Sir Walter Scott’s Plea Against Witch Hunts

In 1830, he was skeptical of ‘supernatural’ phenomena

Prisoner by Ionas Nicolae, Bible by Tom, both from Pixabay, merged by Tucker Lieberman

Thousands of European women were burned on allegations of witchcraft in the 16th and 17th centuries. Sir Walter Scott’s 1830 book highlighted the illogical claims and the manifold cruelties of witch hunts.

Letters on Demonology and Witchcraft compiled anecdotes about European witch-hunts and superstitions about magical beings. Reading it today is an opportunity to learn about specific witch trials, including names, dates, places, trial records, tortures, and last words. Thematically, it’s disorganized, but Scott — who is better known for his innovative novels — did write it evocatively.

A Little Context about Witchcraft Accusations

Scott says the famous verse in Exodus 22 that prescribes death for a “witch” uses a Hebrew word that means “poisoner.”

For a long time in Europe, witchcraft was understood as a kind of sorcery that was essentially heretical, but, he says, as long as there was no accusation of lethal scheming, it was rarely prosecuted. That was partly because Catholic clergy earned money by pretending to reverse alleged witches’ spells. Until the 15th century, Scott says, the Church was more tolerant of whomever it alleged to be small-time…