Ever wished that all the information on Scottish enchantress hunt was compiled into one commodious , interactive map that you could research at your leisure ? Your wish just came true , good manners of some persevering researchers at the University of Edinburgh .
According toSmithsonian.com , themapcombines data from a previous project shout the Survey of Scottish Witchcraft with new determination from historical disc , and cover 3141 casing ofwitchcraftfrom the 16th through the 18th one C . For some case , all we know is the alleged witch ’s name and place of mansion , but others contain a wealth of contingent that sheds lightness on both the process of witch hunt and the rationale behind the persecution .
A few result fueled the rearing suspiciousness and pursuance of so - calledwitchesduring that sentence period . In 1563 , the Scottish parliament passed an number that proclaimed witchcraft a capital letter offensive . In the following decennary , King James VI ardently encouraged witch - hunt , and even wrote a treatise recommend for strong prosecution of aim witches .
When you look at the cases themselves , many of the magical accusations are vague at best , and mixed in with relatively normal behavior . Isobel Young , for example , supposedly exhibited “ unmated magical feature , ” along with “ patterns of verbal and sometimes physical hostility . ” And therapist Janet Boyman was charged with “ [ appealing ] to elvish spirits in hopes of curing a sick military man , ” and also gave birth to five baby without sense any pain .
Though some of the cases do imply manly defendant , most of the victims were women , which historian Steven Katzattributesto “ the enduring grotesque fears ” of char ’s “ abilities to control workforce and thereby coerce , for their own closing , male - dominated Christian society . ”
In addition to showing just how dominant Wiccan Hunt were across Scotland , the mapping also suffice as a way to limelight these often overlooked stories of shabbiness .
“ There is a very secure spirit out there that not enough has been done to inform citizenry about the women who were accuse of being witches in Scotland , ” Ewan McAndrew , Wikimedian in Residence at the University of Edinburgh , toldThe Scotsman . “ Being able to diagram these on a map really bring in it home . ”
Would you have qualified as a witch in the 1600s ? Find outhere .
[ h / tSmithsonian.com ]
