Witchcraft and Superstitious Record in the South-Western District of Scotland

Podcast of witchcraft in Scotland can be accessed above. This episode was part of several podcasts generated with Google NotebookLM and is the product of AI.

This podcast is about the book Witchcraft and Superstitious Record in the South-Western District of Scotland by J. Maxwell Wood. The text describes the author’s exploration of witchcraft and folklore in the region, focusing on historical accounts and local traditions. Wood examines beliefs about witches, their gatherings, and the practices used to counteract their supposed influence. The author also explores the region’s folklore about fairies, brownies, and ghosts, including their interactions with humans and the legends surrounding their appearances.

[Joe]

Okay, so get ready to dive into some seriously fascinating folklore, because today we’re traveling back in time to 17th and 18th century southwestern Scotland.

[Tammy]

Ooh sounds spooky.

[Joe]

It is. Picture this, Misty Moors, ancient ruins.

[Tammy]

Right, right.

[Joe]

And a world where belief in witchcraft and fairies and ghosts wasn’t just a story, it was part of everyday life.

[Tammy]

You’re spot on. Back then, the supernatural wasn’t something for fairy tales, it was real, influencing everything they did, how they lived, even their laws.

[Joe]

And for this deep dive into Scottish folklore, we’re going deep into a book, Witchcraft and Superstitious Record in the Southwestern District of Scotland, by J. Maxwell Wood.

[Tammy]

A classic.

[Joe]

We’re talking broomsticks, fairies, ghosts, the works. Where should we even begin?

[Tammy]

Well, since the witch trials were such a big deal back then, why don’t we start with the witches themselves?

[Joe]

Okay, witches it is. We’re talking like real witches, right? Like not just someone dressed up for Halloween.

[Tammy]

Oh no, absolutely not. In Southwestern Scotland, they believed in a whole secret society of witches and witchcraft. Imagine them meeting under the cover of night.

[Joe]

And not just meeting for tea and gossip, right?

[Tammy]

No, no. We’re talking full-on witch gatherings. Imagine hundreds of wishes at places like Sweetheart Abbey.

[Joe]

Really?

[Tammy]

Curlavrock Castle.

[Joe]

Wow.

[Tammy]

Even Locker Briggs Hill, some flying in on broomsticks, others in chariots made from ragweed. Just picture it.

[Joe]

Okay, that’s giving me Blair Witch Project vibes for sure. But there must have been some kind of order to it all, right? Like different levels of witches in witchcraft.

[Tammy]

Oh, hierarchy.

[Joe]

There was. Apparently, if you were a high-ranking witch, you were scored, marked with a cross right on your forehead.

[Tammy]

Ooh, that’s creepy. Imagine having that mark. Talk about a chilling reminder of all the fear and suspicion surrounding witchcraft.

[Joe]

It certainly wasn’t a status symbol you’d want.

[Tammy]

Not these days. Speaking of status symbols, let’s talk witchy transportation. Broomsticks are classic.

[Joe]

Of course.

[Tammy]

But wood also talks about these ragweed chariots.

[Joe]

Right. And even, get this, steeds, like horses, made entirely of bones.

[Tammy]

Bones. What kind of bones are we talking about here?

[Joe]

The bones of murdered men, apparently.

[Tammy]

Okay, that’s dark. It gets worse. These bone steeds were said to be super-fast, favored by the high-ranking witches.

And if that’s not unsettling enough, there’s mention of bridles, made from the skin of unbaptized infants.

[Joe]

Okay, now that’s just downright horrific. What was the reasoning behind using something so gruesome?

[Tammy]

This is where it gets even darker. See, they believed witches needed to make offerings to Satan to get their powers. And often, those offerings involved unbaptized babies.

[Joe]

Oh, wow. What do they call those? I remember reading about that.

[Tammy]

King Barons.

[Joe]

Right, King Barons. They believed these babies had a certain kind of power that appealed to the demonic.

[Tammy]

Exactly.

[Joe]

So disturbing. But, you know, it really highlights just how real these beliefs were to people back then. It wasn’t just a fear of witches in general.

Either they had stories about specific witches, like Gyra Carlyne, who could control the tides with her magic.

[Tammy]

Oh, absolutely. And Maggie Osborne from Wigtownshire, who could supposedly change into a beetle.

[Joe]

A beetle?

[Tammy]

People even thought she could start avalanches just by cursing. Can you imagine? Living in a time when stories like that were everywhere you went.

[Joe]

It would be terrifying. Like something out of a horror movie, except they believed it was all real. With all these powerful witches running around, people must have been desperate for ways to protect themselves.

What did they do?

[Tammy]

You’re right. They were constantly on the lookout for protection. They believed everyday objects held power.

Things like rowan trees, salt, horseshoes even. You’ll never guess.

[Joe]

Yeah. Elf cups. Elf cups?

What in the world are elf cups?

[Tammy]

They’re these stones with naturally formed holes in them.

[Joe]

Okay, so you’re telling me if I was walking around back then just carrying a pocket full of salt and rocks, I’d be safe from witches?

[Tammy]

That was the idea. And they also believed that silver had special properties. It could pierce through a witch’s defenses.

[Joe]

Defenses? Like what?

[Tammy]

They thought witches wore this protective garment called a warlock fecket woven from water snakeskin.

[Joe]

Hold on. Water snakeskin. Why would they use water snakeskin?

[Tammy]

They believed it made them basically invincible. This warlock fecket, like a magical armor, you know?

[Joe]

Yeah.

[Tammy]

But this detail about the water snakeskin woven under a March moon.

[Joe]

The March moon? What’s so special about the March moon?

[Tammy]

It hints at something older, something deeper. It suggests a connection to pagan beliefs and the cycles of nature. Like the March moon held a certain power, you see.

[Joe]

I see. So it seems like there was this mix of everyday objects and these almost ritualistic practices all to keep evil at bay. But it wasn’t just charms and talismans, right?

This was also the time of the witch trials, where accusations of witchcraft could get you killed. Unfortunately, yes. And J. Maxwell Wood talks about it when he mentions the tragic story of Elspeth Miuwen.

[Tammy]

Accused of witchcraft and executed in 1698.

[Joe]

A chilling reminder that these accusations weren’t just stories. They had very real and very tragic consequences.

[Tammy]

They used all sorts of methods to determine guilt, like looking for witch marks on the body. It’s a dark part of history, no doubt.

[Joe]

It really makes you think, doesn’t it? Like, if we could go back in time to their world, surrounded by these stories and fears, wouldn’t we be looking for rowan trees and elf cups too?

[Tammy]

I think we would. It just goes to show that the line between what’s real and what we believe can be blurry. Especially back then, when knowledge was limited, and the fear of the unknown was all too real.

[Joe]

Okay, so we’ve braved the world of witches, all those broomsticks and spells. Now for something a little… lighter.

[Tammy]

Lighter, maybe. Safer. Not so much.

We’re talking about fairies now, right?

[Joe]

We are, we are. The fairies of southwestern Scotland. From fearsome to whimsical, or so you’d think.

[Tammy]

Ah, see, that’s where it gets interesting. Because while they might seem enchanting, Scottish fairies could be just as menacing as any witch.

[Joe]

Okay, so we’re not talking Tinkerbell and Pixie Dust here.

[Tammy]

Not quite. Forget Pixie Dust. These fairies were said to use bows made from the ribs of men, and arrows tipped with poison.

[Joe]

That’s a serious upgrade from glitter bombs. So, what kind of mischief did these fairies get up to?

[Tammy]

One of the most chilling things they were said to do was steal human babies. They’d take them right from their cradles.

[Joe]

Steal babies? What would they do with the babies?

[Tammy]

They’d leave behind changelings. Fairy babies. Often sickly or troublesome.

Can you imagine the fear that would have caused?

[Joe]

Oh, absolutely terrifying. Were these changeling stories just stories? Or did people actually believe it was happening?

[Tammy]

People took it very seriously. They’d go to great lengths to protect their children, like putting iron in the cradle to ward off the fairies.

[Joe]

Iron? Why iron?

[Tammy]

They believed it disrupted fairy magic, similar to how silver could pierce a witch’s defenses.

[Joe]

Right, right. So every supernatural being had its weakness. But why iron specifically?

Any ideas?

[Tammy]

Well, remember, people were very connected to the natural world back then, attributing powers to different elements. Iron coming from the earth. Strength.

It makes sense they’d see it as a powerful force against something like a fairy.

[Joe]

Fascinating. So it’s like every little detail had a deeper meaning. It all connects.

But were these fairies purely mythical? Or was there anything real behind the stories?

[Tammy]

There’s a theory that links fairies to the ancient Picts. They lived in Scotland before the Scots arrived.

[Joe]

The Picts, right. Mysterious underground dwellings, weren’t they?

[Tammy]

Exactly. And they were described as small and strong, similar to how fairies were depicted in stories.

[Joe]

So maybe not magical creatures after all, but an actual people driven into hiding. That’s a new perspective. Does the book, does Wood give any specific fairy encounters from southwestern Scotland?

[Tammy]

He does. There’s one about a woman who vanished near a fairy dwelling. But here’s the thing.

It was invisible. Only certain people could actually see it.

[Joe]

An invisible fairy dwelling. They really upped their game with that one. It’s like something out of a fantasy novel.

But that’s what makes these stories so captivating, right? The blurring of reality and imagination.

[Tammy]

Absolutely. And this idea that a whole other realm could exist, hidden right in front of us, revealed only to a select few. It must have been both intriguing and terrifying for them.

[Joe]

Intriguing and terrifying.

[Tammy]

Yeah, I can see that.

[Joe]

Well, we’ve covered witches who can control the weather and fairies who can vanish into thin air. What other supernatural surprises does southwestern Scotland have for us? We’ve talked about witches with their magic and fairies who could disappear.

But what about ghosts? Southwestern Scotland has ghost stories too, right?

[Tammy]

Oh, tons of them. And not just your average campfire stories. For people back then, seeing a ghost, that wasn’t unusual.

It was almost expected.

[Joe]

Ghosts were just part of life. Like bumping into your neighbor, only it’s a ghost.

[Tammy]

Exactly. And it wasn’t just seeing them either. It was these unexplained things that happened.

Sounds, events. They saw them as warnings, especially when someone was about to die.

[Joe]

Warnings. Like a heads up from the other side?

[Tammy]

Precisely. A light flickering. Or a sudden cold breeze.

Even hearing a ghostly carriage go by in the middle of the night. They believed these meant someone was about to pass.

[Joe]

Okay, now that’s just spooky. A ghostly carriage was like a whole carriage. Horses and all.

[Tammy]

The whole deal. Wood mentions one at Clonch Farm, just appeared out of nowhere, scared everyone, then vanished. No explanation.

[Joe]

You know, it’s interesting. All these stories, the witches, fairies, ghosts, they always seem to involve things we know, but with this creepy twist, like carriages, or babies, or everyday objects, it makes you wonder, how did they live with that? Believing that anything could be more than it seemed.

[Tammy]

Absolutely. It was like they lived with one foot in our world, and one foot in the supernatural. Always present, just out of sight.

Speaking of out of sight, there’s the story of the Bogel of Todsha Hill.

[Joe]

Bogel of, okay, who or what was the bogel?

[Tammy]

Picture an old woman, but with really short legs, appearing and disappearing, playing tricks on people, scaring those who got too close.

[Joe]

Short legs? Why short legs? It’s so specific.

[Tammy]

It’s not about the legs themselves, really, it’s that detail. It makes it real; you know? It makes the supernatural familiar, but still unsettling.

[Joe]

It’s like those uncanny valley things, where it’s almost real, but not quite. It’s those little details that make it creepy. Any more ghost stories from the region?

[Tammy]

One more, and it’s a chilling one. A murdered piper, whose ghost roamed the moors, playing his pipes. Imagine hearing that all alone, in the dead of night.

[Joe]

Oh, that’s the stuff of nightmares. But you know, a lot of these stories, they’re about people dying tragically. Is there a connection there, do you think?

[Tammy]

I think so. They believed that when someone died violently, it disrupted things, left something behind, you know? A presence that couldn’t move on.

And these stories, they were a way to remember, to make sense of it all.

[Joe]

It makes you think, what stories are still out there, echoing around us, from a time when people truly believed in the impossible?

[Tammy]

And that’s the beauty of folklore, isn’t it? These stories, passed down through generations, they offer a glimpse into a world where magic felt real.

[Joe]

It makes our world seem a bit boring in comparison.

[Tammy]

Maybe. Or maybe those whispers of magic are still out there, if we know where to listen. Something to think about.

[Joe]

Well, that was fascinating. From witches to fairies to ghosts, Southwestern Scotland certainly has its fair share of spooky stories. Until next time, keep exploring the shadows, and who knows what you might find.