Esoteric Scotland
Alba Esoteric
Articles

Esoteric Scotland was founded in 2021 to explore Scotland's connection to esoteric trends and occult studies, be that in the past, present, or future. The project is born from the PhD thesis of Dr. Kirsty Pattison which explores Scotland's connections to European esoteric trends found in the late medieval and early modern period. This site aims to explore beyond the confines of these periods to try and build a more comprehensive understanding of Scotland's links with the esoteric.

Where are Scotland's Medieval Magical Manuscripts?

Understanding the difficulties in tracing Scotland's esoteric past. Book Burnings in the Scottish Reformation (image unknown). One of the best ways we can engage with the ideas of history is through an assessment of manuscripts, books and the marginalia contained within them. However, tracing works with provenance to Medieval Scotland is not without its problems. For a country with a rich intellectual and religious history, the relative scarcity of surviving Medieval librari

Mar 297 min read

Necromancy and Astrology in John Barbour's The Brus.

Scotland's earliest surviving discussion on Necromancy and Astrology. 15th century manuscript of Barbour's The Brus (c) NLS The Brus (c.1372) is the earliest surviving example of Scottish literature composed in middle Scots. It tells the tale of the rise and reign of King Robert I of Scotland (r.1306-1329). The poem is comprised of close to 14,000 lines and survives in two 15th century manuscripts; the incomplete Cambridge MS dating to 1487 and the full version held at the

Nov 19, 20257 min read

13th century Kabbalist ring? - Isle of Bute

Image from https://www.butemuseum.org.uk/project/silver-ring/ Under Scottish law, all portable antiquities of archaeological, historical or cultural significance are subject to claim by the Crown through the Treasure Trove system. The Treasure Trove Scotland (TSS) project records all discoveries found within Scotland and there have been a number of Medieval objects found ascribed with sacred names, many of them likely used as medical amulets. Unfortunately, the finds registe

Nov 1, 20254 min read

Esoteric Scotland Alba Esoteric Articles

Where are Scotland's Medieval Magical Manuscripts?

Necromancy and Astrology in John Barbour's The Brus.

13th century Kabbalist ring? - Isle of Bute

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Esoteric Scotland
Alba Esoteric
Articles