For some time I have been haunted by a song about three ravens on a tree.
Each time I hear it I think of three women. One night they each fall asleep and wake to find themselves transported by ravens to the Sabbath in the woods.
And today, while reading through a chapter on the religious schisms of early modern Wales, I came across a book called ‘Llyfr y Tri Aderyn’ (A book of Three Birds) by Morgan Llwyd, a Welsh Puritan. It is an allegorical tale written in 1653 – around the time of the trial of my three witches. It is considered to be the pre-eminent Welsh text of 17th century Wales, and tonight I discovered there’d been an English translation by Rob Mimpriss published in 2017.
The back of this book (which will be arriving on my door mat some time soon, of course) is very interesting, and tells me that Morgan Llwyd was, in fact, a magician’s nephew.
Clare Dudman 