Dead Famous In Edinburgh

How we remember the dead tells us a lot about who we are as a society. Who we remember, tells us even more. Sometimes, our memories can merge with the lies of others, creating myths and legends. Names can be forgotten and stories of victims eradicated to the extent there is no final resting place. There is no rest from the wickedness of past actions as the full truth can never be known.  Visiting The Witches Well just below Edinburgh Castle, these thoughts run around my mind. I refuse to be spellbound by the images of the evil eye or the snake curling around the head of the goddess Hygeia. Such imagery seems to play with the myth and lies associated with The Witch Trials that ran from 1479 to 1722.  The societal belief in witches and magic, covered a more sinister truth: such a narrative acted as a justification of the mistreatment and killing of others. These others, who were designated as witches, were often vulnerable people targeted for various reasons. They may have behaved in way