The Witch-cult in Western Europe: A Study in AnthropologyMurray, Margaret Alice
Religion
The Witch-cult in Western Europe: A Study in Anthropology
Murray, Margaret Alice
Ethnology; Witchcraft -- Great Britain
'They went to Mary Rynd's house and sat doune together at the table,
the divell being present at the head of it; and some of them went to
Johne Benny's house, he being a brewer, and brought ale from hence ...
and others of them went to Alexander Hieche's and brought aqua vitae
from thence, and thus made themselfes mirrie; and the divill made much
of them all, but especiallie of Mary Rynd, and he kist them all except
the said Helen herselfe, whose hand onlie he kist; and shee and Jonet
Stout satt opposite one to another at the table.'[549]
Of the meeting at Muryknowes there are several accounts. The first is by
little Jonet Howat, Helen Guthrie's young daughter: 'At this meiting there
wer about twenty persones present with the divill, and they daunced
togither and eat togither, having bieff, bread, and ale, and shoe did eat
and drink with them hir self, bot hir bellie was not filled, and shoe
filled the drink to the rest of the company.'[550] Elspet Alexander
confirms this statement, 'The divill and the witches did drinke together
having flesh, bread, and aile';[551] and so also does the Jonet Stout who
sat opposite to Helen Guthrie at the table, 'The divill and the said
witches did eat and drinke, having flesh, bread, and aile upon ane table,
and Joanet Huit was caper and filled the drinke'.[552] On one occasion they
tried to wreck the Bridge of Cortaquhie; 'when we had done, Elspet [Bruce]
gaive the divell ane goose in hir own house, and he dated hir mor than them
all, because shee was ane prettie woman.'[553] The Kinross-shire witches
obtained their food from the Devil, and this is one of the few instances of
complaints as to the quality of it. 'Sathan gave you [Robert Wilson] both
meat and drink sundry times, but it never did you any good';[554] and Janet
Brugh 'confessed that ye got rough bread and sour drink from Sathan at the
Bents of Balruddrie'.[555] According to Marie Lamont, 'the devill came to
Kattrein Scott's house, in the midst of the night. He gave them wyn to
drink, and wheat bread to eat, and they warr all very mirrie.'[556] Isobel
Gowdie's confession gives a wealth of detail as usual:
'We would go to several houses in the night time. We were at
Candlemas last in Grangehill, where we got meat and drink enough. The
Devil sat at the head of the table, and all the Coven about. That
night he desired Alexander Elder in Earlseat to say the grace before
meat, which he did; and is this:[557] "We eat this meat in the Devil's
name" [etc.]. And then we began to eat. And when we had ended eating,
we looked steadfastly to the Devil, and bowing ourselves to him, we
said to the Devil, We thank thee, our Lord, for this.—We killed an
ox, in Burgie, about the dawing of the day, and we brought the ox with
us home to Aulderne, and did eat all amongst us in an house in
Aulderne, and feasted on it.'[558]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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