My thesis is a comparison of the wizard figure in Scottish and Icelandic folk legend. It begins with a study of the international wizard tradition. The first chapter concerns two wizards, the Rev. Saemundur Sigfusson of Iceland and the Scottish wizard Master Michael Scot. It includes brief biographies of the historical characters and some comments concerning the manner in which they first gained their reputations as wizards. In the chapter I also consider the migratory legends ML 3000: "Escape from the Black School", ML 3020: "Inexperienced Use of the Black Book", and ML 3025: "Carried by the Devil". I compare the magic practised in these legends with similar historical practices and beliefs. I then consider the respective development of the legends in Scotland and Iceland. Social and historical influences are considered and the legends are compared with similar traditions in other countries. Special attention is paid to the changes which the legends underwent. Finally I consider the witch tradition and the course of the witchcraft trials in either country, and their influence on popular beliefs.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:652064 |
| Date | January 1995 |
| Creators | Hanford, Mark Carlton |
| Publisher | University of Edinburgh |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://hdl.handle.net/1842/20551 |
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