Witch Please (Revisited!)

We’re heading back into the misty past to revisit two of our most requested stories: the legendary Isobel Gowdie and the enigmatic Biddy Early. From whispered confessions of witchcraft in 17th-century Scotland to the charms and cures of a famed Irish “wise woman,” these tales are brimming with folklore, mystery, and the lingering shadows of superstition. Join us as we breathe new life into these episodes, exploring the blurred lines between magic, myth, and fear in communities that lived by candlelight and rumor.✨ Champagne pairing for this episode: Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Rosé CAMPers! Please keep Vanessa and her family in your thoughts, while they navigate this difficult time. https://www.shca.ed.ac.uk/Research/witches/person.php?name=Isobel+Gowdie&source=3777Pitcairn, Ancient Criminal Trials in Scotland (1833)—printed text of the confessions: https://archive.org/stream/ancientcrim43pt203pitcuoft/ancientcrim43pt203pitcuoft_djvu.txtLiv Høgh Willumsen review of Emma Wilby, The Visions of Isobel Gowdie (2010) https://www.livhelenewillumsen.no/res/Review%20Gowdie_Willumsen.20.6.11%5B3%5D.pdfBoosey & Hawkes, MacMillan’s The Confession of Isobel Gowdie (composer note): https://www.boosey.com/cr/music/James-MacMillan-The-Confession-of-Isobel-Gowdie/3115Wikipedia: The Confession of Isobel Gowdie (work): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Confession_of_Isobel_GowdieInverness Courier (Auldearn mural, 2021): https://www.inverness-courier.co.uk/news/extraordinary-witch-features-in-new-mural-257239/Smithsonian Magazine (Scotland’s 2022 apology): https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scotland-issues-formal-apology-to-thousands-accused-of-witchcraft-180979869/The Guardian (text/reportage on the apology): https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/mar/08/nicola-sturgeon-issues-apology-for-historical-injustice-of-witch-hunts(Notes: Many details in the narrative—marriage to John Gilbert; residence around Loch Loy; dates and sequence of the four confessions; the Queen of Elphame, elf-arrows, Read Reiver; the July 1662 commission; and the uncertainty of Gowdie’s ultimate fate—are drawn from the Survey of Scottish Witchcraft case file and the Wikipedia article’s underlying citations, which synthesize Pitcairn’s printed text and modern scholarship.)Irish Times, “Irish Lives: Biddy Early” (encyclopedic overview): https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/irish-lives-1.1286579History Ireland, “Feakle’s Biddy Early: a victim of ‘moral panic’?” https://historyireland.com/feakles-biddy-early-a-victim-of-moral-panic/ historyireland.comWikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biddy_Early WikipediaLady Gregory, Visions and Beliefs in the West of Ireland https://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/vbwi/vbwi11.htm Internet Sacred Text ArchiveDúchas (National Folklore Collection), Schools’ Collection—Biddy Early bottle lore (two versions): • https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4922349/4872900/5072452 • https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4922348/4872795/5074512 duchas.ie+1RTÉ Archives: • https://www.rte.ie/archives/2021/0629/1232043-biddy-early-an