Cas Gan Gythraul. Demonology, Witchcraft and Popular Magic in Eighteenth-Century Wales

Description

The identity of T. P. is unknown, but this unique, relatively short, text offers the fullest treatment of witchcraft in Wales in the vernacular, during the early eighteenth century. The author's admonitions to the Welsh to refrain from consulting wizards, charmers and soothsayers in addition to his 'explanation' of the great danger in doing so provides evidence of a complex Welsh debate on witchcraft at a crucial time in the history of witchcraft and witchcraft theory. Unusually, T. P. also includes a detailed 'discussion' of the kinds of 'wicked' customs practised in Wales at this time. The author shares his own experiences and beliefs and those of his neighbours and acquaintances, by relating his conversations to the reader, giving his work a rich and authentic feel.