Psychological Quarterly Retrospect. THERE are few psychical phenomena of greater interest than the recrudescence of popular delusions. In our last Quarterly Retrospect we had occasion to notice one of several instances of belief in the old doctrines of witchcraft, which had been manifested in this country during the last quarter; and we could, if it were necessary, adduce other instances which have occurred during the present quarter. We recur to the subject, however, mainly in consequence of a remarkable outbreak of witchcraft superstition in Sweden, of which the following account is given in the Athenæum (October 30th, 1858): "The mysterious phenomena of superstition, which have ever been peculiar to the Scandinavian countries, as a thousand examples in history may prove, seem to rise again, and to glare mockingly in the face of the nineteenth century. A strange and gloomy tale is reported from the Swedish valley countries (Dalarae). The prebendary, Dr. Hvasser, in Leksand, has received orders from his Chapter to inquire into the superstition and witchcraft-nuisance at Gagnef and Mokfjärds Annexen, in the Swedish valleys. The old Blackulla Journeys have risen from their centenary grave, and begin to haunt again the Delar-neighbourhood. Again the charmed horn is seized, and with the swiftness of lightning the Journey goes up the church-steeple, and from there to a mysterious place, where an alliance is made with the Prince of Darkness, who, with a pen dipped in the blood of the little finger, writes the name of the poor wretch into his book-exactly as at the time when much less was sufficient to cause one to be burnt alive. Yet there is some difference. Blakulla (the Brocken or Blocksberg in the Harz Mountains) is not named; the place in question is called Josephsdal, near Stockholm! The Journey is performed in the following way:The child that is to go on it is first transformed, inside the room, into a worm; as such creeps out of a hole of the window; then takes the shape of a magpie, and then turns at last into a child again. Now it mounts up the church-steeple on a calf's or cow's skin. But here we have a variation again from the old practice, which was, to scrape some metal from the bells, repeating at the same time these words:-May my soul never come into God's kingdom before this metal is joined with the bell again.' The children now-a-days content themselves with taking some flour to Josephsdal for the preparation of the 'Welling'-a mysterious dish eaten at the banquet. Satan is there called Nors or Norsgubbe (Gubbe meaning the Old One). He is said to wear shaggy boots, which he sometimes, when the scene becomes more animated, flings from his legs. With the exception of a few women, it is especially children who must talk of their journeys to Josephsdal, and of their alliance with Norsgubbe. The greatest part of the children in the parish of Mokfjärds Annexen (from 50 to 100 in number) has caught this strange disease of the mind, and some give a minute account of a great many queer circumstances of their journey, and the banquet at Josephsdal. Yet these uncouth fancies do not seem to affect in the least the health of the children; they are well, and seem perfectly happy. Not so the parents, who are in a state |