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 01.08.2012
Subjects
Europe
Everyday Life
Scotland
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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. Adapted from the source document.
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SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
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ISSN:0015-587X
DOI:10.1080/0015587X.2012.68248