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Folklore Rural Life Supernatural

A Medium-sized flattish witch

Traditionally in Strathspey, A witch had 5 options for transformation, depending on what they had to do that day. A hare, A cat, A raven, A magpie, or a medium-sized flattish stone.

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A Stone: The witch is supposed to transform into a stone and wiggle into the ground right in the path of the farmer’s plough. This causes a jam between the coulter (4) and the sock (5) and makes the plough skid above the surface, leaving a patch of fallow soil called the bauk.

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The other roles explained:

A hare: for sneaking around the farm and fields.

A cat: for getting access into people’s homes.

A raven: for travelling long distances (like to conferences, demonic AGMs etc.)

A magpie: for nipping round to a friend’s house to talk witchy stuff.