Show Notes
It’s time for a monster hunt! The Loch Ness Monster is perhaps the most famous Scot in the world, yet despite her renown she’s a very shy girl. The vast majority of sightings come from after the 1933 boom, when Nessie went global, yet the very first ever recorded sighting of her is in 565 CE, when St Columba stumbled across a group of terrified Picts on the shore of Loch Ness.
In this episode Jenny tells the tale of Columba, his mission to convert the Picts to christianity, the very first ever sighting of The Loch Ness Monster, and a lovely little kelpie tale at the end!
Visit the official Loch Ness Monster sightings register
Follow The Scottish Folklore Podcast on Instagram
Visit the website and view this episode’s Interactive Map
Explore all the folklore covered in the podcast so far on the Folklore Map
Support Jenny as she makes the show by joining the Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from The Scottish Folklore Podcast
Scottish folklore can be very dark and in this episode Jenny uncovers some of the bloodier folktales that lurk in the lore. From grim tales for children, to cold blooded murder and ghostly guilt, these tales remind us that sometimes, rather than some supernatural beast, it is us humans who are the real monsters.
The Autumn Equinox has just passed and harvest in Scotland is well underway. This was an incredibly important time of year, where no risk was taken that might compromise the harvest, and every tradition and superstition was followed to the T!
Brownies are odd little folkloric spirits who help out around the house purely because they like to. But be warned, they are as easy to please as they are to lose, and tales of their touchiness can be found in every nook and cranny of Scotland!
Rannoch is a thin place, an area where the veil between our world and the Other World is said to be rather raggedy, and all sorts of strange things can pass between.
The poetry-slinging, storm-bringing Blue Men of The Minch are only found in one place in Scotland, the strait of water between the Outer Hebrides in the west and the mainland & Skye in the east. The turbulent and ever changing waters here have wrecked countless ships over the centuries, and while some may blame poor weather, or even poor captains, those in the know, understand the real culprits to be The Blue Men of The Minch.