Edinburgh may have contributed to the creation of one of the world's most famous fictional wizards, but one resident is hoping to pull back the curtain on the real witchcraft found in the city with the opening of a new museum.
Witchcraft expert and author Ash Mills, 35, is set to open the Museum of Magic, Fortune-telling & Witchcraft just off the Royal Mile this month, offering a closer look at some of the darker parts of the capital's history, including the witch hunts that once gripped the nation.
Dating back over four or five centuries, Ash confirmed the new museum will objects from the past right through to the modern-day linked to Scotland's (and the rest of Europe's) occult past.
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Speaking with the Metro, he confirmed one of the major attractions is a two-hundred-year-old mummified cat sourced from a family home in France, where it had been buried alive in the wall to ‘ward off evil spirits’.
While other artefacts on display include mystical amulets and bottles that once belonged to people branded witches.
Ash, originally from Birmingham but lives in Edinburgh since he moved there to study told the Metro that the magic in Scotland doesn't just stop at its people and the fact Harry Potter originated here, he said: "Putting aside Edinburgh being the birthplace of Harry Potter, Scotland actually already had a big history surrounding the fear of witchcraft.
"It was one of the countries within Europe that witnessed persecution in mass numbers during the 17th-century witch craze.
"Often it was their magical specialists once known as wise men and women, or 'Spae-folks', that would be caught up in the witch trials.
"After over three hundred years later, both the Scottish Parliament and the Church of Scotland made apologies for those executed for being witches."
The subject is something he knows only too well have written books on the subject including The Black Book of Isobel Gowdie and other Scottish Spells & Charms, which tells the story of a woman who was said to have confessed to witchcraft at Auldearn, near Nairn, in 1662.
The museum founder thanked his Irish grandmother for his love of the occult, adding: "I learned how to read tea leaves from a young age and I’ve grown up with it all really.
"I just can’t wait to share the museum with everyone and see how we grow, it’s exciting!"
Set to open on February 18, the Museum of Magic, Fortune and Witchcraft is situated on Chalmers Close, just off the Royal Mile, and will offer not only the chance to peruse the artefacts and exhibits on display but also provide tarot and tea leaf readings, a shop where you can buy magic themed gifts and a cafe where you can enjoy witchcraft-related treats.
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