3. Weird Witchcraft

3. Weird Witchcraft

Author: The Scottish Folklore Podcast December 1, 2024 Duration: 23:53

The bubbling cauldron of Scottish folklore is brimming with tales of witches and witchcraft, and while all these stories are filled with strange supernatural happenings, some are more strange than others. 


Listen in and join Jenny as she wades into some of the weirder tales of witchcraft that she’s found, including folklore of Macleans of Duart, bearded babies, and some real squelchy revenge. 


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Step into the misty glens and ancient castles of Scotland with The Scottish Folklore Podcast. Your guide, Jenny Johnstone, has a knack for finding the heartbeat in old stories, sharing traditional tales gathered from every corner of the country. This isn't just a recitation of myths; it's an invitation to sit by a metaphorical fireside and listen as these narratives are woven anew. You'll hear of cunning fairies from the Orkney shores, restless spirits in Edinburgh's closes, and selkies shedding their skins on Hebridean beaches. Each story is a piece of local lore, a fragment of history and culture preserved through telling. The podcast delves into the societal values and fears embedded in these fictions, exploring why certain tales endure. Listening feels like uncovering a hidden layer of the landscape, where every loch and mountain has a story waiting to be told. It’s for anyone curious about the roots of storytelling, the peculiar creatures that haunt a nation's imagination, or simply for those who love a good yarn told with warmth and authenticity. Through Jenny’s engaging retellings, age-old adventures find a fresh voice, ensuring the strange and wonderful creatures of Scottish folklore are never forgotten.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 56

The Scottish Folklore Podcast
Podcast Episodes
25. The Wind: Witches and Wonder [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:45
There’s no escaping the wind in Scotland, especially if you live on an island or high up in the mountains. In this episode Jenny tells three tales all about the wind that take place in these places. The first two, The Bo…
24. The Unicorn: Scotland’s National Animal [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:27
The majestic unicorn’s reputation has been somewhat sparkle-ified over the last few decades, but this hasn’t always been the case! There was once a time when the unicorn symbolised far more than a whimsical horse with a…
23. Green Ladies: Spooky & Sad Spectres [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:14
An incredible number of Scottish Castles are haunted by the ghost of a Green Lady. These spooky spectres of women dressed in green robes linger on long after death in the tower rooms, gloomy passageways, and great halls…
22. Pesky Pirates [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 16:35
Pirates were a very real threat to the many communities that lived on the Scottish islands and coastlines, and so naturally there are plenty of folktales about them!In this episode Jenny tells three of these tales: The D…
21. The Two Sisters and the Curse [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:17
This is a tale of broken promises, broken hearts, bitter curses, and a whole lot of harvesting. It comes from the south end of the Isle of Mull, and will have you questioning whether spilling the tea is worth it in the l…
20. The Goat that Told Lies [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:52
Storytelling was at the heart of Traveller life, and this traditional Traveller tale was a favourite of Duncan Williamson, a masterful storyteller whose voice has kept countless old stories alive. And no doubt, once you…
19. Changelings [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:39
Changelings are some of Scotland’s most unsettling folklore, for what could be more disturbing than an innocent bairn being stolen by a malicious fairy and a changeling, a wrinkled and wailing fairy baby, left in its pla…
18. Legends of the Cairngorms [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:04
In this episode, Jenny explores the origin stories of three families that come from Braemar in the Cairngorms: the Wolf McDonalds, the McHardys, and the FarquharsonsThese tales, which are of both the Cairngorms and the w…
17. The Devil at Bennachie Burn [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:48
This terrific Traveller tale follows a young lass named Peggy as a mysterious stranger tries to woo her by the banks of Bennachie Burn, and while Peggy is already betrothed to a long-legged cattle herd named Sammy Smith,…
16. The Devil's in the Landscape [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:58
The Devil can be found in every nook and cranny of Scotland and in this episode Jenny crawls into these nooks and squeezes through the crannies in search of the stories that ‘Ol Sandy has left behind. From The Devil’s Pu…