The Queen of Elphame: Hidden Goddess of the Scottish Witch Trials

By Carolyn Emerick for Mythology Magazine Issue 1, Sept 2015

(www.mythologymagazine.com)

The Queen of Elphame is an important but elusive figure in Lowland Scottish folklore.
Despite making regular appearances in folklore and witch trial records, she proved to be a very
difficult subject to research. The Queen of Elphame is simultaneously a prominent but obscure
figure. She is a singularly definable, but also a complex amalgam of many influences.
In my research for this article I came across a quote by the premier scholar in the field of British
fairy lore, Katharine Briggs. She said, consistency or logic is not to be looked for in folk
tradition; for it is not one voice that transmits it, but many. This is precisely the case here.
Something that I often say is history is murky. What I mean by that is we are often given only
tantalizing clues which are only pieces of the larger puzzle as we attempt to reconstruct what we
think is the full picture.
If history is murky, then folklore is even more so. Therefore, the best way to approach an
analysis of this figure seems to be to explore the context in which she existed with the pertinent
background information on the period, what we know about her from the sources, and what we
can infer by placing the facts we have in perspective of the historical and religious backdrop of
the day.

Fairy Queen by Arthur Rackham

Germanic Scotland
Scotland is a land with a handful
of historical cultures that have
influenced its rich cultural
landscape. These are the Celtic
peoples (Gaels and Picts) and the
Germanic peoples (Anglo-Saxons
and Norse). Beginning in the 19th
and early 20th centuries when the
rise of nationalism caused
European nations to feel
compelled to choose an ethnic
identity, Celtic culture was
feverishly grasped while the
Germanic heritage of Scotland
was shunted to the side. The
history of contention with England
made it easy to cling to the Gaelic
part of the heritage and brush
Scotlands own Anglo-Saxon
culture quietly under the rug.
Scots was the language of Scottish
poet Robert Burns, and as a
descendant of Old English (Anglo-
Saxon) it is unequivocally a
Germanic language. Because this
history is so effectively
overlooked many Scottish people
do not know this and will take
contention with that point, but that
fact is easily verified.
Fairy by Alphonse Mucha
Why is this important here?
Because, the Queen of Elphame is a figure primarily found in Lowland Scottish folklore, the
Lowlands being the Germanic half of Scotland. And, the fact that she is virtually non-existent in
the Gaelic lore of the Highlands speaks to the notion that while there has always been a strong
unified identity of being Scottish, there has also been a stark contrast between Lowland and
Highland cultures dating back to around the 5th century A.D. As Germanic culture is
quintessential to the study of the Queen of Elphame, this point must be made before we move on.
Conversion to Christianity and Popular Religion
The British Isles were the first culture to be converted to Christianity outside of the
Mediterranean. The Celts were reached first, specifically the Irish who then sent their own
missionaries out into other parts of Europe, such as Saint Columba who is credited with
converting Scotland in the 6th century. A rich fusion of beliefs developed in Britain so that even
hundreds of years after conversion a mixture of Christian and pagan influences were still found
in the folk beliefs.
Popular religion is a term for the corpus of beliefs held by the common folk, as opposed to the
beliefs sanctioned by the official church. Think of it like a pyramid with the highest Church
authorities at the peak, then the aristocracy, city dwellers, and finally the populace of the
countryside at the bottom. The further we move away from that peak the less strict the religious
interpretation becomes, and the more old pagan beliefs and superstitions are retained.
In the case of both the Celtic and Germanic people of Britain, their early versions of Christianity
were a synthesis of both Christian and pagan worldview. Approximately 1,000 years after the
beginnings of British conversion, that melding of belief could still be seen in the countryside in
all corners of the British Isles.

A Queen by Any Other Name

It is in this context that we can begin to explore the Queen of Elphame. As stated above,
our sources for her are mainly from witch trial records and folklore. In the late 16th century, this
queen of the fairies was so well known that she was discussed by King James VI of Scotland,
himself. He refers to her as the Queene of Phairie in his book, Daemonologie, published in
1597.
It must be clarified that the Queen of Elphame is often called the Fairy Queen. However,
not all fairy queens are the self-same Queen of Elphame. To have a king and queen of any race
of supernatural creatures was common in folklore and mythology. When Fairy Queen is used
Lowland Scottish folklore, and sometimes in English folklore, the terms Elphen Queen and
Queen of Elphame (also spelled Elfhame) are often used interchangeably. However, in Celtic
parts of Britain and Ireland those terms are never found. The fairy queens found in those regions
tend to perform different functions than our Queen of Elphame does, and fit within their own
mythical frameworks.
We can tell by where she does and does not turn up that the Queen of Elphame has ties to
Anglo-Saxon culture more than Gaelic. However, there was no wall separating the Highlands
from the Lowlands. Fusion of culture turns up in much of Scotland, and that fusion is found in
the name of our elfin queen. Although she is usually referred to simply by her title, rarely and
only in Scotland she is given a forename; NicNiven or sometimes Neven.
Nic is the female counterpart to Mac, meaning daughter of in Scottish Gaelic. In their
book Scottish Fairy Belief, scholars Lizanne Henderson and Edward J. Cowan explain that
 Fairies' Banquet by John Anster Fitzgerald

Niven may derive from Neamhain, a figure from Gaelic mythology. Neamhain is
thought to be another form of a figure called Badhb, the messenger of death in Ireland. This is
another term for bean-shithe, whom you may know as the banshee. However, badhb can also
translate as witch.
We know that Gaelic words from the Highlands made it into the vocabulary of the Scots
speaking people of the Lowlands. The same authors also mention that our figure is not found in
Gaelic folklore historically, and that she has a very strong presence in the Lowlands. So,
although our Queen does possess a Gaelic forename, if she were a figure from Celtic myth she
would be present the folklore of the Celtic regions of Britain and Ireland. So it appears that her
Gaelic forename may be in the vein of a loan word used as a nod to her association with witches.
Further, the word Elphame is overtly Anglo-Saxon in origin. Though it is often translated
as Fairy Land, it is also more correctly translated as Elf Home. This is the Anglo-Saxon version
of the Norse Alfheim as it survived in the lore of Germanic Lowland Scotland. Alfheim was one
of the nine realms in Germanic mythical cosmology. Henderson and Cowan point out that one
accused Scottish witch was recorded in her trial testimony as saying that she and her uncle were
carried away with the fairies out of middil-eird. If that sounds like Middle Earth to you, then
you would be right. How fascinating that Germanic mythology had a living tradition in 16th
century Scotland!
 Relationships with Mortals
The most famous source for
the Queen of Elphame is the Ballad
of Thomas the Rhymer. The ballad
recounts a legend about a man who
lived in the 13th century. In the
legend, Thomas was said to have been
kidnapped by the Queen of Elfland
who later granted him the gift of
prophecy.
This role of granting
supernatural abilities to mortals is
repeated in the confessions of accused
witches in Lowland Scotland. Andro
Man was a man from the Scottish
Lowlands who was accused of
witchcraft in 1597. His confession
stated that he had an intimate
relationship with the Queen of
Elfhame which lasted some thirty
years. It is possible that folk tales like
Thomas the Rhymer influenced such
confessions, as Thomas was also said
to have had a sexual relationship with
the Queen. Andro Man not only
coupled with the Queen, but claimed
Art by by Gustave Moreau
to have fathered several children with
her. And, like Thomas the Rhymer, Andro Man was given the gifts to know all things as well
as magical healing ability.
The Queen of Elfhame also appeared to women, two of which were accused witches
Bessie Dunlap and Isobel Gowdie. Her relationships with women often revolved around
childbirth and midwifery. For example Bessie Dunlap said the Queen of Elfhame first appeared
to her when she was in labor. Some confessions say that the Queen sought a human wet-nurse to
suckle a fairy infant. In other cases, midwifery talents seem to be part of the gift of healing
endowed onto some of the women.
The Queen as a Goddess
Much has been written in recent years about vestiges of pre-Christian customs lingering
in the practices of some accused witches. The most prominent academics exploring this subject
are Carlo Ginzburg (Italy), Emma Wilby (Britain), and Eva Pocs (Hungary). While each of these
scholars research focuses on their own geographic locale, they have found striking similarities
in the practices of witches in each others regions.
One such similarity is the presence of a figure very much like the Queen of Elphame
featuring in confessions found in Italy, the Alpine region, and southeastern Europe. Carlo
Ginzburg says that some Italian witches were accused of communing with a Diana-like goddess
figure, and he believes that the Scottish Queen of Elphame follows the same archetype.
We know that pre-Christian deities were often diminutized into fairies in much of
Europe. One well known example is the Tuatha de Danann, previously a race of Celtic gods who
survived as fairies in the Irish tradition. We also have deities who are changed and altered as they
carry on in different forms in folk
tradition. One example is the
German figure of Frau Holle. So,
the Queen of Elphames presence in
folklore, folk custom, and her
association with the world of elves
and fairies is analogous with other
Celtic and Germanic mythical
deities who lingered on in folklore.
There are more reasons to
consider her a vestige of a pre-
Christian goddess. The Queen of
Elphames association with healing,
childbirth, and magic is strikingly
congruous with the typical Indo-
European goddess.
Goddesses like Holle and
Frigga were appealed to for help in
childbirth, and Freyja was well
known for her association with
Fairy Tale by Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis magic. The Queen of Elphames
habit of being free with her
sexuality is also reminiscent of Freyjas behavior in the Norse tradition. Like our Queen, Holle
and Freyja were associated with witches and witchcraft.
Another interesting fact is that the Queen was said to have appeared as young and
beautiful when she willed it, but could instantly turn into an old hag. We see this exact ability in
Frau Holle and with goddesses in the Celtic tradition as well.
 Which Goddess is She?
In an age of facts and figures,
we sometimes forget that the beliefs
of the past were fluid. Oral beliefs
recorded in any time and place
simply record what was said by one
person at one time in one place.
Beliefs varied widely and they
evolved over the ages. Thus, the
meanings, names, and attributes of
pagan deities evolved as well. So it
may be impossible to identify a
singular known goddess who
transformed into the Queen of
Elphame, but we can look at some
goddesses who held similarities.
We have seen that the Queen
of Elphame has elements of both
Germanic and Celtic influences, and
her very name NicNiven of Elphame
demonstrates the merging of two
cultures. So it is possible that in the
The realm of fairy land by H. W. Lomas.
approximate one thousand years
between conversion to Christianity and the
witch trial era that elements from many mythic figures found their way into the folklore and
culminated in the Queen of Elphame.
One apt comparison is the question of whether Freyja and Frigga are the same goddess.
Stephen Grundy lays out the evidence for both answers in his article, Freyja and Frigg, which
is included in the book The Concept of the Goddess, edited by Billington and Green. Grundy
explains how the gods of the Norse pantheon have murky origins in a pre-historic past and that
some of them appear to have changed over time and geographic distance. In his analysis of
Freyja and Frigga, Grundy lays out examples of how gods may split into separate beings each
retaining certain attributes, or how they might merge.
There are some clues that might be meaningful to the Queens identity, or simply sheer
coincidence. The first is her association as a ruler of Elphame. In the Norse tradition, Freyja was
originally a Vanic deity whose name is counterpart to her brother Freyr, meaning Lady and Lord
respectively. Freyr is considered ruler of Alfheim, the Norse Elf-home, and king of the light
elves. If Freyr is the lord and Freyja is the lady, it is not far-fetched to presume some kind of
sibling co-regent situation wherein Freyja had an identity as queen to Freyrs king before she
was given over to the Aesir. As explained above, Elphame is the Scots version of Alfheim.
 It is worth noting that Britain
was settled by the Anglo-Saxons and
subsequently converted to Christianity
prior to the Viking Age and long before
the Norse myths were recorded. So the
Anglo-Saxon versions of Freyja (Freo)
and Frigga (Frige) should not be
considered identical to how they are
portrayed in the Norse sources. The
Norse sources are guides to the beliefs
of other lost Germanic beliefs, but
should not be considered the Bible of
Germanic mythology. In actuality, we
know very little detail about the Anglo-
Saxon pantheon.
Furthermore, what we do know
about the Norse pantheon should not be
considered concrete. Stephen Grundy
lays out a theory wherein Frigga could
Art by Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis conceivably have had a Vanic origin as
it is possible that her mythical parents
are variations on Njord and Nerthus, strengthening the idea that she and Freyja were once the
same deity. So there may be a case that a figure with attributes of Freyja and Frigga might have
some ancient connection with these goddesses. Since we know that figures could change greatly
over time and distance this is a distinct possibility, especially when we know so little about the
Anglo-Saxon pantheon. Adding a Gaelic influence could further alter such a figure.
Another comparison is to the German figure of Frau Holle. Timothy J. Stephanys paper
on Holle says that she possesses the characteristics already mentioned of both Norse goddesses,
as well as other features that match with the Queen of Elphame. In folklore across Britain,
whether in Celtic or Anglo-Saxon regions, Elphame or Fairy Land is described as an underworld.
In fact, it is usually described as subterranean and mortals who visit claim to see their dead
friends and relatives there. Like Freyja, Holle is a taker of souls. Like the Queen of Elphame,
Holle and the souls of the dead dwell in an underground world.
Stephany goes on to explore an association between Holle and elves. He quotes from
Grimms Teutonic Mythology where it is stated that Holle rules over the elves. Holle is also
associated with small bodies of water where elves were believed to congregate. Holle had many
variations with different names and in some regions she was known as Holda. The name Holda
is found in the German word holden, meaning elves.
 Titiana by Johann Heinrich Fssli

Old Religion, New Guises

It should be considered that Holle is often thought to be a variant of Frigga, that there is
an argument for Frigga and Freyja having a common origin, and that the Queen of Elphame
possesses attributes in common with all of these goddesses. While we cant say definitively that
the Queen of Elphame is a variation of these goddesses, we can certainly say that she fits within
the framework of a Germanic goddess who evolved as she lingered in the folk tradition.
Pinpointing one particular deity for her identity may not only be impossible, it might be
missing the mark. Whether she has her origin in one or many goddesses from Germanic and
Celtic pre-Christian tradition, the Queen of Elphame emerged as a figure unto herself with her
own name and role in the society that believed in her.
Carolyn Emerick holds a bachelors degree in literature and has a strong background in
European history. Her work has appeared in Celtic Guide magazine, Circle Magazine, and on
the websites Medievalists.net, Strange Britain, The Freelance History Writer, and The Buffalo
History Museums blog. See more of her writing at www.CarolynEmerick.com, and follow her at
www.facebook.com/carolynemerick.writer.
Bibliography
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