Have you ever wondered whether the lines upon your brow read those
of a murderer? Do the stars in your sky predict fortune, or rain?
These concerns of the mystic, of sorcery, magic and prophecy, seem
to be a reflection of something intrinsic in our human curiosity, bonding us as
we journey onwards in our exploration of that mysterious Other. In this vein the documenting of supernatural occurrences might
be judged, by today’s standards, as the practice of fiction or faith. But, as we
must not forget, the tales of witches and demonology, which stand tall in the
shelves of Innerpeffray, are in fact depictions of an often-accepted reality.
Many would recognise the scene from William Shakespeare’s adoption
of the moment in which Macbeth, soon to be king Macbeth, ‘happens’ upon the three
witches, also called the ‘Weird Sisters’ or the ‘Wayword Sisters.’ These three incarnations
of destiny foretell Macbeths monarchy and eventually will lead him to his doom and
yet, their origins lie not in the summoning powers of Shakespeare but in Holinshed’s Chronicles, 1577, under his
section on ‘’The Historie of Scotlande.’’ In this account, Macbeth and his
companion Banquo encounter "three women in strange and wild apparell, resembling
creatures of elder world." Although Shakespeare’s picture is similar, a
difference of interpretation is distinct in the strange but compelling
illustrations that accompany Holinshed’s writing. If you look beside his tale then
there stand three women of elegance and beauty, probably members of the
upper-class; rather unlike Shakespeare’s representation of three withered and
frightful hags.
Perhaps
it was these representations of witch-lore that encouraged the accusations of
sorcery to filter into a common practice of society. Whether the killing of
witches, these henchmen of the devil, was a ritual performed out of fear or
otherwise is unclear in specifics, but one thing becomes certain as we delve
into the shelves of Innerpeffray; the devil seems to have been as much a public
figure as God was.
Wander
through the Scots Discovery of Witchcraft,
1584, for an insight into Ronald
Scott’s exposé into the practice of witch-mongers; how the public were being
tricked by charlatans into persecuting poor and aged ‘witches’ for crimes in
accordance of magic and devilry. The methods of which, a bad pun, are discussed
and illustrated in great detail. Or, perhaps you should read Dr Dee’s transaction with spirits, 16th
century. This collection offers an insight into the celebrated astronomer’s
drift into mysticism as he attempts to learn the universal language of creation
and unify humanity under the threat of
apocalypse. Dr Dee’s is an interesting and telling account of the common
attitude of the time but whatever your eyes do fall upon, the rabbit holes lie
deep and uncovered, please feel free to fall inside.
Thank
you for reading this short post of mine. This blog is expected to be the first
in a series of three, in which I will explore the unconventional curiosities,
the mystic and mythological, of Innerpeffray’s shelves. It’s been a great
opportunity to explore the library in accordance with this task of mine; and I
hope I’ve convinced you of Innerpeffray’s own magic in doing so.
Visit
the page next month for the next instalment, or visit the library to read the history
for yourself.
