Isobel Gowdie

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.

Isobel Gowdie

Isobel Gowdie, the renowned "Queen of Scottish Witches" (Wedeck 202), confessed in 1662 she had frequent dealings with faeries. Gowdie claimed to have often journeyed to Faerieland, entering through various mounds and caverns. The entrance of the land of Faerie was populated by elf-bulls, whose "roaring and skoilling" always left her frightened. Gowdie met often with the Queen and King of Faerieland. They were always finely dressed and offered her more meat than she could eat.

Together with other witches and faeries, Gowdie would amuse herself by changing into animal form and destroying the homes of mortals. Faeries taught her to fly by climbing beanstocks and cornstraws and shouting, "Horse and Hattock, in the Devil's name!" The faeries and the Devil worked together in making poisonous elf-arrows (Guiley 1989 119).

Gowdie claimed to have used her broom for an atypical reason. Instead of using it for travelling, she used it to deceive her husband. Before going to a sabbat, Isobel substituted her broom for herself in bed. She said he never knew the difference, "which might have been more of a comment on their marriage than a confession of witchcraft" (Guiley 1989 37-38).

She also claimed to be able to turn herself into a cat. To change into a cat, she would say the following three times:

I shall goe intill ane catt,
With sorrow, and sych, and a blak shott;
And I sall goe in the Divellis nam,
Ay will I com hom againe.

To change back into her human form, she would say the following three times:

Catt, catt, God send thee a blak shott.
I am in a cattis liknes just now,
Bot I sal be in a womanis liknes ewin now.
Catt, catt, God send thee a blak shott (Wedeck 165).

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