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Witch Wood

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Witch Wood
1st edition dust jacket
AuthorJohn Buchan
LanguageEnglish, Lowland Scots
GenreHistorical novel
PublisherHodder and Stoughton
Publication date
1927
Publication placeScotland
Media typePrint (Hardcover)

Witch Wood is a 1927 novel written by the Scots author and politician John Buchan. It is set in the 17th century, at the time of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. The protagonist, David Sempill, is a newly-ordained minister of the Church of Scotland, who has recently arrived in the parish of Woodilee in the Scottish Borders.[1]

Witch Wood revolves around a group of witches, and according to the historian Ronald Hutton, was based upon the Witch-cult hypothesis of the anthropologist Margaret Murray.[2]

Witch Wood has been described as "a masterful tale of godliness in conflict with wickedness."[3]

Adaptations

The novel was adapted twice by the BBC, first for Sunday Night Theatre in 1954, with Tom Fleming as Sempill,[4] then in 1964 as a four-episode series, with Donald Douglas in the role.[5][6]

References

  1. ^ Gothic Spaces / Gothic Places
  2. ^ Hutton, Ronald (1999). The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft. New York: Oxford University Press. Page 199.
  3. ^ Leland Ryken, Philip Ryken and Todd Wilson, Pastors in the Classics: Timeless Lessons on Life and Ministry from World Literature, p. 48.
  4. ^ Witch Wood (1954) at IMDb
  5. ^ Witch Wood at Haunted TV: A History of British Supernatural Television
  6. ^ Witch Wood (1964) at IMDb