Glossary

A glossary of terms used in the Survey of Scottish Witchcraft database.

12:00: Indicates the mentioning of liminal boundary times such as the change from day into night or night into day. This data value means the documents didn't specify whether they were referring to noon or midnight.
Aggravating Disease: The suspect was accused of aggravating an already existing illness or disease.
Airt and Pairt (art and part): Denoting participation in a crime.
Ale: Alcohol, no specific symbolic use. Often used in the reconciliation of quarrels.
All Saints' Day: 1 November, follows All Hallows' Eve.
Almond: Non-native, exotic plant, association between almond tree and the Virgin.
Amulet: Protective charm (stone, pebble) worn or placed in a house.
Andrewmas: 30 November, mass celebrated on St Andrew's day.
Angels: Pre-Reformation invocation of angels for intercession, condemned by Protestant church.
Animal Death: The suspect was accused of killing an animal(s).
Animal Devil: The Devil appeared in animal form.
Animal Dung: Animal excreta believed to have healing properties — possibly transferring life force, like blood.
Animal Illness: The suspect was accused of causing an animal(s) to become ill.
Animal: Accused witch appeared in the form of an animal.
Anti-baptism: Renunciation of Christian baptism, apostasy.
Apparition: Accused witch appeared in the form of an apparition.
Aqua Vitae: Water of Life, a distilled spirit (probably whisky).
Ash: The ash tree or its ashes could be used, ashes used in religious and healing rituals, sap of the tree had protective properties.
Assize: Jury.
Attest: Declared to be true or genuine.
Axe: Made of iron, used to protect against fairies.
Ayre: Another term for circuit court.
Baby: The Devil appeared in the form of a baby.
Bailie: A local justice officer, second in rank to a provost in burghs.
Bank Head: Top of a riverbank.
Bank Side: Side of a riverbank.
Bannock: Cakes often used in divination rituals or for good luck/protection.
Baptising Animals: Carrying out the religious sacrament of baptism on an animal — seen as a perversion of religion.
Barthill's Day: 25 August, celebration of St Bartholomew.
Baton: Possibly a symbolic weapon, phallus, or staff of office.
Bead: Decorative item used as an amulet or votive offering.
Beetle: In Ireland known as darbhdaol or coach horse of the devil.
Bells: Either a protective symbol used against fairies or something used by fairies themselves.
Belt: And girdle, often associated with fertility or predicting outcome of illness.
Beltane: 1 May, celebration associated with the Celtic feast of Bel.
Bewitching: The suspect was also charged with causing a bewitchment (i.e. inflicting magical harm).
Bible: Christian scriptures.
Bierricht (corpse bleeds): Corpse bleeds when touched by person who was guilty of the murder.
Bird (dead): No specific symbolic use, used to transfer dangerous magical substances or to cause harm.
Blasphemy: Denigrating or mocking aspects of the Christian religion.
Blood (animal): Special qualities of the animal passed to human, as with dung.
Body and Soul: Giving oneself over to the Devil, body and soul.
Bond/Band: An agreement with the Devil.
Bond: The person who pays the caution (or bail) is under bond of caution.
Bone: Last part of body to decay and contained last of the physical soul, also used in divination.
Book: Bible or other religious missal or herbal, the written word was seen to have magical properties for non-literate society, used in divination.
Bored-Stone: A stone with a natural hole in it, used as protection against the power of fairies.
Borrowing Days: Last three days of March, from the fable that March borrowed three days from April.
Bound with Ropes: Tied by ropes for a period of time.
Bow Strings: Pain caused by application of strings used in bows.
Bowl: No specific symbolic use, used in transference rituals.
Branch: Part of non-specified tree, some trees were seen to have protective or magical powers.
Bread: Could be an offering to supernatural powers, had healing and/or protective properties.
Bridle/Collar: Like belt, used in some sympathetic magical rituals (sympathetic magic is when an object is used to stand in for a specific person or thing).
Brint (Buit, Brute): A rumour about a person, or reputation.
Burn: Small river.
Burning Feet: Feet burnt with hot coals.
Butter: No specific symbolic use, used in transference rituals.
Caird: Instrument used to card wool, used in sympathetic magical ritual.
Camomile: Medicinal herb, has calming effect on digestion, aids sleep and protects against nightmares.
Candlemas: 2 February, feast of the celebration of the presentation of Christ to the Temple.
Caspicaws (Cashielaws): Formerly described as the boots, an instrument of torture that slowly crushed the shins. Recent work suggests that it was probably a large metal instrument that folded the body in two.
Cat: Sacred animal, often associated with bringing bad luck.
Caution: Bail or security given legally.
Cautioner: A person who agreed to pay caution (or bail) for a prisoner in return for ensuring they report for trial or undertake other obligations.
Chamberlain: Chief officer of the royal household or the factor of an estate.
Chancellor: Foreman of a jury.
Changeling Egg: Used to tempt the fairy changeling to reveal itself and return the human child.
Changeling: A baby or young child thought to have been replaced by a fairy, usually associated with sickly children.
Charming: Magical healing.
Cheese: No specific symbolic use, used in transference rituals.
Child Devil: The Devil appeared in the form of a child.
Cited Authority: A legal or other learned authority or book that was cited in the trial as either precedent or instruction.
Clay: Figures made of clay used in image magic to represent the intended victim.
Clengis (Clenged): Technically means cleansed of charges, in a trial it means found not guilty.
Cloth: Used to represent the sick person, blessed and returned to them to provide cure, or sometimes a cloth was wrapped around items to make a sachet for charms (good or bad).
Clothing: Used to represent the sick person, blessed and returned to them to provide a cure.
Coal: Good luck amulet.
Cockerel: Sacred bird, announcer of the dawn, used in sacrificial rituals and divination.
Coin: Could be left as a votive offering or used as an amulet.
Commissioner: A person appointed, often to hold a local trial.
Committee of Estates: Governing body appointed by parliament in the 1640s, superseding the Privy Council.
Communal Sex: Attenders of the witches' meeting engaged in communal sex.
Compear: Appear before a court or authority.
Consulting: The suspect was charged with consulting or using a witch; not necessarily with being a witch.
Corn: No specific symbolic uses, but as living grain associated with fertility and growth.
Corpse Bleeding: See Bierricht.
Corpse Powder: Used to provide/transfer magical properties of the dead.
Corpse: Used to provide/transfer magical properties of the dead.
Craigs: Rocky cliffs.
Crook: Made of iron, used for protection from harmful power of fairies.
Cross: Holy Cross, Christian emblem of the crucifixion.
Curch: Kerchief or woman's hat, sometimes removed during a curse/harmful ritual.
Cursing: Uttering ambiguous or directly threatening language often accompanied with deliberate gestures. Also charged as a separate offence involving strong language with implicit or explicit threats.
Dancing: Attenders of the witches' meeting danced.
Deacon: Lay person elected to run the temporal affairs of the local Kirk, administrator.
Delate (Delation): Accuse or inform against, denouncement.
Demonic Possession: The witch was accused of causing someone (a victim) to be possessed by the Devil. This usually involves an accusation of causing a particular type of bewitchment involving convulsions and visions.
Demonic: The case contained demonic elements such as meetings with the Devil or demonic pacts.
Demonologist: An academic or clergyman who specialised in understanding the Devil and other demonological topics.
Den: A narrow valley.
Deposition: Statement made under oath.
Devil Present: The Devil was described as attending witches' meeting.
Devil Worship: Attenders of the witches' meeting worshipped the Devil.
Devil's Mark: Mark received from the Devil as a sign of pact (often described as not sensible to feeling).
Diet: Meeting of court.
Dittay: List of formal charges made against the accused, indictments.
Divination: Trying to discover the future, or see hidden things in the present.
Dog: No specific symbolic use.
Dreams/Visions: Accused appeared in a dream or visions.
Drink: No specific symbolic uses but used to administer/transfer magical properties/powers.
Ducking: Otherwise known as the water test. The accused person was put in water to see if they floated. If they sank they were seen to be innocent and removed from the water. If they floated they were seen to be guilty. This test was rarely used in Scotland.
Dye-House: House where cloth was dyed.
Dyke: A ditch, wall or mound.
Earth: Refers to soil, believed to represent the power of nature, fertility and growth.
Easter: Movable Christian celebration of the execution and resurrection of Christ.
Egg: Supernatural symbol, earth/life/soul, associated with fertility, Easter and fairies.
Elder: Elected lay member of a kirk session.
Elfshot: Prehistoric arrowhead thought to be used by fairies/witches to cause harm, could also be used as a protective amulet.
Elphane/Fairyland: The other world of elphane or fairyland.
Enchantment: Using magic to affect people, things or animals.
Eschatology: Theology concerned with death and final destiny.
Escheat: Legal confiscation of goods.
Fairies: The case mentioned fairies/elves and fairy/elf motifs.
Fairy Blast: To be bewitched or harmed by a fairy wind/power.
Fairy Hill: Associated with fairies, believed to be their dwelling place.
Fairy Mound: A hill associated with fairies, believed to be their dwelling place.
Fairy: Non-natural being appeared in the form of a fairy, gender not specified.
Familiars: The accused had a familiar (a small animal or spirit that did her bidding).
Fasting's Eve: Scottish term for Shrove Tuesday (the evening before the fast), the day before the fast of Lent.
Feathers: No specific symbolic use, used in transference rituals.
Female Fairy: Non-natural being appeared in the form of a female fairy.
Female Infertility: The suspect was accused of causing female infertility.
Fencing the Court: Formal opening of a court.
Fire: Basic element, seen to have purifying powers. Also possibly associated with hellfire. Many symbolic and ritual events used fire.
Fireraising: Arson.
Flask of Water: Possible reference to holy water, a container used to transport blessed or sacred water.
Flesh: Specifically animal meat, not human flesh, used in sympathetic magic both to harm and for healing.
Folk Healing: The case (or accusations) against the suspect were about folk healing issues, such as failed healing attempts or the use of improper rituals and magic.
Food and Drink (at witches' meeting): Food and drink were consumed at the witches' meetings.
Ford: A place where a river can be crossed.
Fornication: Having sexual relations before marriage.
Foxtree Leaves: Foxglove, medicinal plant that affects the heart, also used as an amulet against demonic powers.
Frog: As for toad, associated with Devil, sin and impurity, used in transference of disease.
Fyle (Fyllied): Found guilty.
Garland: Non-specific garland of plants/flowers, no specific symbolic use.
Garlic: Stinkweed, medicinal plant, antiseptic qualities, believed to drive away evil.
General Assembly (GA): The highest church court in the Presbyterian Church attended by representative delegate ministers and elders.
Ghost: Non-natural being appeared in the form of a ghost or dead person.
Glass: As in a piece of glass or a non-specified glass object, no specific symbolic uses.
Glove: No specific symbolic uses, used in transference rituals.
Good Neighbours: Euphemism for fairies.
Grain: Same meaning as corn, no specific symbolic use, but as living grain associated with fertility and growth.
Grass: No specific symbolic use but associated with fertility and growth.
Grave Earth: Used to provide/transfer magical properties of the dead.
Green: Colour of nature, associated with fairies. Also refers to the village green, a flat area of grass.
Hair: No specific symbolic use, used in transference rituals, or sometimes in sympathetic magic to stand in for the victim.
Haircloth: The accused was covered with a cloth made of animal hair, painful on the skin.
Halloween: 31 October, All Hallows' Eve, day before All Saints' Day, also associated with Celtic festivity of Samhain.
Hand (dead): Used to provide/transfer magical properties of the dead.
Handsel Monday: First Monday of the New Year when gifts were exchanged.
Hanging by Thumbs: Suspended by thumbs for a period of time.
Harvest: Secular celebration of the end of harvest in August; it was incorporated into the Christian calendar.
Haugh: A piece of level ground, usually alluvial, on the banks of a river.
Head and Foot: Touching of the head and foot with opposite hands — all between was given to the Devil.
Healing Animals: The suspect was accused of healing animals.
Healing Humans: The suspect was accused of healing humans.
Hen: Associated with weather, fertility symbol, blood used in healing rituals.
Herb: Non-specified medicinal herbs.
Holy Cross Day: 13 or 14 September, celebration of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
Holy Water: Blessed or sacred water believed to have special powers.
Holy Well: Well or spring believed to have special powers, sometimes associated with a saint or other revered figure or fairies. Wells were believed to have special powers of healing. The Protestant church condemned pilgrimages to wells or use of holy wells for healing or restoration.
Hook: Made of iron, used for protection from harmful power of fairies.
Horseshoe: Believed to protect against fairy power because it was made of iron.
Howe: A hole, depression or low-lying piece of ground.
Human Death: The suspect was accused of killing a person(s).
Human Illness: The suspect was accused of causing a person(s) to become ill.
Image Magic: Use of wax or clay figures to represent and harm an intended victim.
Incantation: The use of spells or invocations.
Incest: Had a wider definition in the early modern period. It usually meant sexual relations with in-laws.
Interrogatory: List of interrogation questions.
Iron: Cold iron believed to protect against fairy power. Hot iron also used for protection from harmful power of fairies.
Irons: Tied in iron chains.
Jewel: Non-specified gemstone, used as amulet.
Judge Ordinar: Any convenient secular authority, the usual or customary judge (as opposed to a special commissioner).
Justice of the Peace (JP): Justice officials appointed by the King, to maintain law and order in a county.
Justiciar: Justice, law.
King of Fairy: Male leader of the fairy group.
Kirk Session: The lowest court of the Presbyterian Church consisting of a minister and elders of a parish. Responsible for local church governing and discipline.
Kisses Devil's Bottom: Worship of the Devil by inversion/perversion of Christian symbolism.
Knife: Sharp, made of iron, used for protection from harmful power of fairies.
Lairds/Baron: High status landowners with inherited titles and lands, but not the top rung of land holding society. These people were usually referred to as the laird of somewhere. People in this category did not work their land or perform a craft. They lived off rents or other kinds of income.
Lammas: 1 August, Celtic festivity of Lugh, also known as Lughnasadh.
Landless: People without any access to any land or steady work, often described as vagrants or vagabonds.
Laying On: The suspect was accused of causing a disease and then removing it.
Lead: Used to identify illness and divine its outcome.
Lee Penny: A little red stone encased in silver, the Lockhart of Lee family claimed it was brought back from the Crusades. It was believed to have magical properties. Used in rituals — dipped in water, stirred three times, water used to heal animals/humans.
Lent: 40 day fast before Easter, starts on Ash Wednesday.
Links: A stretch of undulating open sandy ground.
Liver: Believed to be seat of strength/courage; could counteract harmful magic.
Loan: A grassy track.
Lord Advocate: The public prosecutor, a high justice official appointed by the crown.
Mala Fama: Bad reputation or ill repute.
Male Fairy: Non-natural being appeared in the form of a man. Sometimes also referred to as an elf.
Male Impotence: The suspect was accused of causing male impotence.
Maleficium: The suspect accused of causing magical harm to people, goods or animals. At witches' meetings, the gathering was used to cause magical harm to an individual or community.
Martinmas: 11 November, mass celebrated on St Martin's day.
Meal: Usually refers to oatmeal, possibly associated with fertility and growth or sustenance.
Mercat Cross: Marks the spot in a town for a recurring market.
Merk: Two-thirds of a pound Scots.
Michaelmas: 29 September, mass celebrated on St Michael's day.
Midnight: Liminal boundary time between night and day.
Midsummer: 24 June, summer solstice, before the start of the shortening of day, also St John's day.
Midwifery: The suspect performed midwifery.
Milk: Often left as an offering to helpful supernatural spirits/beings.
Money: Coins could be left as a votive offering or used as an amulet.
Moor: Rough uncultivated heathery land.
Nail: Made of iron, used for protection from harmful power of fairies.
Nail Trimmings: To be used/destroyed carefully to avoid transfer of illness or being used in witchcraft rituals, could be used in sympathetic magic to stand for the victim.
Necromancy: Calling up spirits for magical operations.
Neighbourhood Dispute: The suspect was accused of causing magical harm following quarrels among neighbours.
Nettle: Medicinal plant, effective against green venom, toothache, consumption and the Devil.
New Name: A new name given to a witch by the Devil indicating a rejection of Christian baptism — a re-naming in the Devil.
Nine: Repetition of action 3×3, powerful number and motif used in many cultures.
Notar: A notary public.
Oil: For anointing as part of healing rituals.
Onion: Medicinal plant, effective against sores, headaches, colds, fever and warts.
Paction: General, non-specific pact made with the Devil.
Paper: On which might be written words of prayers or gospel, used as healing/protective amulets.
Parliament: Scotland's sovereign legislative body, which sometimes issued commissions of justiciary.
Pilgrimage: Journey to sacred place, banned by the Scottish parliament in 1581.
Pin: Made of iron, used for protection from harmful power of fairies, often left as votive offerings at wells/shrines.
Plough: Made of iron, used for protection from harmful power of fairies, possibly symbolising fertility.
Poisoning: The suspect was accused of poisoning someone.
Political Motive: The case involved a dynastic or political struggle.
Porteous Rolls: List of people to appear at a circuit court.
Possession: The accused witch claimed to be possessed by the Devil.
Potions: Non-specified salves or drinks.
Precognition: A statement made by a witness during the investigation.
Presbytery: An ecclesiastical court above the kirk session and below the synod.
Pricking: The body of the suspect witch was pricked with pins in order to find a Devil's mark. Learned belief said that the Devil's mark was left on the body of the witch after she or he had sealed a pact with the Devil. It was believed to be insensitive to pain. Often moles, warts or other visible skin blemishes were tested and shown to be Devil's marks.
Privy Council (PC): The official body for daily government consisting of high officers of state and other magnates presided over by the Chancellor which exercised judicial, and executive power.
Procurator: A legal representative; a procurator fiscal was the prosecutor in a sheriff court.
Property Damage: The suspect was accused of damaging property.
Property Motive: The case involved an attempt to get the property of the witchcraft suspect.
Provost: The civic head of a town or burgh council, elected official, equivalent to mayor.
Pursuer: A prosecutor, public or private.
Put to the Horn: Declared outlaw, usually for non-appearance at trial.
Quarrelling: The suspect was accused of quarrelling.
Quarter Day: Day dividing the Celtic year into four, marking the different seasons.
Queen of Fairy: Female leader of a group of fairies sometimes called Queen of Elphame or Elphane.
Rack: Tied to wooden rack and stretched.
Recognised Healer: The suspect was a recognised (or professional) healer.
Regality: Jurisdiction granted by the King to a powerful landholder.
Remit: To refer a case to another authority for opinion or advice, transfer of one case from one court to another.
Removal of Bewitchment: The suspect was accused of removing a bewitchment (i.e. harm caused by another witch).
Riddle (turning of): A coarse sieve, used for divination.
Ring: Gold rings used against eye diseases.
Rowan: The tree itself and its parts (leaves or branches) were traditionally believed to protect against the harmful powers of fairies and witches, sometimes the spot of a specific ritual.
Sabbath: Sunday, day of religious worship.
Saints: Pre-Reformation invocation of saints for intercession, condemned by Protestant church.
Salt: Used to cleanse/purify, also had protective/healing qualities, possible religious symbolism.
Salve: Non-specified ointment applied to heal.
Scissors: Sharp, made of iron, used for protection from harmful power of fairies, smaller than shears.
Scolding: The offence of women's quarrelling.
Scripture: Extracts from the Christian bible, verses or prayers.
Sea Nut: Molluka bean from the West Indies, washed up on west coast of Scotland, worn as protective amulets, used to recover spoilt milk.
Searching: General, non-specified searching for Devil's marks.
Servant: Indicates that the accused had agreed to be the Devil's servant.
Sex (with the Devil): Indicated that the accused had sexual relations with the Devil.
Shape-Changing: The documentation described the witch appearing in a different form.
Shears: Sharp, made of iron, used for protection from harmful power of fairies, could be used with a sieve for divination, bigger than scissors.
Sieve: Used in divination rituals, often with shears.
Sign of the Cross: Crossing oneself, emblem of crucifixion, associated with Catholicism, condemned by Protestant church.
Signet: One of the crown seals of Scotland, used to authorise commissions of justiciary.
Silver: Highly prised metal, associated with purity, used as protection against witchcraft/evil.
Singing: Attenders of the witches' meeting sang.
Sleep Deprivation: Watched and warded, kept awake continuously.
Soothsaying: Telling the future.
Specific Ritual Acts: Specific Ritual Acts were discussed in the documentation.
Specific Verbal Formulae: Specific Verbal Formulae were used for curing or any other ritual.
Spirit: Non-natural being appeared in the form of a non-specified spirit. Accused witch could also appear in the form of an unspecified spirit.
Spit: Saliva, associated with good luck or warding off evil, cures toothache, warts.
Stocks: Put in wooden frame with holes for legs.
Stones: Healing stones regarded/identified as being special.
Sympathetic Magic: Use of an object to stand in for a person in a magical ritual.
Synod: An ecclesiastical court of the Presbyterian Church hierarchy intermediate between the presbytery and the general assembly.
Tacit Pact: The accused used power of the pact but did not describe any specific features.
Tether: Used in healing and harmful rituals, particularly if stolen from an intended victim.
Thorn Tree: Tree traditionally believed to protect against the power of fairies.
Thread: Often used to tie around sick person as part of healing ritual.
Three: Significant number and motif, both Christian and pre-Christian symbolism.
Thumbscrews: Thumbs squeezed.
Toad: As for frog, associated with Devil, sin and impurity, used in transference of disease.
Tolbooth: A prison, a place to hold prisoners before trial, not a form of punishment.
Transferring Disease: The suspect was accused of transferring a disease from sick person to someone or something else.
Treason: Witchcraft accusation was linked to treason (i.e. witches trying to kill the king or working in league with people trying to kill the king).
Trial Type: We have defined three types of process through which an accused witch could be brought to trial: a central trial, a local trial and a mixed/central local trial. We defined a fourth type of trial process called ‘mentioned in a trial’ for convenience, to denote those people mentioned as a witch by another accused or confessed witch.
Trilapse: A third offence against church discipline for the same crime, especially fornication.
Trinity: Christian Holy Trinity — Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
Umquhile: Deceased.
Unorthodox Religious Practice: The suspect was accused of doing anything vaguely religious but clearly not part of any officially sanctioned Protestant or Catholic orthodoxy.
Urine: No specific symbolic uses but often used in healing rituals or medicines.
Victim Fit: Used in possession cases to identify the person causing the possession, victim had fit in presence of suspected persecutor.
Ward: A prison, a place to hold prisoners before trial, but not a form of punishment.
Water: Life giving, associated with healing power of nature, spirits and saints.
Wax/Clay Images: Used in image magic to represent the intended victim. The three-dimensional figure was used to stand in for the body of the intended victim (sympathetic magic).
Weather Modification: The suspect was accused of changing the weather.
Well: Well or spring often believed to be associated with or used by fairies.
Whip: Whipped with a whip or rope.
Whirlwind: Blast of fairy wind that was believed to cause harm.
Whitsunday: Pentecost, 50 days after Easter Sunday.
Witch-pricker: A person who was hired to prick a suspected witch with a needle in order to find possible Devil's mark.
Yule: Midwinter festival, equivalent to Christmas.