Scotland's Strangest Saints ~ with Fran Flett Hollinrake

In this episode of Ower Wi’ the Moon, Tom is joined by his dear friend and fellow storyteller, Fran Flett Hollinrake — Curator of St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall, Orkney — to talk about her forthcoming book, Folk Tales of Scottish Saints (The History Press).From the brutal destruction of the Scottish Reformation to the booming modern popularity of pilgrimage, this conversation ranges across some of the strangest, funniest, and most moving saints' legends in Scottish folklore — including a blind girl guarded by a flock of angry magpies, a monk sacrificed into the walls of Iona Abbey and two men eaten by wolves and miraculously restored by St Magnus himself. Fran also shares a personal story about a stubborn eye infection that mysteriously cleared up after a visit to a ruined chapel on Papa Westray, Orkney.🕯️ In this episode:The Reformation's destruction of Scotland's cathedrals — and why St Magnus Cathedral survivedThe legend of St Triduana and Fran's own "cured by a saint" storySt Columba and the sacrifice of Oran at Iona AbbeyThe Camino de Santiago, the scallop shell, and the ancient business of pilgrimageSt Magnus's wildest miracles (wolves, dice, and more!)Margaret Sinclair — Scotland's next saint?Cathedral ghost stories from St Magnus CathedralSt Obert of Perth — the forgotten baker's saint revived for the modern age📖 Fran's book, Folk Tales of Scottish Saints, will be published by The History Press early in 2027.    Art by Paul Dews, created for Fran’s upcoming book, Folk Tales of Scottish Saints.🎙️ Ower Wi’ the Moon is a podcast of storytelling, folklore, and conversation from Scotland’s Orkney Islands.#ScottishFolklore #StMagnusCathedral #Orkney #FolkTales #Saints #Pilgrimage #ScottishHistory #Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.