| What is the image that appears in your mind when | | | | Major persecution again took place in 1661 and 1662 |
| you think of the word "witch"? I'm guessing you're | | | | with the Forfar Witch Hunt and the Auldearn Trials |
| picturing an ugly, old women with a big nose and a | | | | respectively. These were prolonged by accusations |
| wart on her face, armed with a broom and wearing a | | | | made by so-called witches in order to save |
| black dress? If that's how you do imagine witches, you | | | | themselves. Especially strange were the Aberdeen |
| are not a minority. But you are wrong. Read this article | | | | Trials where seven women were accused of using |
| to see how the story of witchcraft actually unfolded. | | | | mystical powers to murder people, and using body |
| Such outward projections of medieval witches are | | | | parts from their victims for making potions. And it gets |
| common whenever they are pictured in movies or | | | | stranger - in 1704 the Trials of Pittenween were based |
| theatre, and it is actually quite an exaggerated image. In | | | | only on the words of a 16-year old boy, and all of the |
| actuality, however, all it took to be accused of and | | | | accused were tortured heavily. Only later was it |
| executed for being a witch was a peculiar birthmark or | | | | discovered that everything had been made up by the |
| freckle, or simply dancing and singing outside where | | | | boy. |
| you could be seen, or eventually, simply someone's | | | | Another curious case which deserves mention are the |
| suspicions or an accusation. Times were rougher back | | | | Renfrewshire Trials of 1695. An 11-year old girl called |
| then. | | | | Christian Shaw witnessed a housemaid drinking |
| Stories relating to witchcraft have been going around | | | | forbidden milk and threatened to tell her mother this, |
| since the dawn of time. However, it was not until the | | | | but the housemaid told the girl that if she did this, the |
| 16th century that persecution of witches started. It was | | | | devil would take her to hell. And the little girl, the story |
| in 1563 that the Witchcraft Act was ratified and this | | | | goes, started having visions and tempers, accusing the |
| made it illegal for anyone to be a witch or to consort | | | | maid of torturing her. Some accounts say she was |
| with one. Thirty years later, the first major persecution | | | | throwing up feathers, wax, stones, hay, even a hot |
| took place. In 1590 King James I and VI started the | | | | coal. The most extreme descriptions are of her |
| North Berwick Trials. Having recently returned from | | | | floating in mid-air, throwing things around in the room |
| Denmark with his bride, he had almost gotten killed by | | | | without touching them. As a result, over 20 people |
| a powerful storm. This, the king believed, was a | | | | were examined and also tortured. Several of them |
| conspiracy against him by the witches. He had a | | | | were found dead. Six of these people were found |
| hundred people arrested, most of which were tortured | | | | guilty and burned alive. |
| and burned alive. | | | | |