The Swimming of Rosy Hyland
My submission for the CODEX OBSCURA.
I called it "The Swimming of Rosy Hyland".
"It is commonly known that water is a pure and cleansing element. It is an instrument of baptism and hence rejects those who have been touched by the devil. Men and women who practise witchcraft will not sink, but rather float to the surface. This is why the 'swimming of witches' or the 'trial by water' became a necessary instrument to weed out Satan's children. Rosy Hyland, daughter of Mary Hyland, had been accused of malefica against her neighbours and the church. She was hence cast into the deep water of Loch Rannoch where she was expected to float like a cork. Despite expectations, Rosy Hyland almost instantly sank. She was then pulled out and returned to her family. Only one person, Claire Thomson, claimed that she had spotted hands pulling Rosy Hyland underwater, calling them the 'witches of the past'. But since Claire Thomson had been proven to be of unsound mind, the village paid little attention to her accusations. Young Rosy Hyland was declared innocent and spared from the trial and execution, unlike so many women before her."
~ Inquisitor Graham in the year 1490
Reference images used from the beautiful photography work of Natalia Drepina:
