The Great Auk and Witchcraft

Disclaimer

This is NOT a page about Wiccans or neo-pagans, and I do not advocate the belief that Wiccans are Satan-worshippers and/or baby-killers. I am well aware that they are not. This is a starting point for historical research into the great witch craze of 1100-1700 AD. And please, don't ask me for spells.

The last great auk died in a witchcraze of sorts. Although these birds were hunted nearly to extinction because of their delicious meat, the bird was ultimately done in by would-be witch-hunters. A tale dating from July 1840 chronicles the death of the last of these big birds. That fateful day, a group of men discovered a sleeping auk on a ledge of rock on a Scottish island, and they tied its legs together. They took the poor bird back home with them.

The size of the bird and the noise it made convinced the men it was a witch. When, on the third day, a great storm arose, they feared it was the witch's vengeance, and decided to kill it. The bird was immensely strong, with a sharp beak, so they had to beat it for an hour with two large stones before it died.... The instigators of this heroic deed are known to us, one Malcolm M'Donald and a man named M'kinnon (Warren 48).

Ornithologists who heard the story confirmed the "witch" was a Great Auk.

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The Great Auk and Witchcraft copyright 2001 to Shantell Powell.