Common Scottish Fairy Beliefs An Examination of The Secret Commonwealth and Witch Trial Transcripts

Abstract

The emergence of witch hunts in Scotland during the early modern period posed a danger to the sanctity of fairy belief. Fairies existed outside of the bounds of Christian cosmology, or the Christian understanding of the world. Some Christians were able to reconcile this in their minds, but others pushed against it. Those who aligned more strictly with Christian belief—typically, wealthy political and religious authorities—might have seen similarities between fairies and both witches and demons. Fairies were able to shapeshift and fly through the air; they kidnapped children and hosted revels at night. These were traits also attributed to witches, and, while fairies might have not been witches themselves, they might have empowered witches much like demons did. To religious authorities spearheading the hunt for malevolent forces, spirits fit into one of two categories: angelic or demonic. In their perspective, fairies did not fit into the angelic mold—due to the aforementioned traits—so they must be demons.