Scottish superstitions

Although it might not be the most prominent subject for those researching about the Scottish Clans history, Scottish superstitions are still an interesting subject.

Even though they’re most historicly associated with the lower class, superstitions held sway over much of the whole Scottish society.

George Sinclair, a contemporary and companion of Sir Isaac Newton, professor of mathematics and philosophy, is one such example. This figure, who even by today’s standards was far from illiterate, was respected and looked up to in society and a thinker and a man of knowledge. He also wrote a book called “Satan’s Invisible World Discovered”, which dealt with a range of natural phenomenon and their supposed proof of the existence of supernatural diabolical forces within our world.

These kinds of beliefs, which were at the time counted as very non-Christian, were even spread and believed by those who were supposed to fight them. Robert Kirk, minister of Aberfoyle in Pirthshire, was an educated man and a leader in his community. This man also wrote “The Secret Common-Wealth” and was a firm believer that fairies existed. In fact such was his belief that upon his death, local villagers believed that his coffin with only filled with stones and that Robert Kirk had in fact run off to fairyland.

The common belief in fairies and other superstitions was a run of from the similar nature of Celtic religion. It was also fueled by the belief of prominent figures in the community like Robert Kirk, George Sinclair and countless other high ranking people in local Clans and settlements.
It is also believed that the common belief in superstition was due to the fact that the church and other establishments rarely attempted to stop them. As can be seen in the case of Robert Kirk, sometimes it was even encouraged. The most common reason to this is that it could have helped to render the population more susceptible to the relatively supernatural teachings of Christianity. Because of this there is an immense amount variation of superstitions between various regional areas.

Even in the modern day, superstitions affect the lives of people. A recent example of this being a triathlon in which the swimming section goes through Loch Ness. The participants have all been insured for ₤1,000,000 against bites of the Loch Ness monster.

Scottish superstitions were prominent throughout history and even in the present day. They explained and affected everything throughout the life of a Scot. And today, they’re interesting to hear about.