Stories of Scotland

In the first episode of a new series, Jenny and Annie have a look at the Battle of Culloden, and the background politics that lead up to it. One of the most mythologised conflicts of all time, we try to piece together why so many raised their weapons to fight for Bonnie Prince Charlie. Now managed by the National Trust, Culloden Battlefield is of huge significance to Scottish history. Stories of S...

Young fisher Mairi will do anything to return the sealskin to her almost-beloved selkie. The only problem is a few terrifying monsters stand in the way. In this final episode of a three-part miniseries, Annie and Jenny of Stories of Scotland Podcast retell classic Scottish mythology with a queer twist. Join Mairi on her journey into love & lore. Funded by the Edwin Morgan Trust Second Life Award,...

On the advice of an old fisher, young fisher Mairi and her old terrier make a journey across the Pentland Firth from Orkney to Caithness. Their destination is the land of the fairies, inside Bruan Broch. But how can they enter the supernatural underworld? And will they escape? In this second episode of a three-part miniseries, Annie and Jenny of Stories of Scotland Podcast retell classic Scottish...

An unnaturally strong storm rolls over Orkney on Spring Tide. In the morning a young fisher and her old terrier stumble across a washed-up seal, or is it a washed-up woman? Or could it be both? In this first episode of a three-part miniseries, Annie and Jenny of Stories of Scotland Podcast retell classic Scottish mythology with a queer twist. Join Mairi on her journey into love & lore. Funded by t...

In this episode, Jenny MacHaggis and Annie MacNeep explore the rich history of mythologies, legends and recipes of Scotland’s national dish: the haggis. We look at the ingredients in a Victorian haggis and blether about what folklore of the wild haggis tell us about Scottish identity. What is the old legend of how the haggis freed Scotland? Is that haggis related to the bagpipe? We’ve used the Sco...

Jenny and Annie take a dance across the mythologies of the northern lights of Scotland. Upon finding their Scots legends of the aurora borealis, they end up rather unexpectedly in the Battle of Flodden: a battle said to have been written in the sky. For this episode, we used the books: Rock-bound: a Story of the Shetland Isles by Jessie Margaret Edmondston Saxby published in 1877 and Fatal Rivalry...

In this episode, Annie and Jenny take a festive Yuletide jaunt around Christmas time traditions in Scotland. We take a look at the almost completely lost highland tradition of the Clach an Groait stone, the world famous Orkney Ba tournament, and an old lady and her festive pig. This time of year is dark and cold, but these historic tales will warm your toes by the peat fire with kindness and gener...

References: We read an extract from the Shetland Times published on the 31st January 1903. For discussing the saga, we read Last of the Free by James Hunter and Caithness in Sagas by Edward J Cowan. These oral histories informed our stories of the Shetlandic trows: www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/en/fullrecord/68053 www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/en/fullrecord/72787 www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/en/fullrecord...

Jenny has just returned from a holiday to Orkney and shares her experiences of visiting Skara Brae, a beautifully preserved stone age village. Annie uncovers the early archaeology of the site, and Jenny imagines what the lives of people were like 5000 years ago. They find a light-hearted ghost neolithic ghost story and wonder about the beliefs and superstitions of our ancient ancestors. Jenny and...

Read about the Baobhan Sith in The Gaelic Otherworld edited Ronald Black, which uses the text from Superstitions of the Highlands Islands by John Gregorson Campbell. Listen to more about MacPhee and his loyal black dog here: www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/en/fullrecord/5820 www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/en/fullrecord/25460 http://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/en/fullrecord/40050 Our quotes for this episode...

Annie and Jenny take a gentle stroll through Chapel Yard Cemetery in Inverness and think about the stories that graveyards tell us. They encounter a succourer, a short snake, and a new perspective on the city they love. Have a look at Annie’s 1886 Visitors Guide to Inverness here: https://archive.org/details/visitorsguidetoi00unse/page/n1/mode/2upStories of Scotland is a multi-award winning Highla...

The majority of research for this episode came from original archival material. The front page of the newspaper discussing the missing livestock is the Inverness Courier from 28 November 1861. The court records of the assault and murder trial are held at the National Records of Scotland, under the references of AD14/62/144 or alternatively JC26/1862//120. Information about David Cumming and the Fe...

For the Lùnastal or Lammas Day traditions, we used ‘Old Scottish Customs: Local and General” by Ellen Emma Guthrie published in 1885. archive.org/details/oldscottishcusto00guthuoft Listen to the oral histories which we retold from Donald Sinclair. They are available on Tobar an Dualchais/ Kist o Riches. www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/en/fullrecord/44301 www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/en/fullrecord/49033 H...

Jenny and Annie investigate real Scottish ghost stories as found in local newspapers in this light-hearted spooky episode. They begin in the town of Port Glasgow, where a family is being tormented by noises, spectral animals and some nasty phantom vegetables. The trusty journalist however suspects a hoax instead of a ghost. Next, they visit one of Scotland’s most haunted buildings: Fyvie Castle. T...

In the first episode of Season 4, Annie and Jenny take a wander around the magnificent ruins of Elgin Cathedral. Known as the Lantern of the North for, as you’ll discover, many reasons - the cathedral has a rich and dark history, and as much of it as possible is squeezed into this episode! From those dreadful fires that won’t stop being set to sinking ships and wolf attacks, the Cathedral is more...

In this glittering episode, Jenny and Annie uncover the incredible 1869 gold rush in Kildonan, Sutherland in the Far North Highlands. Jenny explains the geology of how gold ended up deep in the Scottish Highlands. We have a look at the Victorian media hype that sent a lot of hopeful prospectors up to Helmsdale in search of treasure and find out about the fates of the folks panning for gold. We fin...

In this episode, Annie and Jenny take a deep dive into some of the many mystical wells dotted all over Scotland. They visit the Munlochy Clootie Well, one of the largest of its kind in Scotland and unpick it’s pagan and Christian past, while also looking at the continuation of age-old traditions in the modern-day. Many wells are believed to have magical properties and what better way to explore th...

In this episode, Annie and Jenny enter the dark and mysterious world of the shebeen - the illegal Scottish whisky house! The shebeen was at the heart of whisky smuggling and illegal distilling in rural Scotland. We discover this almost-lost shadow of the whisky industry. We hear the intriguing tale of Eppie “Lucky” Thane, the hundred-year-old woman who ran a successful shebeen in Glen Nochty. From...

Enjoy two of the misfit legends found by Jenny & Annie as they researched Scottish coasts and waters. Jenny recalls a story of a strange folktale of a ghost ship from the mysterious Blawhooly Bay in the Scottish borders. Ghosts, ghouls, fairies and sea-beasts anchor their ship one dark night in order to kidnap a midwife. Whereas Annie brings a story from oral history which tells of a mischievous k...

In this episode, Annie and Jenny visit the magnificent Smoo Cave, a favourite on the North Coast 500 and a place that is dear to both. Join them in their expedition deep under the cliffs of the North West Coast to discover how love formed the caves, and evil has lived in them! From a dastardly murderer to a wee man in a box, Smoo Cave is packed with stories from the past, both real and mythologica...

This episode explores the relationship between witches and water in mythology, folklore and a historical witch trial. Annie and Jenny read the 1644 witch trial of Marion Peebles, a woman from Shetland accused of witchcraft. The trial of Marion Peebles gives a unique and intriguing insight into the superstitions of Shetland in the 17th Century. Next, Jenny retells the marvellous tale of the canniba...

Jenny and Annie head to sea to explore the legends of the Blue Men of the Minch: supernatural men who are said to inhabit the strip of sea from the Outer Hebrides to the west coast of mainland Scotland. Jenny and Annie look at different tales taken from oral tradition and think about what these strange wee creatures from folklore tell us about the nautical culture of the Hebrides. Celebrating Scot...

In this episode we explore deep time in an investigation into the geology and history of the Grey Mare’s Tail, a spectacular waterfall and nature reserve in Dumfries. Jenny looks into how creatures from 500 million years ago, found at the Grey Mare’s Tail, sent seismic waves through the geologic community. Annie uncovers a surreal tale of 17th century Covenanters seeking refuge and hiding at the G...

Jenny and Annie find stories of Gruinard Island, a small island just off the West Coast of the Scottish. From this one little piece of land, they uncover harrowing and painful stories of the Highland Clearances. They discuss the kelp processing industry on the Western Isles and the impact it had on crofting communities. They learn about an unsympathetic landlord and the strife of tenants. Next, th...

Jenny and Annie explore the everlasting legend of mermaids to celebrate coastlines, seas and lochs. They share incredible mermaid folklore curated by a traditional storyteller from Caithness to learn about the significance of mermaids to Scotland’s culture. Jenny reads poetry inspired by the lands-under-the-sea written by a fisherman’s son from Shetland. Annie examines mermaid artefacts from the S...