Enemies of God: The Witch-Hunt in Scotland

Rating:
Summary: Enemies of God.
Review: Christina Larner has written and excellent and readable book about the horrors of the witch hunt in Scotland.

"Enemies of God" is very informative and well organized in its approach to the witch hunts in Scotland. Her book discusses everything from the start of, and reasons for the witch craze to the trials themselves, some of which are described in amazing (and rather unpleasant) detail.

I was impressed with the book not being simply an excuse to write some gory and horrific accounts of human torture, but rather Larner takes a scholarly approach and explores not only the cases themselves, but social structure, religion, politics and superstition of the times, and their influence on the witch trials.

The language is very adult and straightforward with out being too full of jargon or obscure references. However the book does seem at times to assume that the reader has access to the same sources as the author and has actually read them.

This is an excellent book for those wishing to study the witch trials of Scotland in a serious manner.

Rating:
Summary: Enemies of God.
Review: Christina Larner has written and excellent and readable book about the horrors of the witch hunt in Scotland.

"Enemies of God" is very informative and well organized in its approach to the witch hunts in Scotland. Her book discusses everything from the start of, and reasons for the witch craze to the trials themselves, some of which are described in amazing (and rather unpleasant) detail.

I was impressed with the book not being simply an excuse to write some gory and horrific accounts of human torture, but rather Larner takes a scholarly approach and explores not only the cases themselves, but social structure, religion, politics and superstition of the times, and their influence on the witch trials.

The language is very adult and straightforward with out being too full of jargon or obscure references. However the book does seem at times to assume that the reader has access to the same sources as the author and has actually read them.

This is an excellent book for those wishing to study the witch trials of Scotland in a serious manner.

Rating:
Summary: Solid, well-written history
Review: No student of the history of witchcraft in Scotland should ignore Christina Larner's books and articles. Her work is characterized by solid and often original research, clear writing, and evidence of a rigorous and disciplined scholarly mind.

This book describes the process of the witch trials, but rightly focuses on the social and cultural context of these trials. Larner makes extensive use of primary sources, and her bibliography constitutes a wish-list for the student of Renaissance social history.

Given the upsurge of interest in witchcraft and the many popular books written on the subject -- not to mention the Amazon.com "two for one" offers that often pair social history with New Age how-to books -- it might be worth noting that this book is a scholarly cultural history. It describes the primary belief systems and dominant social structures of 16th century Scotland, and relates how witchcraft was perceived within this context. Readers whose understanding of witchcraft begins and ends with "riding a silver broomstick" might not find what they're looking for in this volume. On the other hand, although current-day Witches will not find arguments for an unbroken pre-Celtic tradition, they will be treated to fascinating study of how witchcraft was regarded during the late Renaissance.

Admittedly, it is difficult to reconcile readers who view Witchcraft as a viable religion and those who treat it as a historical oddity. Oddly enough, it's the folks who retain vestiges of 16th century sensibilities -- and who regard Witches as minions of Darkness and a threat to the faithful -- who are likely to find an unbroken thread between the reigns of King James VI and George Bush II. But any reader who, regardless of philosophical bias, has an interest in social history and a fascination with what humankind believes and why, is likely to find much of interest in this book.