Explore every episode of the podcast Witches of Scotland

Zoe and Claire wish to offer a Solstice offering to all those who have stuck by us with this podcast through a VERY patchy period and we wanted to give u THE BEST festive guests we could think of to finish this year! First is @thatglasgowwitch whose quiet, authentic witch work has taken the world by storm and the hugely talented artist and author Juano Diaz whose excellent book, Slumboy tells of his childhood and whose current artistic work focuses on the spiritual world.

You’ll have seen memes saying “I made dinners for men I should have poisoned” , well Zoe and Claire speak to Hope Reese about her book “The Women Are Not Fine: The Dark History of a Poisonous Sisterhood.

Hope tells the story of about a woman who lived at the turn of the 20th century, in the village of Nagyrév, Hungary, midwife Zsuzsanna Fazekas. She was more than a caretaker - she was a confidante. She helped poor women give birth; she assisted them with abortions; and she listened. Their stories were the same: husbands who drank, who beat them, who made their lives unbearable.

In response, Auntie Zsuzsi asked one question: "Why bother with them?"

Her solution was arsenic. Soon, women began slipping this concoction, made by dissolving flypaper in water, into their husbands' porridge, stews, and brandy. And over the next twenty years, the quiet village became the epicentre of one of the deadliest poisoning epidemics of the 20th century - according to some estimates, up to 300 people in the region were murdered.

Why did they do it? How did these murders spin out of control? How did these women get away with their crimes for two decades?

In The Women Are Not Fine, journalist Hope Reese pieces together archival newspapers, court documents, police records, and the vital work of historians, sociologists, and psychologists, diving deep into the truth behind this extraordinary event. Her findings serve as a stark warning: when women in a community are pushed to the brink, the consequences reverberate through history.

Zoe and Claire also speak to the fabulously knowledgeable academic and writer Steven Veerapen. Steven is an author born in Glasgow and raised in Paisley.

Fascinated by the glamour and ghastliness of life in the 1500s, his books show a penchant for myths, mysteries and murders in an age in which the law was as slippery as those who defied it... We speak to him about his book “Witches – A King’s Obsession” whether broomstick-riding spell-casters or Wiccan earth-worshippers – have been culturally relevant for centuries. For centuries, too, belief in the potency of witchcraft has been debated, accused witches have been hunted and punished, and film and TV productions have brought the witch and the witch-hunter to big and small screens.

But where did our perception of witches – good and bad – come from? What motivated wide-scale panics about witchcraft during certain periods? How were alleged witches identified, accused, and variously tortured and punished?

Steven Veerapen traces witches, witchcraft, and witch-hunters from the explosion of mass-trials under King James VI and I in the late sixteenth century to the death of the witch-hunting phenomenon in the early eighteenth century. Based on documents and the latest historical research, he explores what motivated widespread belief in demonic witchcraft throughout Britain as well as in continental Europe, what caused mass panics about alleged witches, and what led, ultimately, to the relegation of the witch – and the witch-hunter – to the realm of fantasy and the fringes of society.

Listen to Zoe and Claire to talk to Professor John Azumah and extraordinary photographer Claire Thomas about the women suffering modern day witch accusations, the witch camps in which they are forced to stay for safety and what we can do to help them.

EPISODE 76 DR MARGARET BENNETT

Zoe in conversation with DR MARGARET BENNETT

“is a Scottish writer, folklorist, ethnologist, broadcaster, and singer. Her main interests lies in the field of traditional Scottish folk culture and cultural identity of the Scots in Scotland and abroad. The late Hamish Henderson, internationally distinguished poet and folklorist, said about her: Margaret embodies the spirit of Scotland.”

THIS WAS RECORDED BEFORE WE HAD CONFIRMATION THAT THE UK AND US HARDBACK OF OUR BOOO WILL HAVE THE TARTAN ON IT

CLARE CAMPBELL OF PRICKLY THISTLE talks to Zoe and Claire about the tartan and about how we are releasing the WOS Tartan, clans and much more

Zoe and Claire discuss the witch trials in France and speak to ANNETTE YOUNG, journalist and presenter of the 51% - a feminist French TV show about Gislèle Pelicot. WARNING The discussion includes details of sexual assault.

Zoe and Claire talk to the folks at the Connecticut Witch Trials and find out all about their campaign. They also talk about the Afghanistan Government decision to remove education from women, the internets reaction to a woman celebrating her PHD (Congratulations Dr. Ally Louks) and also talk about middle class women of a certain age.... Those brave listeners who are able to make it to the end of the podcast will be rewarded with raven chat and festive requests.

Zoe and Claire come clean about why there has been no podcast in a while and what they have been up to... SPOILER : They've written a book!

Their publishers say

"HOW TO KILL A WITCH is a compelling and detailed investigation into the historic persecution of women as witches by Claire Mitchell and Zoe Venditozzi, founders of the world-famous Witches of Scotland campaign.

With testimony from a small army of experts, pen portraits of the women accused, trial transcripts, witness accounts and the documents that set the legal grounds for the witch hunts, HOW TO KILL A WITCH builds to form a rich patchwork of tragic stories, helping us comprehend the underlying reasons for this terrible injustice, and raises the serious question - could it ever happen again?

Zoe & Claire speak to Prof Goodare about how the Survey of Scottish Witchcraft came about and Euan McAndrew, Wikimedian in residence at Edinburgh University explains bringing the work to a digital audience along with student Ruby Imrie PLUS BONUS APOLOGY EPISODE with Kristof Smeyers about a topic close to Zoe & Claire’s hearts….

Zoe & Claire speak to the endlessly fascinating Professor Marion Gibson about her new book which spans 700 years of witchcraft trials - from the trial which probably started the European witch hunt to the 21st century allegations of “witch-hunting” of Donald Trump by Stormy Daniels *may include raccoons

Zoe and Claire speak to author Stacey Thomas about her debut novel “The Revels” - all about witchcraft accusations . Stacey Thomas is a contributor to Bad Form Review. She is an alumna of the Curtis Brown Creative novel writing course where she was awarded the Clare Mackintosh Scholarship for Black Writers. In 2021, she was announced as one of the three winners of HarperCollins’s inaugural Killing It Competition for Undiscovered Writers.

Zoe and Claire catch up with Leo Igwe to find out about witchcraft accusations in the present day : what are people being accused of, by whom and why? NB The Aye Write event has now already taken place - sorry to those who missed it! WARNING - Discusses violence against people accused of witchcraft

Zoe and Claire talk to the hugely knowledgeable Dr. Andrew Sneddon, historian of medicine, religion and the supernatural, especially ghosts, magic and witchcraft. Senior Lecturer in History @ Ulster University.

Zoe and Claire speak to Lorraine Murray Archivist at The Watt Institution in Greenock and at The Glasgow Academy in Kelvinbridge. She is an Art and Architectural Historian who has been researching the woman and men accused of witchcraft in Inverclyde

Zoe and Claire speak to author Anya Bergman about her story of the women killed as witches in Vardø. We talk magic, menopause, weather witches and why a Scotsman might have been to blame. Raccoons included

Zoe and Claire speak to Dr. Martha McGill about her game, developed by a team at the University of Warwick, to explore and understand the witch hunt phenomena - based on events in Haddington, Zoe & Claire consider the history of Haddington accused and one of the accusers who owned an enchanted pear. Raccoon chat included

Zoe and Claire speak to the fabulously knowledgeable Judith Langlands Scott about witch confessions in Forfar, John Kincaid’s “expert” expenses and find out where following the money trail gets you on the hunt to uncover the details of those killed as witches

Zoe and Claire speak to Assistant Professor Jem Bloomfield to explore "witches" in crime fiction of the mid-twentieth century. His work explores the intellectual and social worlds of these books, relating them to contemporary concerns around gender, art, magic and  religion.  

Zoe and Claire talk to Anna Day, Cultural Public Programme Manager for Perth about statues in memory of women accused of witchcraft, why memorials are important and Anna shares her own family story of remembering those who died in WWII.

Zoe and Claire interview the brilliant author Jenni Fagan about her new book “Hex” : “ A witch will die here in the morning. It is the 4th of December 1591. On this, the last night of her life in a prison cell several floors below Edinburgh’s High Street, convicted witch Geillis Duncan receives a mysterious visitor – Iris, who says she comes from a future where women are still killed for who they are and what they believe.” (Birlinn Publishers)

Zoe and Claire speak to Professor Malcolm Gaskill about his study of witchcraft accusations in England - from the 17th century jjury trials to the 20th century trial of “Hellish Nell”

Zoe and Claire talk to the criminal defence lawyer - made famous by #thestaircase documentary on Netflix about american injustice - the Salem witch trials, forced confessions, pardons and why they are important and much more! also : cake references

Join Zoe & Claire speaking to Dr Jan Machielsen who studies and teaches about witchcraft accusations and trials - we ask what an apology really means and why each country builds different narratives around the witchcraft trials

Zoe and Claire speak to Dr. Louise Yeoman about her amazing work on the scottish witchcraft trials - from The Survey of Scottish Witchcraft to her discovery of Lilias Adie’s “grave” with lots more chat about Satan’s world uncovered, service magicians, John Knox and enchanted sticks

Zoe and Claire speak to Dr. Danny Buck about witch trials in the south of England - we talk about religious in fighting, rowdy Quakers and the self proclaimed Witchfinder General Matthew Hopkins

Zoe and Claire go to Edinburgh for IWD2022 and listen to the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon grant an official apology to all those 4000 or so people, mostly women, who were accused of witchcraft - the first time in Scottish history that an apology had been tendered to all those who were accused

Zoe & Claire speak to Caterina Úbeda of Sapiens Magazine about their successful campaign to have the Witches of Catalonia pardoned. We also speak to Laura Graham, artist about her Exonerate Agnes event which takes place on International Women’s Day 2022 . Ravens and Raccoons also included

Zoe & Claire speak to Dr Miranda Corcoran - author of Teen Witches Witchcraft and Adolescence in American Popular Culture - about the use of the witch icon in popular culture, the rise in modern day witches, we talk about witches of our youth Tabitha, Sabrina, Endora and Buffy - we ask why do young women need witch role models?

Zoe and Claire speak to the wonderfully knowledgeable Professor Marion Gibson (@witchesetc on twitter) about confessions, dooking witches, and, when all is said and done what accusations of witchcraft are really all about. Also, cake and ravens

Zoe & Claire talk to Dr Ciaran Jones who is a historian of religion and witchcraft in early modern Scotland, and he recently completed his PhD in Scottish History at the University of Edinburgh in 2020. His thesis explored the relationship between Calvinism and witchcraft trials, and it focussed on the religious and spiritual aspects of some accused witches' confessions. Ciaran's research has been published in History Scotland magazine, the Scottish History Society, and a chapter of his thesis is due to appear in the next volume of the journal of Magic, Ritual and Witchcraft, published by the University of Pennsylvania . We also talk about his new researches on the WITCHES OF QUEENSFERRY and the work he was commissioned to do for the National Trust of Scotland

Owen Davies is a British historian who specialises in the history of magic, witchcraft, ghosts, and popular medicine. He is currently Professor in History at the University of Hertfordshire and has been described as Britain's "foremost academic expert on the history of magic. Zoe & Claire speak to him about accidental witches, conflict witches, witch bottles and myth busting witch folklore

Zoe & Claire talk to Professor Nicola Ring about her research funded by the Royal College of Nursing Foundation into the stories of Scotland’s early nurses and midwives accused of witchcraft for helping others. We also hear the stories of women accused as witches in Penicuik

Zoe and Claire talk to Matthew Bridson who is a postgraduate scholar of Heritage Studies. He recently submitted his Masters thesis on the topic of the group referred to as “The Lancashire Witches”. We talked to him about the Lancashire Witch Trials and Matthew’s work on “witch signs” . We talk about the Witches Walk in Lancashire and whether we should be thinking more about how we engage with places of historic interest to properly record what happened and make that history accessible for all.

Zoe and Claire speak to Helen Woodsford Dean and Ragnhild Ljosland, the two women who were the inspiration and driving force in getting the memorial to those killed as witches in Orkney erected - we talk witches, collecting tears, pagans, whether we can change history and reveal the secret depths of the Orkney memorial

Zoe and Claire talk to Ash William Mills on his book - The Black Book of Isobel Gowdie - we discuss what was known of her, whether she was a “wise woman” and the cauldron of cultures that made up the various folklore and spells that were used by charmers and healers

Join Zoe and Claire as they speak to Kayla Kandzorra about the bi-weekly podcast where hosts Stephanie and Kayla discuss trials and tales of witches throughout the centuries. Each episode sheds light on a new story bringing attention to the thousands of people who have been persecuted as witches

Zoe and Claire talk to author Carolyn Jess Cooke about her new book The Lighthouse Witches and her inspiration from the scottish witchcraft trials. We talk themes of trauma, loss, and justice

Zoe & Claire talk to Jennifer Wight who has researched scottish folk history (more can be found on her website The Adder’s Deb) and is part of Scottish Cunning Ways (FB) . What is the difference between cunning folk and witches? were those executed as witches pagans? Listen as Jennifer helps us separate fact from fiction!

Join Zoe & Claire as they learn from the experts as to how they research the history of those accused of witchcraft : Judith Gorman, Helen Upfield, Mary Craig, Norah Carlin and Catherine McPhee : with a reading from Elizabeth Lee’s new book Cunning Women and an exclusive performance from Heal and Harrow

Join Zoe and Claire speaking to Laura Graham, lawyer and artist. Laura’s work has been particularly informed by the Scottish Witch Trials - we discuss the patriarchy, what’s in a name, her work “Soul Murder” and the “dittays” against women accused as witches

Zoe and Claire learn more about the criminality involved in witchcraft - we hear about how a trial of an alleged witch was conducted and the sentences imposed - we talk more about quarrelsome dames and how the transgressing of “feminine norms” of the time was more likely to find someone in the dock in Scotland than being a “charmer”.

Zoe and Claire talk to performance artist Amy Kingsmill about her year long project- Light Source - finding out about the witches of England - and we discuss why the current zeitgeist seems perfect for memorialising those killed as witches. www.light-source.co.uk

Zoe & Claire speak to historian and author Mary W Craig about the 4 Proofs, Quarrelsome Dames and the woman accused of witchcraft in Mary’s forthcoming book.

Join Zoe and Claire as we talk to Emma Cowan and Norah Carlin - Norah Carlin is an historian who studied the Witch Trials, and was motivated to learn about those people killed as witches where she grew up : 20 years later Emma,  as part of her own researches and found Norah's work and was inspired to campaign -  with great success -  to have the names of those killed as witches in Corstorphine properly remembered.

This week Zoe and Claire talk to Liane Maitland, Psychotherapist about considering the witch trials through her professional lens :  We talk about the legacy of trauma the witchcraft trials will have left on the country and we consider the trauma likely to have been suffered by James VI, and we discuss how that trauma may have impacted Scotland's witch trial history.   Liane's website can be found at www.innerwilderness.co.uk 

Zoe and Claire speak to Associate Professor Louise Nyholm Kallestrup about the crossover (literally across the sea) with the Danish and Scottish witch trials - we name Danish women and men killed as witches and we once again discuss the need for a Scottish Museum of Witch Hunts to memorialise those caught up in the terrible miscarriages of justice and paid with their lives

Zoe and Claire talk to Laurie Goodlad - who presents “Shetland with Laurie” podcast / insta pages - she is a podcaster, tour guide, historian and museum curator who was motivated to research the Witches of Shetland - listen as she names all the people she has found in local records, and as we discuss the controversial cremains of women accused as witches which can be seen in the Scalloway Museum.

Zoe and Claire discuss Tituba of Salem in more detail and then speak to Anna BJÖRG, curator of the Musuem of Witchcraft and Sorcery in Iceland - we find out why it was men that were accused, discuss the modern folklore on elves and we ask - should our national monument be a scottish Musuem of Witchcraft Trials?

Zoe and Claire talk to Rachel Christ about the Salem Witch Trials - the accused - the “spectral evidence” used to convict - the pardons granted for all but one of those convicted- the memorial garden - and the “final pardon” - the 21st century legislature to pardon the last person convicted of witchcraft.

Zoe and Claire talk about the term witch in politics and beyond, and speak to Judith Langlands-Scott, the brilliant independent scholar who has spent years researching the stories of those accused as witches in Forfar - and we end on another cliffhanger! (And another sterling “ending”)