On International Women's Day in March of 2022, Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister of Scotland, issued a formal apology for the thousands of people Scotland burned at the stake from the 1500s to the 1700s.  Most of those people were women, and it seemed fitting to the First minister, as the first woman to ever hold the title, to apologize during international women's Month (it's every March, guys), on March 8th, International Women's Day, for all the women (and men) the government of Scotland murdered for turning into cats and spoiling ale.

We tackle the history of Scottish witches by examining the life of Isobel Gowdie, Queen of the Witches!  As a self-confessed witch in the 1600s, she is the woman who gave rise to witch lore and a voice to fairy lore.  Her life is largely unknown but her four confessions have withstood the test of time, fascinating scholars and witches alike for the last two hundred years.

Find out why, and hide the matches, when we explore witchcraft and State-craft this episode!