her, that included the living beings that inhabited its world and this baby rabbit seemed no different, hopping over after a quick sniff of her hand and settling down under Rio’s cloak to shield itself from the cold breeze that washed over the countryside, she chuckled at its actions and flicked her wrist, her green magic making some dandelions sprout from the icy ground which the rabbit happily munched on.

As the witch watched the small rabbit eat she pondered to herself, “can’t exactly leave you out here can I? And Agatha has been going on about getting a familiar” the tiny ball of fluff stood up on its back legs resting its front feet on the side of Rio’s leg barely reaching above her boot and looking at her intently. Rio smiled to herself and scooped the rabbit into her arms who settled down instantly into the warmth, “she’s going to say I’ve gone soft” she scoffed to herself as she prepared to transport herself and her new little companion home.

Agatha’s research for the night was becoming increasingly exhausting and she knew she should have been in bed hours ago, this was made abundantly clear when she felt the familiar pull of her wife’s magic that was so intertwined with her own she knew when she was close, meaning she was in fact home from helping another soul pass on through the veil.

Rio always transported herself home outside of their cottage when she was late not wanting to wake her wife from her slumber however as soon as she found herself on the snow dusted doorstep of their home she could feel Agatha’s magic humming with life and clearly not sleeping, gently tucking the little bundle of fluff she was carrying further into her cloak both to keep him warm and hidden so she could surprise her lover she gently eased the wooden door open and slipped inside quickly to not let the heat of the fire out.

Slipping off her boots and easing down the hood of her green cloak she moved her way into the living area where she saw her wife smiling tiredly at her from her comfy position on the couch, “mi amor what are you still doing awake” Rio asked quietly as she raised an eyebrow questioningly. “Just doing some more research” Agatha sighed, motioning to the still open spell book, “I didn’t realise the time, how was your trip angel?” She questioned softly. Rio scoffed as she always did at the pet name Agatha had bestowed upon her all those years ago when they met for the first time, quite fitting being called an angel when she was literally death itself. “Tiring” she mumbled leaning down to press a kiss to the top of her wife’s head, as she did Agatha noticed movement beneath Rio’s cloak and a quick hiss came from her wife’s mouth, Agatha noted that she still had one arm tucked away behind the fabric. She tilted her head quizzically at the green witch, “what are you hiding from me?” She questioned reaching to grab at her cloak, “ah ah ah” Rio tutted, pulling away, “it’s a surprise” she said, holding up her other hand to wave a finger at her wife mockingly.

“Oh come on Ri you know I hate surprises” Agatha said getting up on her knees to try get a better look over the back of the couch at what her wife was concealing underneath her cloak. Rio rounded the couch and Agatha turned to follow her movements now sitting crossed legged as Rio stood in front of her with both her arms now tucked back inside her cloak, “you’re going to make fun of me” the green witch said as she became uncharacteristically shy and turned her body slightly away.

“Well that depends what it is but I promise I’ll try not to tease” Agatha said with a smirk reaching her hand out to beckon Rio closer to her.

Now Rio stood right in front of Agatha and the purple witch gently took hold of the arm that her wife had been hiding and noticed that there were scratch marks, “you think I’m going to make fun of you for getting scratched?” Agatha questioned looking confused “why haven’t you healed it these are hardly anything” right as she finished her sentence from Rio’s other arm and behind the fabric of her cloak hopped the tiny bunny landing straight in Agatha’s lap. “Well now you’ve ruined the surprise” Rio glared at the bunny making Agatha burst out laughing.

Rio pouted and crossed her arms over her chest “told you you’d make fun of me” she whined. Agatha’s laughter died down wiping a tear from her eye as she looked up at her wife who looked like an annoyed child, “I’m not making fun of you love he just took me by surprise” she giggled as she pulled her wife to sit next to her and started to pet the bunny who sat happily in her lap like nothing had happened, “and what pray tell made you take me home a sweet baby bunny?” She asked leaning over to press a kiss to Rio’s cheek.

Rio sighed leaning into her wife’s side, “well you haven’t let up about wanting a familiar recently and besides he found me not the other way around” she smiled reaching over to boop the bunny’s nose.

Agatha looked down lovingly at the bunny as she continued to pet him, “I was thinking more black cat or raven you know but hmmm I think I can train him up to be a scary bunny” Agatha cooed as she snuggled the bunny under her chin, not long after he kicked off his back feet jumping onto Agatha’s lap before further hopping down to the floor and flopping himself in front of the fireplace leaving Agatha with matching scratches on her arms, “te veo señor” Rio laughed and her and Agatha fell into each other giggling at the rabbits antics, “scratchy little thing” Agatha said examining her and her wife’s arms before looking back at the rabbit clearly making himself at home, “that’s what I’ll call you” she said placing a kiss to that back of Rio’s hand, “Señor Scratchy” she said looking into her wife’s eyes “thank you my angel” she said softly before leaning in and connecting their lips in a soft kiss, when they parted Rio started placing kisses on Agatha’s arm, “now let me fix the little devil’s marks” she smirked at her wife before starting to gently lick at the superficial wounds, “I missed you amor” she sighed against her skin, “I missed you too angel” Agatha said gently kissing her wife’s head.

Their perfect little family was almost complete.

[breelandwalker]

JSTOR Articles on the History of Witchcraft, Witch Trials, and Folk Magic Beliefs

This is a partial of of articles on these subjects that can be found in the JSTOR archives. This is not exhaustive - this is just the portion I've saved for my own studies (I've read and referenced about a third of them so far) and I encourage readers and researchers to do their own digging. I recommend the articles by Ronald Hutton, Owen Davies, Mary Beth Norton, Malcolm Gaskill, Michael D. Bailey, and Willem de Blecourt as a place to start.

If you don't have personal access to JSTOR, you may be able to access the archive through your local library, university, museum, or historical society.

Full text list of titles below the cut:

'Hatcht up in Villanie and Witchcraft': Historical, Fiction, and Fantastical Recuperations of the Witch Child, by Chloe Buckley

'I Would Have Eaten You Too': Werewolf Legends in the Flemish, Dutch and German Area, by Willem de Blecourt

'The Divels Special Instruments': Women and Witchcraft before the Great Witch-hunt, by Karen Jones and Michael Zell

'The Root is Hidden and the Material Uncertain': The Challenges of Prosecuting Witchcraft in Early Modern Venice, by Jonathan Seitz

'Your Wife Will Be Your Biggest Accuser': Reinforcing Codes of Manhood at New England Witch Trials, by Richard Godbeer

A Family Matter: The CAse of a Witch Family in an 18th-Century Volhynian Town, by Kateryna Dysa

A Note on the Survival of Popular Christian Magic, by Peter Rushton

A Note on the Witch-Familiar in Seventeenth Century England, by F.H. Amphlett Micklewright

African Ideas of Witchcraft, by E.G. Parrinder

Aprodisiacs, Charms, and Philtres, by Eleanor Long

Charmers and Charming in England and Wales from the Eighteenth to the Twentieth Century, by Owen Davies

Charming Witches: The 'Old Religion' and the Pendle Trial, by Diane Purkiss

Demonology and Medicine in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries, by Sona Rosa Burstein

Denver Tries A Witch, by Margaret M. Oyler

Devil's Stones and Midnight Rites: Megaliths, Folklore, and Contemporary Pagan Witchcraft, by Ethan Doyle White

Edmund Jones and the Pwcca'r Trwyn, by Adam N. Coward

Essex County Witchcraft, by Mary Beth Norton

From Sorcery to Witchcraft: Clerical Conceptions of Magic in the Later Middle Ages, by Michael D. Bailey

German Witchcraft, by C. Grant Loomis

Getting of Elves: Healing, Witchcraft and Fairies in the Scottish Witchcraft Trials, by Alaric Hall

Ghost and Witch in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries, by Gillian Bennett

Ghosts in Mirrors: Reflections of the Self, by Elizabeth Tucker

Healing Charms in Use in England and Wales 1700-1950, by Owen Davies

How Pagan Were Medieval English Peasants?, by Ronald Hutton

Invisible Men: The Historian and the Male Witch, by Lara Apps and Andrew Gow

Johannes Junius: Bamberg's Famous Male Witch, by Lara Apps and Andrew Gow

Knots and Knot Lore, by Cyrus L. Day

Learned Credulity in Gianfrancesco Pico's Strix, by Walter Stephens

Literally Unthinkable: Demonological Descriptions of Male Witches, by Lara Apps and Andrew Gow

Magical Beliefs and Practices in Old Bulgaria, by Louis Petroff

Maleficent Witchcraft in Britian since 1900, by Thomas Waters

Masculinity and Male Witches in Old and New England, 1593-1680, by E.J. Kent

Methodism, the Clergy, and the Popular Belief in Witchcraft and Magic, by Owen Davies

Modern Pagan Festivals: A Study in the Nature of Tradition, by Ronald Hutton

Monstrous Theories: Werewolves and the Abuse of History, by Willem de Blecourt

Neapolitan Witchcraft, by J.B. Andrews and James G. Frazer

New England's Other Witch-Hunt: The Hartford Witch-Hunt of the 1660s and Changing Patterns in Witchcraft Prosecution, by Walter Woodward

Newspapers and the Popular Belief in Witchcraft and Magic in the Modern Period, by Owen Davies

Occult Influence, Free Will, and Medical Authority in the Old Bailey, circa 1860-1910, by Karl Bell

Paganism and Polemic: The Debate over the Origins of Modern Pagan Witchcraft, by Ronald Hutton

Plants, Livestock Losses and Witchcraft Accusations in Tudor and Stuart England, by Sally Hickey

Polychronican: Witchcraft History and Children, interpreting England's Biggest Witch Trial, 1612, by Robert Poole

Publishing for the Masses: Early Modern English Witchcraft Pamphlets, by Carla Suhr

Rethinking with Demons: The Campaign against Superstition in Late Medieval and Early Modern Europe from a Cognitive Perspective, by Andrew Keitt

Seasonal Festivity in Late Medieval England, Some Further Reflections, by Ronald Hutton

Secondary Targets: Male Witches on Trial, by Lara Apps and Andrew Gow

Some Notes on Modern Somerset Witch-Lore, by R.L. Tongue

Some Notes on the History and Practice of Witchcraft in the Eastern Counties, by L.F. Newman

Some Seventeenth-Century Books of Magic, by K.M. Briggs

Stones and Spirits, by Jane P. Davidson and Christopher John Duffin

Superstitions, Magic, and Witchcraft, by Jeffrey R. Watt

The 1850s Prosecution of Gerasim Fedotov for Witchcraft, by Christine D. Worobec

The Catholic Salem: How the Devil Destroyed a Saint's Parish (Mattaincourt, 1627-31), by William Monter

The Celtic Tarot and the Secret Tradition: A Study in Modern Legend Making, by Juliette Wood

The Cult of Seely Wights in Scotland, by Julian Goodare

The Decline of Magic: Challenge and Response in Early Enlightenment England, by Michael Hunter

The Devil-Worshippers at the Prom: Rumor-Panic as Therapeutic Magic, by Bill Ellis

The Devil's Pact: Diabolic Writing and Oral Tradition, by Kimberly Ball

The Discovery of Witches: Matthew Hopkins' Defense of his Witch-hunting Methods, by Sheilagh Ilona O'Brien

The Disenchantment of Magic: Spells, Charms, and Superstition in Early European Witchcraft Literature, by Michael D. Bailey

The Epistemology of Sexual Trauma in Witches' Sabbaths, Satanic Ritual Abuse, and Alien Abduction Narratives, by Joseph Laycock

The European Witchcraft Debate and the Dutch Variant, by Marijke Gijswijt-Hofstra

The Flying Phallus and the Laughing Inquisitor: Penis Theft in the Malleus Maleficarum, by Moira Smith

The Framework for Scottish Witch-Hunting for the 1590s, by Julian Goodare

The Imposture of Witchcraft, by Rossell Hope Robbins

The Last Witch of England, by J.B. Kingsbury

The Late Lancashire Witches: The Girls Next Door, by Meg Pearson

The Malefic Unconscious: Gender, Genre, and History in Early Antebellum Witchcraft Narratives, by Lisa M. Vetere

The Mingling of Fairy and Witch Beliefs in Sixteenth and Seventeenth Century Scotland, by J.A. MacCulloch

The Nightmare Experience, Sleep Paralysis, and Witchcraft Accusations, by Owen Davies

The Pursuit of Reality: Recent Research into the History of Witchcraft, by Malcolm Gaskill

The Reception of Reginald Scot's Discovery of Witchcraft: Witchcraft, Magic, and Radical Religions, by S.F. Davies

The Role of Gender in Accusations of Witchcraft: The Case of Eastern Slovenia, by Mirjam Mencej

The Scottish Witchcraft Act, by Julian Goodare

The Werewolves of Livonia: Lycanthropy and Shape-Changing in Scholarly Texts, 1550-1720, by Stefan Donecker

The Wild Hunter and the Witches' Sabbath, by Ronald Hutton

The Winter Goddess: Percht, Holda, and Related Figures, by Lotta Motz

The Witch's Familiar and the Fairy in Early Modern England and Scotland, by Emma Wilby

The Witches of Canewdon, by Eric Maple

The Witches of Dengie, by Eric Maple

The Witches' Flying and the Spanish Inquisitors, or How to Explain Away the Impossible, by Gustav Henningsen

To Accommodate the Earthly Kingdom to Divine Will: Official and Nonconformist Definitions of Witchcraft in England, by Agustin Mendez

Unwitching: The Social and Magical Practice in Traditional European Communities, by Mirjam Mencej

Urbanization and the Decline of Witchcraft: An Examination of London, by Owen Davies

Weather, Prayer, and Magical Jugs, by Ralph Merrifield

Witchcraft and Evidence in Early Modern England, by Malcolm Gaskill

Witchcraft and Magic in the Elizabethan Drama by H.W. Herrington

Witchcraft and Magic in the Rochford Hundred, by Eric Maple

Witchcraft and Old Women in Early Modern Germany, by Alison Rowlands

Witchcraft and Sexual Knowledge in Early Modern England, by Julia M. Garrett

Witchcraft and Silence in Guillaume Cazaux's 'The Mass of Saint Secaire', by William G. Pooley

Witchcraft and the Early Modern Imagination, by Robin Briggs

Witchcraft and the Western Imagination by Lyndal Roper

Witchcraft Belief and Trals in Early Modern Ireland, by Andrew Sneddon

Witchcraft Deaths, by Mimi Clar

Witchcraft Fears and Psychosocial Factors in Disease, by Edward Bever

Witchcraft for Sale, by T.M. Pearce

Witchcraft in Denmark, by Gustav Henningsen

Witchcraft in Germany, by Taras Lukach

Witchcraft in Kilkenny, by T. Crofton Croker

Witchcraft in Anglo-American Colonies, by Mary Beth Norton

Witchcraft in the Central Balkans I: Characteristics of Witches, by T.P. Vukanovic

Witchcraft in the Central Balkans II: Protection Against Witches, by T.P. Vukanovic

Witchcraft Justice and Human Rights in Africa, Cases from Malawi, by Adam Ashforth

Witchcraft Magic and Spirits on the Border of Pennsylvania and West Virginia, by S.P. Bayard

Witchcraft Persecutions in the Post-Craze Era: The Case of Ann Izzard of Great Paxton, 1808, by Stephen A. Mitchell

Witchcraft Prosecutions and the Decline of Magic, by Edward Bever

Witchcraft, by Ray B. Browne

Witchcraft, Poison, Law, and Atlantic Slavery, by Diana Paton

Witchcraft, Politics, and Memory in Seventeeth-Century England, by Malcolm Gaskill

Witchcraft, Spirit Possession and Heresy, by Lucy Mair

Witchcraft, Women's Honour and Customary Law in Early Modern Wales, by Sally Parkin

Witches and Witchbusters, by Jacqueline Simpson

Witches, Cunning Folk, and Competition in Denmark, by Timothy R. Tangherlini

Witches' Herbs on Trial, by Michael Ostling

[elegantshapeshifter]

Hey!! I want to know more about Traditional Witchcraft.

I have been reading Aradia and the Gospel of Witches and I want to know if there is a Northwestern European, British or Scottish idea of Aradia and her mother and father??

Thank you so much!! I can’t wait to convert to the Traditional Witch Path!

Aradia is Herodias, which is, according to Carlo Ginzburg, a Christianization of the Goddess Hera, but according to Sabina Magliocco, also a remains of Hecate, because she flights in the night.

She is a Deity which is not only Italian, but pan-European, in fact in the Canon Episcopi we read about women who dreamt/imagined to fly with both Diana and Herodias.

Herodias became Redodesa in Veneto, Araja/Arada/Sa Rejusta in Sardinia, Arada and Irodeasa in Romania, and so on.

The point is that probably she wasn't always the daughter of Diana, but assimilated/synchretized to her. In fact, Herodias is actually the name of the mother of Salomé, which in the Gospels killed John the Baptist. In the medieval folklore he blows from the mouth of the cut head and from that moment on Salomé is condamned to fly forever, especially in the night. In many folklore tales, both the mother and the daughter, Salomé and Herodias, are seen together, and Herodias of the Canon is actually Salomé called with her mother's name.

Probably, therefore, the legend that Leland writes and re-elaborates to create the Aradia (because the original legends are found both in Etruscan Roman Remains and in Legends of Florence, so we know that Aradia is just a re-elaboration of original folk legends from Florence and Tuscany-Romagna region) is influenced by this idea of Salomé seen with her mother Herodias. So Salomé (called Herodias for the medieval conflation and mispelled Aradia by the people) is the daughter of Diana like she is the daughter of Herodias in other legends (and in the original Gospel tale).

We also have the original legend about Diana seducing his brother, but here there is no daughter, and instead of going to the "Fathers and Mothers of the beginning", in the original tale she goes to other witches.

Moreover, in the original tale from Legends of Florence, the brother isn't called by name.

However, in many trials in Northern Italy, the Domina Nocturna (ex. Lady of the Game) is paired with the Devil. Moreover, many folk magicians in Italy prayed to the "Star Diana"... which is Lucifer. So Lucifer is both the Devil and Diana herself, and the Devil could be associated with Diana as his partner because the same happened to the Lady of the Game (and overseas with the Queen of Elphame).

We also know from The Strix by Della Mirandola that nearby the areas in which Leland found the folktales from which he will elaborates to make the Aradia, people still associated Diana with the Moon. So if Diana is the Moon, for symmetry Lucifer should be the Sun.

So this brother for symmetry could be seen as both the Devil and associated with the Sun, but also with stars for the Stella Diana which is Lucifer. In fact, in Aradia he is the God of the Sun, the Light and the Stars.

So Diana is associated with Aradia for the Salomé-Herodias pair and with Lucifer because of the Stella Diana, the pair with the Devil and the folk idea that the Sun is the brother of the Moon.

However, Lucifer is still a name for Apollo, even in Orphic Hymns (where it's Phosphoros), but I don't think it's been done willingly, it's a coincidence, or better a synchronicity.

For the British context, in Sir Orpheo, Dame Heurodis is kidnapped by the King of Fairies, and Heurodis is a variation of Herodias.

Also the Canon is quoted a lot in Britain while they talk about the idea of the Fairy Queen or Queen of Elphame.

So probably in Great Britain both Diana and Herodias are synchretized with the Queen of Elphame. The Queen, which is usually called Nicnevin (or Titania/Mab in Shakespeare) is the spouse of the King of Elphame, Oberon, who is sometimes demonized, and sometimes is also called Christsonday.

I hope having answered :)

[winterspellsfrozenkit]

Twisted Wonderland's Grim is a Grimalkin.

Okay TWST fandom, so today I was chatting away with another friend who plays TWST explaining that it's highly likely that Crowley summoned us due to the opening you get when you first start the game and she asked why he'd do that. And I said this without thinking:

Once I said that, it hit me: GRIM IS NOT NAMED FOR GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES, HE'S A GRIMALKIN.

Let me explain! (This is a long post, you've been forewarned. There is a TLDR at the bottom if you need it.)

So I like reading fairy tale books, retellings, etc., and I learned a long time ago during my high school hyperfixation on reading faery based YA readings about Grimalkins. What are Grimalkins?

Grimalkin (Also spelled Greymalkin) is an archaic term that was often used to describe cats; particularly haggard, female cats. Grimalkin, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, likely comes from compounding the words "Grey" and "Malkin". "Malkin" is a term with several meanings including: a low-class woman, a weakling, an untidy slovenly woman. It's also used to describe cats and hares.

Grimalkins were listed in Scottish legends as a faery cat that dwelt in the highlands, but during the 16th Century witch trials, cats became associated with the devil and witchcraft. Women on trial in Scotland were frequently accused of having a familiar, a ‘demon in disguise’, which was often a Grimalkin. One example of Grimalkins being tied to witchcraft and the devil at the time is William Shakespeare's play MacBeth, which shows the Three Witches who foretell Macbeth's future as having a cat familiar named Grimalkin. They're also in Louis Le Breton's Dictionnaire Infernal, which is a book on demonology.

So how does this relate to Grim?

Grim's design is heavily influenced by common media portrayals of the Devil with a pitchfork tail and fiery pointed ears that can look like horns at times.

One reason that fire is blue like Hades, Idia, and Ortho's hair is because thanks to the Pop Culture understanding of Christianity, people heard Hades and thought to equivocate him to Satan which is why he's the bad guy in the Disney movie, Hercules, when in the original myth, Hera is the one antagonizing Heracles.

Also, most of the fandom believes this creature in the pre Prologue scene when you first start the game, is Grim.

Just saying this looks a lot like different representations of devils and demons.

Note the human hands and clawed feet on this statue of Pazuzu.

And the incorporation of animal traits blended with humans

This is some concept art for Bald Mountain in Fantasia and I can see leathery wings like a dragon/bat, one has a snakey tail, and some have those human-like hands, but clawed feet.

As stated earlier, Grimalkins are tied heavily to devils and witchcraft and TWST tends to push this at us. For Halloween, while all the Dorms have different monsters such as mummies, ghost pirates, headless horsemen, but Ramshackle's Halloween outfit is this:

Not only that, but when we wake up, this is what Crowley says to us about Grim, when he finds us in the library after Grim cornered us, trying to get our robes:

Again, the most common familiar that people accused of witchcraft were said to have was a Grimalkin. A demon cat. This also ties into why we and Grim are put in Ramshackle Dorm.

Now, as some know, Ramshackle Dorm is based on the Haunted Mansion. But the Haunted Mansion had a specific haunt that was cut before the ride came out: The One-eyed Black Cat.

Now, if you don't know this cat, it's okay. He was cut before the ride came out. To sum up, X Atencio, the Imagineer who came up with the basic story ideas and the script for the rides of Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean, had many drafts of the Haunted Mansion's story. One of these cut drafts had a distinct villain character: The One-Eyed Black Cat.

Now, people might argue the Bride/Constance Hatchaway is the villain of the Haunted Mansion, but the One-Eyed Black Cat was different. In that draft, the Ghost Host would warn guests about the One-Eyed Black Cat and the One-Eyed Black Cat was specifically trying to attack/get the guests on the ride and detested mortals, especially happy ones. Guests would've seen signs of the cat throughout the ride as if he was stalking them (Think something akin to the little glimpses of Catnap as he stalks the player throughout Poppy Playtime Chapter 3). At the end of the ride, they would've faced the cat, who's face would turn into some form of human-esque skull like head.

Now the cat made it pretty far before he was cut, because we do have surviving sound outtakes of Paul Frees, the voice of the Ghost Host, saying "Except for that unnatural and dreadful one-eyed black cat" which implies he's not one of the 999 happy haunts, but something truly evil, like a demon.

Now, One-Eyed Black Cat's not mentioned in the Haunted Mansion ride, and there's an idea that his role was passed over to the Raven, another cut antagonistic character who would haunt the rider specifically, but was less unnatural than the cat, but the more likely reason is both the raven and the cat were cut due to the ride changing from story driven to an atmospheric ride. However, nowadays, you can find the One-Eyed Black Cat on the Composer's Crypt in Walt Disney World and as a statue in Disneyland's Haunted Mansion (Funnily enough, during the Haunted Mansion Holiday, the cat statue gets a black and white pinstripe bow...).

Now, this may be reaching, but Grim chasing the player throughout the school, trying to steal their robes because he wasn't allowed to attend NRC, feels like a reference to this possibly demonic cut cat character. Also, his smirk face does make one of his eyes look smaller than the other, kind of like the image on the Composer Crypt.

Anyways, back to Grimalkins. So besides being tied to the devil and witchcraft, Grimalkins were also known as Scottish faery cats. Why does this matter? May I draw your attention to these moments from Book 6 and Book 7?

(Warning minor spoilers)

Idia discussing what Grim is.

Idia and Ortho describing powerful magic cast on Grim.

And from Book 7 Chapter 106

Soi in Book 6, Idia notes Grim is some magical mix of direbeast and animal. In a lot of faery stories, faery animals like Grimalkins, Cat Sidhe, and Kelpies look very similar to normal animals, but they are distinctly a fae, which makes them much more dangerous to mess around with. Much like how Grim is not fully an animal, he's also part direbeast which, considering what has been mentioned in game about direbeasts, sounds like a distinctly magical species that is far more dangerous that regular animals.

Grim is also noted to fluctuate between full Phantom and absolutely no blot levels, but Idia does note a complex magical spell on him that later Papa Shroud mentions is very similar to Malleus's magical realm, which is a faerie spell... (Again, there's that faerie connection). Likewise, depending on the story context, Grimalkins can either be demonic familiars to witches (more akin to TWST Phantoms) or they can be faery creatures (more like TWST Direbeasts).

I've also noticed people point out some kind of connection between Malleus and Grim. There's a blog post by ventique18 does a really good job about pointing out the similarities between the two. Here's the link: https://www.tumblr.com/ventique18/721267245925400576/three-pronged-tail-bringing-back-the-grim-is?source=share

So perhaps one of the reasons for the tie between them is Grim is at least in part based on a Grimalkin, a faery cat, and Malleus is a dragon faery. With all these little things lining up, maybe Grim got his name in part from Grimm's Fairy Tales, but I really and truly do believe Grim is some form of Grimalkin and his name is more a reference to that, but whether he is based on the demonic familiar, faery, or BOTH, we shall see.

TLDR: I'm pretty sure Grim is HEAVILY based on a Scottish fae cat creature/demonic cat that act as a witch's familar called a Grimalkin because there's a lot of references that seem to point to that.

[scotianostra]

On October 22nd King James VI set sail for Norway to collect his bride Anne of Denmark.

The Autumn storms of 1589 were responsible for treacherous sailing conditions, but unfortunately for the women of England and Scotland, they prompted a far more dangerous consequence – a renewed fear of witchcraft.

That September, the new queen of Scotland – set sail to travel to her new kingdom. She had just married James VI via proxy, and was expected to quickly arrive in Scotland to meet her new husband.

But she did not arrive. Anne’s journey was a disaster – the fierce storms damaged her ship and she was forced to anchor in Norway for repairs. A second attempt to set sail was made, but her ship once again sprung a leak and returned to Norway. With winter setting in, the bad weather was expected to continue. The decision was made to postpone the journey until spring, and so Anne remained in Norway.

If history has taught us anything Scottish Kings were a randy lot, you only have to look at the disastrous journey Alexander III took to reach his Queen, ending up dead at the foot of a Fife cliff.

James was unhappy when he heard the news about the delay and unwilling to wait that long to see his bride. He made the decision to go to Norway himself to fetch his queen. Well we all know James survived the hazardous journey, once over there the celebrations of their wedding lasted months and it is said that during this time it ignited his obsession with witchcraft.

In Denmark, witches were blamed for the storms that damaged Anne’s ship and stopped her from travelling. A trial was held in Copenhagen in 1590, resulting in the executions of the accused women. This wasn’t unusual in Denmark – there had been a number of witch trials in the country during the sixteenth century.

In Scotland, witchcraft was against the law – although it mostly went unpunished before 1590. But when James arrived back in Scotland with Anne and heard the news of Denmark’s witch trials, he began his own witch hunt. Witches were accused of trying to kill the king and queen, by calling up the strong storms that James and Anne had encountered returning to Scotland.

One of the accused witches was a wise woman named Agnes Sampson. Under torture, she confessed to things that were so ‘miraculous and strange’ that even James found them difficult to believe. Allegedly, Agnes whispered to the king, telling him the words that he and Anne had spoken to each other in private on the first night of their wedding, removing any doubts James had. He said he ‘believed all the devils in hell could not have discovered the same’. Agnes was executed. There were around seventy people accused of witchcraft during this trial – it is not known exactly how many of them were killed along with Agnes.

In 1597, James released Daemonologie, a treatise about witchcraft – although his own fervour for witch hunting seemed to have waned, the fear of witches among the population had taken hold. Large scale witch trials took place in Scotland well into the seventeenth century, and an estimated 3,000 people – who were mostly women – were accused.

Under the union of the Scottish and English crowns in 1603, James’ work spread south, into his new kingdom.

Daemonologie laid out information such as how to identify a witch and how to punish them. One way to seek out a witch was in their use of charms and herbs: ‘By curing the Worme, by stemming of blood, by healing of Horse-crookes, by turning of the riddle, or doing of such like innumerable things by wordes, without applying anie thing, meete to the part offended, as Mediciners doe’. Women known as healers and midwives often came under suspicion because of their skills. Another way to identify a witch was to find the mark of the devil hidden somewhere on their bodies – James referenced Agnes Sampson’s trial directly, describing how they shaved her head in an attempt to find her mark, eventually finding it on ‘her privities’.

James explained that it was mostly women who were witches as they were ‘frailer than man is’ and so were more easily entrapped in the ‘snares of the Devil’. He used the bible to support his arguments as witchcraft was ‘plainely prohibited’, referencing Exodus 22.18: ‘Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live’ – the only acceptable punishment for a convicted witch was death.

These guidelines were used in trials until 1727 when Janet Horne became the last woman in Britain tried and executed as a witch.

The book series, Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, uses the name Geillis Duncan for a character who is eventually involved in a witch trial, although the books are set after the last execution.

[nihildenial]

Tender is the Bite by nihil-denial (wc: 2,418)

Rated: M, nudity, blood drinking, violence and implied su!c!dality for a few sentences

Pairings: F/M, Dracopia x F!Reader

Tags: FIRST POV, 1600s, Witch Trials, Angst with Happy Ending, Ghouls are Wisps like in Scottish Folklore, Protective Dracopia

Summary: You lead a quiet life of gardening and lavender selling in early 1600s Salem, Massachusetts. The men of the town have other ideas for you.

“Tell me, village whore, how you’ve used these herbs to bewitch our children?”

There’s an angry crowd of my neighbors, townspeople, people who I thought liked me-- standing on my front porch with pitchforks, flames, and crucifixes. They point them at me as if I’m some wild animal from the forests around our town.

“They are herbs grown in the soil of my lawn! There is no magic or bewitchery in a plant ,” I affirm. I stare down the corrupt governor and let them take in my apron and petticoats smeared with dirt and grass from toiling in the garden. The only magic present here is how I didn’t grab my father’s musket when I heard them approaching.

“Then how come our children have been lured towards your house’s pathway and returned dizzy and smelling of grass? You are in league with the Devil’s assistants, the vampyres!” Rachael accuses, holding her toddler on her hip.

The vampire thing was complete horseshit. I shrug, “There is no such thing as a vampire. Besides, they are children. They are curious about the nature around their homes. Are they not allowed to explore?”

This only seems to incite the governor and then the crowd. “They are acting out; saying wild things about shadowy figures running faster than is possible, eating candies that are not made here, and complaining of how the woods around your house make strange noises at night.”

I wipe my hand on my apron, noticing how some of them shift their pitchforks into a ready stance. “There are wild animals. If the children wander up my pathway, then I give them treats from my journeys to other towns when I trade lavender seedlings. I even have some here.” I pull out one of the sweet taffy candies I bought last time I was in Boston. “My lavender is milled into powder, then added to taffy for flavoring.”

A child held back by their parents lights up at the mention of the treat.

“That is the devil!” Governor McCoy shouts, pointing a finger at it. “You have used this to hypnotize them into helping you with your rituals.”

“I wasn’t aware that stretching in my garden was considered a ritual. Maybe the men that watch a lone woman from the hidden perches of a tree are at fault for masturbating to me when I am dressed properly.”

McCoy’s face is purple with anger as I seem nonchalant in the face of his accusations. I have done nothing wrong. “We are simply seeing you sin, which makes them sin! Since that is not enough for you, you then involve our children!”

“You have totally warped my sensibilities around the womanly figure, and have made the devil tempt me into cheating on my wife!” Able Smith shouts. His thin, frail wife beside him glares at me in jealousy.

That would explain why Franny Doone came asking for herbs that would terminate an unwanted pregnancy. I can’t help but notice that she’s not present.

Still, not my problem. “I have done nothing wrong. If you have true accusations, I need to see some semblance of a warrant from a judge.”

Governor McCoy waves a hand and his deputy hands over a long paper. “I think this is correct,” He says smugly.

I take the parchment and read Judge Mather’s decree for my arrest and subsequent confinement in Boston’s gaol for a trial. A trial that I knew would not end well. I stare at the cross inked next to the Judge’s signature at the bottom.

“Allow me to pack my things and I will willingly surrender,” I say as genuinely as I could. I knew this was the end for me, even though both God and I know I have done nothing wrong. If I could go to my closet, I could grab the musket and end things before McCoy could ever get his slimy hands on me. They stripped those accused of witchcraft and gave them barely any clothing, allowing men to have their way with the accused ‘temptress’ before trial.

He grabs me by the bicep. “No. There’s no telling what devilish shrines or herbs you have in there. You will be taken to Boston now.”

I try to fight his grasp but other men grab hold of me. The musket is loaded. It would be a quick death compared to this.

“Let me go in peace! I will not run!” I shout.

Able’s forearm slides around and under my chin, placing me in a stranglehold. I can smell the whiskey on his breath and feel his erection pressing into the back of my petticoats. This is what he and McCoy wanted all along. All of these charges are false and they wrongfully convinced Judge Mathers of it.

Still I fought. I would not die without hurting one of them.

Able pulled me down the stone stairs of my cottage. I lost my footing in the blur of my petticoats and his hold. I hit the ground hard with him still grasping at me. His hands mistakenly (or not) pull at my chemise and expose my breasts.

A wave of horrified noises fill the air. Torches are held higher in the night air.

I hurry to escape and cover myself but Able is pulling me by the ankles down the gravel path along with the enraged crowd. I dig my fingers in the stones, though it does nothing but leave dirty tracks and cut my hands and body.

Maybe an insect will rise from their ground burrows and attack me, ending me sooner than these men will have me contained. Kicking Able only brings more hands to lift me.

I am dragged halfway to our small town of Salem when the shadows begin to spook the mob. First, the children cry of men watching us from the trees. Then, the wives and women shrilly say that I am summoning the Devil and his Vampires to make them retreat.

Governor McCoy keeps the mob moving towards Salem, where a wagon is waiting to drag me to Boston. “Pay them no mind, for the Lord is watching us fufill his teachings. We will be protected!”

A black bird suddenly swoops from the canopy of trees, a mighty caw startling everyone. It circles and swoops again. It steals McCoy’s moleskin hat and flies to a high perch out of sight.

“You blasted bird! Stop casting spells!” He cries to me.

I shoot him a bewildered look as I’m bodily carried by several men. “I am not casting anything! Your hat probably looks like its prey!”

Another black creature swoops down into the fold of townspeople. It’s a large, fuzzy bat with a short snout. It flaps its wings and catches several women’s pinned curls. The women are pulled out of the mob and thrown into the mud lining the pathway.

The Raven from before comes back and joins the bat in creating as much chaos as possible. The funny thing is, I actually do know the bird. It sits on my fence post and eats the blackberries from my garden. I leave it alone because those are my favorite and it always leaves a perfectly ripe bunch for me to have. I can tell it’s noon when it flys into the clearing of my garden.

Able and Denny drop me. I hit the ground hard . I scramble to my feet, throwing hair over my shoulder and pulling up my skirts to sprint back to my house.

“Stop her!!” McCoy yells as a second Raven joins the fray.

I run with all my might back up the path. The gravel is uneven and hurts my already bleeding feet. I’m nearly at the porch stairs when the bat flies ahead of me and hovers on the porch. It’s so sudden I freeze before it smacks into my face. In a blink, the creature is no longer a creature, but a thick man dressed in the finest black shawl. A thin, brown moustache lines his black-painted upper lip, which moves into a snarl and reveals sharp canines. His straight nose and mismatched green and white eyes are more handsome than any of the bachelors I’ve seen in Boston. He looks so exotic, with olive skin and decietfully strong arms.

I take a step back (unfortunately missing the porch edge) and begin to tumble down to the feet of Governor McCoy’s mob.

But I never hit the grass.

The Vampire quickly moved a hand around my neck and waist, pulling me into his embrace.

“Vampire! We knew you were in leagues with the Devil!” Able shouts. Fear and anger war on his square face.

I go stiff in the crytpid’s arms. What turn has my fate taken? He smells of sweat and the herbs from my garden. He smells like my home.

“You shall not have her for your sick pleasures. I am the Vampire, Copia, and you will understand that I am not to be trod upon,” The vampire declares. He does not shout, but his voice carries as if he has.

“We are putting her on trial for being in leagues with you! All this does is prove that!” Able argues.

“You are wrong. I have never sworn allegiance with her, and my Ghouls have heard you planning this on false accusations and lustful fantasies.”

At the mention, the shadowy creatures emerge from the trees. They take different sized blobs and surround the mob. All of the torches but McCoy extinguishes with a sudden gust of wind.

“She is now mine, meaning all that was hers now falls under my Dominion. You will leave these woods unless you want to feel my wrath.” Copia snarls.

His gloved hand is still grasping me. His thumb rubs calming circles into the nape of my neck. “I will save you,” He says quietly.

“Why?” I mumble in fear. “What better fate is this?"

“They want to do horrible things to you. You would never make it to Boston; doomed to be shoved into a shallow grave, defiled and broken. I can give you a kingdom of loyal creatures that lives in harmony with nature. You can keep your cottage, your garden, your barn cats. I will save you.”

The mob is busy trying to cower from the Ghoulish shadows.

I could trust his word and die in the village or trust his word about himself and face an unknown fate.

“Save me,” I whisper. “God has abandoned me anyway.”

Copia commands the mob’s attention with a snap of his fingers. “None of you shall ever enter the woods of Salem or this clearing ever again, or my Ghouls will feast on your blood! Be gone! ”

“We will have justice! The Devil has no domain in the Lord’s forest!” McCoy yelps. He tries to rush the porch.

Copia swings me out until I’m dipped towards the ground and buries his head in the exposed skin of his collarbone. “I’m sorry to be so rough,” He whispers against my neck before sharp teeth bite into my veins.

All of the adrenaline flows through my mind as he drinks from me. I go limp in his arms yet his grip doesn’t hold me any harsher. Arousal and fear and relief fill me. I’ve never had a man so intimately entwined with me. His slight erection doesn’t make me want to gag.

Copia rips himself away, my blood dripping down his chin. I can hear the gasps and scramble of the townspeople to leave. Once the gravel no longer screeches in the clearing of my house, Copia leans back down to my neck.

He takes one last taste before his hot tongue is sliding over the holes he created. The pain disappears into a warm ache. His arms help me to stand up.

I pant into his chest. “You--"

“That is not usually how I like to bite. I apologize for the pain, but it was critical.”

I can feel the vibration of his voice through the bloody velvet of his bat-wing shawl. “It…It, um, felt good after a bit.” I confess. Lust is no longer a worry of mine. God has no domain here.

His hand on my lower back creeps up my spine. “I am not here to have you as some devilish sex slave. You are free to live here with no strings attached. I simply could not stand to have you face such a horrible fate by their hands.”

He lets me go. I take a cautious step back just to gaze upon him. “You chanced all that to simply save me from those men?”

“These are my woods. You are a steward of the Earth and my Ghouls live in harmony with you. Swiss, one of the Ravens, is very fond of your blackberries. Cumulus, my Owl, eats the worms you till up when you weed the crops.”

At the mention, two of the eight shadows transform into the birds he said. They settle on the railing of my porch.

“All we ask is you continue your passion for the Earth,” Copia reaches out an arm and the Raven hops upon his forearm happily.

“Will I never see you? I am to continue a lonely life of gardening?” Sure, it was nice to think that I would keep my life, but I do have some dreams of finding companionship.

He presses his black-painted lip and lower lip together. “No, I will come as many times as you wish. All you have to do is call for me.”

I no longer feel scared. It feels as if he’s always stood on my porch. I can picture his shiny boots next to my slippers.

“What if I don’t want you to leave now?” I ask timidly. I am falling into lust the longer we stand here. His very presence calls me. “I was going to make dinner just before the mob arrived. Do vampires even eat normal food?”

He smiles brightly, his fangs poking out almost cutely. “Yes. I am very fond of meat.”

“It’s a good thing I have a fresh hare. Will you join for supper, my handsome savior? Please allow me to show my gratitude.”

Copia’s eyes flicker down to the small trickle of blood that has escaped into the exposed neckline of my shirt. Able ripped the fabric so badly that my breasts are almost fully out.

“I’m starving,” He smirks.

We don’t even get to the door before his lips are meeting mine.

[thesonderr]

ginger roach headcannons bc i saw a post abt it and drew it -honestly i feel like he'd be either strawberry blonde or hardcore salem witch trials ginger with no inbetween. -didn't know that you had to treat red hair well (fucker used a 3-1 for the first 16 years of his life) -adding on to that, when he realized that most of the time, gingers have curly hair with some good ass volume, he just thought his hair was different because it was usually flat and straight, having decent curls maybe once in a blue moon. -hated being redheaded growing up, it was always the first thing people noticed about him -when he was in elementary school, a teacher came up to him and told him that she wished she had his hair, and that a lot of people would pay good money to get his hair color + he was weirded out for the rest of the day because he thought she was going to take his hair -his hair randomly started thinning when he was 16, and he looked like he had a bald spot on the back of his head (it was a mix of a cowlick, thin hair, and super light skin) + which led him to look up why he was balding, which lead to him learning how to actually treat his hair like more than a rat carcass!! -gang did not catch a BREAK during basic. "red" "leprechaun" "ginger" "ginger pig" +he debated going bald for at least three months straight -once the 141 warmed up to him/vice versa, he and soap talked about his heritage. that convo led to roach realizing that he was majorly Scottish (still patriotic to his homeland CUNTry america) - ghost loves roach's hair. loves running his fingers through it, loves when the man lets him wash it, loves how it looks in the sun, he loves roach's hair. so does soap, but it's nowhere near as interesting to the man due to his mother's side of the family being a majority ginger. -once roach enlisted, he stopped caring for his hair as much due to limited time in the showers, and a billion other things to worry about. once he settled in to the 141, soap helped him get back into his routine because roach's hair had begun thinning again. -idk why but i feel like its hard for roach to grow facial hair. like. at all. he's a peach. -his babyhairs are extra curly. that's the end of my rant. thank you for reading. blargjh.