The Survey of Scottish Witchcraft

1563-1736

By Julian Goodare, Lauren Martin, Joyce Miller and Louise Yeoman, January 2003

The Survey of Scottish Witchcraft logo

Case Details

C/EGD/2150 Helene Frasser

name of accused
Helene Frasser
designated title
no information
Accused Reference
A/EGD/2097
Case date start
2/2/1597
Given case date
no information
Case commission
no information
case complaint
no information
case correspondence
no information
case chronicle
no information
other details
no information

characterisation

  • unorthodox religious practise (secondary characteristic)
  • demonic (secondary characteristic)
  • folk healing (secondary characteristic)
  • maleficium (secondary characteristic)
  • maleficium (primary characteristic)
  • Implicated by another (secondary characteristic)
  • white magic (secondary characteristic)
Characterisation Notes
None

Qualitative information

Non-natural beings

Notes
Claimed to have instructed another woman to touch her head and foot as a method of pact, but did not describe doing it herself.
  • no information

Demonic pacts

  • no information

witches meetings

Notes
None

Meeting places

  • no information

musical instruments

  • no information

Folk culture

  • Specific Verbal Formulae
  • Specific ritual acts
  • Unorthodox religious practice
  • Sympathetic magic
Notes
Frasser claimed that in order to povide for herself and her children she had pretended to have knowledge and skills, for which people consulted her. ?professional healer. Got paid in kind (salmon) for helping ensure a good catch. Told a man to eat sourrackis (wood sorrel) and lavery kale and to expose his chest to the air as birds flew by because it was 'werrie profitable to lousse his harte pypis, qihilk were closit'. Also spoke verses three times.

Counter strategies

  • no information

white magic

  • Love magic

Elf/fairy elements

  • no information

Shape-changing

  • no information

Ritual objects

  • Cloth
  • Fire
  • Crook
  • Herb

Religious motif

  • Prayer
  • Three

Calendar customs

  • no information

Diseases or illness

  • Human illness
  • Human death
  • Animal illness
  • Animal death
  • Aggravating disease
  • Transferring disease
  • Removal bewitchment
  • Quarreling
  • Rec. healer
  • Healing humans
Notes
Appears to have been requested to heal but also to cause harm. Helped salmon fishers increase their catch, prevented further deaths of hens, cured humans. Suspected of making men change their affections from one woman to another. Also caused madness.

Cause of witch's malice

  • no information

Other maleficia

  • Property damage

    • Damage to property

    • Dairy

    weather modification

    • no information

    Notes
    None

    Other charges

    • no information

    Notes
    None

    Plea

    Claimed bewitched
    no
    Claimed possessed
    no
    Admitted lesser charges
    no
    No defence
    no
    Claimed natural causes
    no
    Notes
    None
    Case Notes
    None
    references
    name notes
    Spalding Club Miscellany Vol I, pp. 105-110. None
    Spalding Club Miscellany Vol V, p 68. Accounts for her execution.