The Gaelic Otherworld

John Gregorson Campbell was one of the most outstanding folklorists working in Scotland during the nineteenth century. Based on materials which he had gathered in the 1850s and 1860s, his ‘Superstitions of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland’ and ‘Witchcraft and Second Sight in the Highlands and Islands’ were published posthumously in 1900 and 1902. Engagingly written in an anecdotal and colloquial style, they introduce us to an inhabited world of fairies, witches, ghosts and supernatural creatures, as well as general superstitions and the beliefs and rituals of the traditional calendar. It introduces us to the history of the living culture, and Indigenous beliefs and religion of Scotland. If you’re looking for divination understandings, folk magic, and myths of the fair folk- this is for you!

Having been written as a single work originally, they are now reunited as one volume in this edition of ‘The Gaelic Otherworld’. Introducing the work, Ronald Black illuminates Campbell’s work with extensive explanatory notes and a radically revised biography of the collector, supported by bibliography, maps and index. The Gaelic originals of Campbell’s shorter quotes are brought out of his footnotes into the main text, and the Gaelic originals of his longer ones have been restored from previously unpublished manuscripts. Ronald Black points to the relevance of “The Gaelic Otherworld” to everyday social issues in our own time.

When reading, it’s important to realise that this book was released in the early 1900s, so some adaptation may be necessary if the reader doesn’t read books from this time period.

Why we love it

What’s not to love about this gorgeous, chunky edition of Campbell’s work? We consider it to be necessary for anybody researching Scotland or it‘s neighbouring countries- as these Scottish roots of folklore spread far and wide across it’s neighbouring lands! It’s a book that’s physically heavy, but worth the space on the bookshelf. It’s a glorious tome that we refer back to a lot! The bibliography, notes and maps included in this edition make it more than worth it! It takes it’s place on the bookshelf alongside other classics such as ‘The Carmina Gadelica’ and ‘Scottish Fairy Beliefs’.

864 Pages – The Gaelic Otherworld : John Gregorson Campbell’s Superstitions of the Highlands and the Islands of Scotland and Witchcraft and Second Sight in the Highlands and Islands

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