The Cult of the Seely Wights in Scotland

This article reveals the existence of a shamanistic cult centring on the "seely wights," Scottish fairy-like nature spirits. Cult members entered trances and reportedly flew out at night, on swallows, to join the seely wights. In daily life they were magical practitioners. The cult is disc...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inFolklore (London) Vol. 123; no. 2; pp. 198 - 219
Main Author Goodare, Julian
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Abingdon Taylor & Francis Group 01.08.2012
Routledge
Taylor & Francis
Folklore Society
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
Analysis
Blasts
Children
Christian mythology
Comparative analysis
Cults
Ethnology
Europa
Fairy tales
Folk literature
Folklore
Generalities
Indictments
Magic
Magic & magicians
Nature
Occult sciences
Religion, magic, witchcraft
Religions, beliefs, worships
Religious rituals
Rituals
Roman Catholicism
Scotland
Scots
Shamanism
Shamans
Skeleton
Spirits
United Kingdom
Witchcraft
Scotland
Europe
Western Europe
Cult
Comparatism
Folklore studies
Shamanism
Trance
Nature spirit
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Summary:This article reveals the existence of a shamanistic cult centring on the "seely wights," Scottish fairy-like nature spirits. Cult members entered trances and reportedly flew out at night, on swallows, to join the seely wights. In daily life they were magical practitioners. The cult is discussed in a comparative European framework.
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ISSN:0015-587X
1469-8315
DOI:10.1080/0015587X.2012.682483