EPISODE · May 23, 2026 · 1H 45M
When Believing in Fairies Could Get You Killed | Scotland's Dark Fairy History | Sleep Story
from Caledonia Sleeps · host Caledonia Sleeps
Scottish witch trials meet forbidden fairy belief in one of Scotland’s darkest hidden histories.During the 16th and 17th centuries, real Scottish healers and cunning folk were prosecuted and burned alive not for cursing their neighbours but for claiming the fairy folk gave them their gifts.In tonight’s fireside episode we uncover the true stories of Bessie Dunlop of Ayrshire, Alison Pearson of Fife, Andro Man of Aberdeen, and Isobel Gowdie of Nairn — people who claimed the Good Neighbours as the source of their healing, second sight, and supernatural knowledge, and paid for those beliefs with their lives.We explore the Scottish Witchcraft Act 1563, the influence of Daemonologie by James VI and I, the theological fear that transformed Scotland’s fairy hills into places associated with the Devil, and the dark folklore surrounding the Unseelie Court.This is Scottish folklore and history as you’ve rarely heard it told. A haunting glimpse into the older beliefs, folk traditions, and spiritual worldviews that were violently suppressed during Scotland’s darkest century.A dark fireside journey into Scottish witch trial history, fairy faith, Celtic folklore, and the forgotten beliefs once feared across the Highlands and Lowlands.Also available with relaxing visuals on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CaledoniaSleeps
What this episode covers
Scottish witch trials meet forbidden fairy belief in one of Scotland’s darkest hidden histories.During the 16th and 17th centuries, real Scottish healers and cunning folk were prosecuted and burned alive not for cursing their neighbours but for claiming the fairy folk gave them their gifts.In tonight’s fireside episode we uncover the true stories of Bessie Dunlop of Ayrshire, Alison Pearson of Fife, Andro Man of Aberdeen, and Isobel Gowdie of Nairn — people who claimed the Good Neighbours as the source of their healing, second sight, and supernatural knowledge, and paid for those beliefs with their lives.We explore the Scottish Witchcraft Act 1563, the influence of Daemonologie by James VI and I, the theological fear that transformed Scotland’s fairy hills into places associated with the Devil, and the dark folklore surrounding the Unseelie Court.This is Scottish folklore and history as you’ve rarely heard it told. A haunting glimpse into the older beliefs, folk traditions, and spiritual worldviews that were violently suppressed during Scotland’s darkest century.A dark fireside journey into Scottish witch trial history, fairy faith, Celtic folklore, and the forgotten beliefs once feared across the Highlands and Lowlands.Also available with relaxing visuals on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CaledoniaSleeps
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When Believing in Fairies Could Get You Killed | Scotland's Dark Fairy History | Sleep Story
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