Anne of Denmark and contrary winds

[5] The historian Liv Helene Willumsen, who examined international correspondence and highlighted examples of the phrase "contrary winds", said that in 1589 fears over straightforward events like adverse weather at sea were blamed on supernatural causes, and the powerless and the vulnerable, to bolster personal and royal honour.

[9] Anne's fleet sailed west but the wind failed them and they put in to Flekkerøy or Flekkerøya, an island on the coast of Norway, where Peder Munk was able to arrange a welcoming banquet.

Peder Munk told Anne that the hold was filling with water, despite the request of the two learned academics and diplomats Paul Knibbe and Niels Krag.

[11] Peder Munk and the Danish nobles discussed their options to return to Denmark or go to Oslo with the Scottish representative, George Keith, 5th Earl Marischal.

[12] James VI wrote to the Earl Marischal, Anne's companion, (who he called "My little fat pork"), on 28 September asking for news, and worried about the "longer protracting of time" and the "contrariousness of winds".

The "Anna" letter includes this phrase, about vents contraires;[19]"nous sommes desja par quatre ou cinq fois avances en la mer, mais que par vents contraires et autres inconvenients y survenus, avons maintenant nous present, et la redoubtance de plus grands dangers qui sont tresapparents a contrainct toute ceste compagnie, bien à nostre grand regret et des vostres, qui en sont extrement desplaisants, de prendre une resolution, de ne rien plus attenter pour ceste fois, ains de differer le voiage jusques à la primevere"[20][W]e have already put out to sea four or five times but have always been driven back to the harbours from which we had sailed, thanks to contrary winds and other problems which arose at sea, which is the cause why, now Winter is hastening down on us, and fearing greater dangers which are clearly apparent, all this company is constrained, much to our regret, and that of your men, who are highly displeased about it, to make it our resolution not to risk any further attempt at this time, but to defer the voyage until the spring.Anne of Denmark's mother Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow and her brother Christian IV sent similar letters.

[22] The Chancellor of Scotland, John Maitland of Thirlestane, who had previously advocated that the King marry a French Protestant bride, Catherine de Bourbon, now backed the Danish marriage.

Melville heard their motive was a "kuff" or blow given by the Admiral of Denmark to the Baillie of Copenhagen, whose wife sought revenge by consulting with associates in the art of witchcraft to raise the storms.

[25] On account of the "sundrie contrarious windis" that delayed the Danish fleet, on 11 October James VI asked East coast mariners and ship masters to come to Leith.

[38][39] In Edinburgh, the English ambassador William Asheby wrote of political agitators as enchanters raising tempests, deserving their own shipwreck.

[46] Chancellor Maitland wrote to the kirk minister of St Giles' in Edinburgh, Robert Bruce, that "expert mariners and skilful pilots" were required for the return to Scottish waters.

He asked the Provost of Edinburgh, John Arnot, to provide Schaw with the "many good craftsmen" necessary to complete the repairs at the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

[48] At Kronborg in April, aware of the usual uncertainties of weather at sea, James VI wrote "in deadest calms ye know sudden and perilous puffs and whirlwinds will arise".

[49] Anne wrote in French, in the album amicorum of Dietrich Bevernest, "Tout gist en la main de Dieu", All is in the hand of God.

[59] Other records attest to the stormy weather of 1589, which destroyed cultivated rabbit warrens at the west links of Dunbar which supplied the royal household.

[60] During the marriage trip, James VI met the Danish theologian Niels Hemmingsen at Roskilde on 11 March 1590 and they had a long discussion or debate in Latin.

In July 1590 the Scottish churchman and diplomat George Young, who had been with the King in Denmark, became involved in the case of a woman from Lübeck because he could speak German.

She said she brought a prophecy from magicians of the east, of a great king in north-west Europe and his noble future actions, a "prince in the north" meaning James VI.

The English diplomat Robert Bowes heard that she had come to Scotland because of her "inordinate love" for one of the queen's servants, and so her story of a prophecy was disregarded and her "credit cracked".

They all confessed that they had been guilty of sorcery in raising storms that menaced Queen Anne's voyage, and that on Halloween night they had sent devils to climb up the keel of her ship.

[73] The 13th article of the "dittay", the 53 charges made against Agnes Sampson, was that she had fore-knowledge from the devil of a storm at Michaelmas; and the 14th, that a spirit advised her in advance that James would sail to meet to Anne of Denmark; the 40th to raise a wind to delay the queen's ship.

Moysie wrote:His Majestie with the rest should [have] made sail upone Sunday at afternoon, the 19 day of October instant, at which time there come on such a deadly storm, that the ships lying all in Leith road were shaken loose, and driven all up to St Margaret's Hope, and so the journey stayed for that night.

The royal household books for 1529 record the loss of provisions and barrels of beer from a boat between Leith and Stirling, due to "a great wind from the north by Aberdour".

[79] According to the Scottish legal historian and antiquary Robert Pitcairn, writing in Ancient Criminal Trials, Agnes Sampson was executed for the crime of witchcraft on 27 January 1591 at the Castlehill in Edinburgh.

This note mentions 102 charges or "points of dittay" against Agnes Sampson and that another of the accused, John Fian alias Cunningham had confessed that she was involved in raising a storm at Leith and another to prevent the sailing of Anne of Denmark to Scotland.

A paper written in defence of the Earl of Bothwell, accused of witchcraft and planning the death of James VI, possibly written in June 1591 by the kirk minister Robert Bruce of Kinnaird recounts the royal sea voyages:her sailing hither was delayed by conjurations of devils and witches and by storms and tempests until the extreme affection and impatient passion of our invincible king led his unafraid courage to commit his crown and his corse (body) unto the raging winds and stormy seas like a new Jason to bring away the golden fleece despite the force of all the infernal powers and dragon devils.

[86] Fowler, his words echoing the letter of 1591, attributed the presentation of James VI as Jason and the ship to the king himself:[87]The Kings Maiestie, hauing undertaken in such a desperate time, to sayle to Norway, and like a newe Iason, to bring his Queene our gracious Lady to this Kingdome, being detained and stopped by the conspiracies of Witches, and such devillish Dragons, thought it very meet, to followe foorth this his owne invention, that as Neptunus (speaking poetically, and by such fictions, as the like Interludes and actions are accustomed to be decored withall) ioyned the King to the Queene.

[90] The symbolic ship was laden with Neptune's gift of all kinds of fish made from sugar, including herring, whiting, flounders, oysters, whelks, crabs and clams, served in Venetian glasses tinted with azure, which were distributed while Arion seated on a dolphin played his harp.

[91] The imitation sugar fish and serving glasses were provided by a Flemish confectioner Jacques de Bousie and the court sommelier, Jerome Bowie.

There are parts of our world where even today, women and girls face persecution and sometimes death because they have been accused of witchcraft.And thirdly, fundamentally, while here in Scotland the Witchcraft Act may have been consigned to history a long time ago, the deep misogyny that motivated it has not.