Aloha, Tide Riders. Happy New Year and welcome to a brand new saga to kick off 2026 on California Craziness, where we'll focus on stories from my home state. For our first installment, we've got a doozy. Beneath the sun-baked streets of Los Angeles, a stranger story has been lurking for nearly a century.

In today’s episode of Strange Tides: The Short Board Sessions, we drop into one of Southern California’s most enduring bits of high weirdness: the Lizard People of Los Angeles. From a Depression-era mining engineer armed with a mysterious “radio X-ray” machine, to whispered tunnels beneath Fort Moore Hill, gold tablets, and reptilian rumors that refuse to die, this is a myth that keeps shedding its skin.

We trace the legend from G. Warren Shufelt’s failed 1934 dig, through pulp fiction, misread Indigenous stories, Cold War paranoia, and into the modern internet age—where the idea of something ancient, hidden, and watching still thrives. Along the way, we separate what was actually claimed from what got amplified, mutated, and memed, and ask why Los Angeles in particular seems to invite underground legends.

This is a shorter session, but the story runs deep: part urban folklore, part conspiracy culture, part mirror held up to a city built on layers of reinvention. Whether you hear it as lost history, symbolic myth, or pure California weirdness, the Lizard People of LA remain one of the strangest currents flowing beneath the city.

Wax up, drop in, and keep one eye on the shadows under your feet.

Links and Sources:

Bosquet, Jean. "Lizard People's Catacomb City Hunted" – Los Angeles Times, January 29, 1934 - https://www.latimes.com/archives (Search "Lizard People 1934)

"Treasure Hunters Reach 250 Feet in Search for Lizard People's Gold" – Los Angeles Times, March 5, 1934 - https://www.latimes.com/archives

Icke, David. The Biggest Secret* (1999) - https://www.amazon.com/Biggest-Secret-Book-That-Change/dp/0952614766

Howard, Robert E. "The Shadow Kingdom" (1929) - http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks06/0601711.txt

Doreal, Maurice. Mysteries of the Gobi (1940s) - https://sacred-texts.com/atl/dtp/index.htm

Waters, Frank. Book of the Hopi (1963) - https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/297295/book-of-the-hopi-by-frank-waters/

"The Legend of Los Angeles' Lizard People" – PBS SoCal, January 27, 2014 - https://www.pbssocal.org/history-society/the-legend-of-los-angeles-lizard-people

"The Lizard People of Los Angeles" – Historic Mysteries blog, March 25, 2024 - https://www.historicmysteries.com/lizard-people-los-angeles/

"The Lizard People Beneath Los Angeles" – Olguin Scene blog, August 22, 2017 - https://olguinscene.com/lizard-people-los-angeles/

"The Lizard People of Los Angeles" – Hollywood Times, January 30, 2025 - https://thehollywoodtimes.today/lizard-people-los-angeles/

Public Policy Polling Survey – April 2, 2013 - https://www.publicpolicypolling.com/polls/national-conspiracy-theory-poll-april-2013/

PRRI Survey – May 27, 2021 - https://www.prri.org/research/conspiracy-theories-2021/

California Death Index - https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/2015582

Aloha, Tide Riders. Happy holidays and Happy New Year! The Winter Weirdness run wraps up with one last moonlit paddle into the deep end—this time, straight into the black forests of Germany and the legend of the Morbach Monster. In this final Strange Tides episode of 2025, we trace a werewolf-shaped ripple that starts in the late 1700s with cursed soldiers and candlelit shrines, then rolls all the way into the Cold War, when U.S. Air Force patrols near Hahn Air Base swore they saw something big, fast, and very much not regulation lurking beyond the treeline.

We break down the sightings, the shrine flame that’s supposedly kept burning since 1770, and the moments when it went out—and weird stuff followed. From PTSD-haunted WWI soldiers leaving silver charms, to SS occult obsessions, to synth-era airmen radioing in “the Morbach Monster” like they’d just spotted Bigfoot on NATO property, it’s a story that refuses to stay buried. Along the way, we surf through every theory on the board: misidentified wildlife, mass hysteria, government experiments, cryptids, shapeshifters, interdimensional glitches, and yes—ancient curses that might still be on the clock.

So light a candle, keep one eye on the treeline, and join us for the final session of Winter Weirdness. Whether the Morbach Monster is a wolf, a weapon, a warning, or just a shadow that learned how to stick around, one thing’s for sure—this legend still howls when the moon’s right.

Links and Sources:

Schmidt, Johann Georg. Parish Records of Wittlich (1782) - https://www.landesarchiv-rlp.de/kirchenbuecher-wittlich

Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm. *Sagen und Legenden des Hunsrücks* (1815) - https://archive.org/details/sagenundlegenden00grimuoft

Baring-Gould, Sabine. *The Book of Were-Wolves* (1865) - https://www.gutenberg.org/files/5321/5321-h/5321-h.htm

Flores, John (SSgt.) and Goodall, Randy (Sgt.). Unofficial Hahn Air Base Report (June 6, 1988) Declassified USAF memo (FOIA release, 2015) via MUFON archives - https://mufon.com/hahn-afb-1988-werewolf-incident

Rodriguez, Elias (Sgt.). Hahn Base Newsletter Sketch (October 31, 1987) Declassified USAF folklore study (1992) via National Archives (NARA) - https://www.archives.gov/research/military/air-force/hahn-base-logs

Rodriguez, Maria (Sgt., pseudonym). Munitions Handler Account (1988) - https://cryptidspot.com/the-morbach-monster-german-werewolf/

Hohmann, Maria. *Hunsrück Sagen* (1923) - https://www.deutsche-digitale-bibliothek.de/item/ABC123DEF456

Hoffmann, Markus (Dr.). University of Mainz Interview (2019) - https://www.uni-mainz.de/publikationen/hoffmann-werewolf-myth-2019

McCarthy, Elaine (Dr.). "Base Folklore and Cold War Stress" (1992, declassified 2018) - https://www.archives.gov/research/foia/usaf-hahn-1992-study

Burgard, Matthias. *Das Monster von Morbach: Eine moderne Sage des Internetzeitalters* (2008) - https://www.waxmann.com/en/books?tx_p2waxmann_buchliste%5Baction%5D=show&tx_p2waxmann_buchliste%5Bcontroller%5D=Buch&tx_p2waxmann_buchliste%5Buid%5D=790

Coleman, Loren. *Bigfoot! The True Story of Apes in America* (2007) - https://www.amazon.com/Bigfoot-True-Story-Apes-America/dp/067179969X

Wittlich Tourism Board. "Werwolf Nacht Festival Records" (1995–2024) - https://www.wittlich-tourismus.de/werwolf-nacht

NABU (Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union). "Wolf Census Rhineland" (2025) - https://www.nabu.de/wolf-census-2025

Rhineland Folklore Society. "2019 Shrine Excavations" - https://www.rheinland-folklore.de/excavations-2019

OSS Files on Ahnenerbe Expeditions (Declassified 1946) - https://www.archives.gov/research/oss/ahnenerbe-hunsrueck

Stars and Stripes. "Werewolf Watch at Hahn" (1989) - https://www.stripes.com/search?q=hahn+werewolf+1989

Strobl, Karl Hans. *Der Schwarze Mann* series (1920s) - https://books.google.com/books?id=schwarze-mann-strobl

Rudigier, Hans-Wolfgang. 2018 Dashcam Analysis: - https://www.rudigier.de/morbach-dashcam

Müller, Lena. 2023 Tour Guide Anecdote - https://www.swr.de/wittlich-werwolf-2023

Strange Tide: Short Board Sessions - Skinwalker Ranch Christmas Entity

Aloha Tide Riders and Happy Holidays - Festivus included. Today, we're hitting up one of the freakiest places on the planet and talking about something that shows up just in time for the winter solstice. This Short Board Session dives into one of the strangest recurring cases to come out of Utah’s Uintah Basin: the Skinwalker Ranch Christmas Entity. For decades, witnesses, scientists, and even government-backed research teams have reported a tall, shadowy figure appearing almost like clockwork during the winter solstice and holiday season—bringing radiation spikes, EM interference, and a lingering sense that something is watching from the dark.

We break down the origins of the phenomenon, from Native lore and early ranch sightings to Pentagon-funded investigations, modern sensor data, and the unsettling “hitchhiker effect” that follows witnesses home. Is it a skinwalker, an interdimensional bleed-through, or something far stranger tied to seasonal cycles and human attention?

Quick, focused, and heavy on the weird, this episode rides the thin line between folklore and hard data—perfect for a fast listen when the nights get long and the shadows feel a little too close.

Sources and Links

Brandon Fugal interview – Salt Lake Magazine (2022) | https://www.saltlakemagazine.com/skinwalker-ranch-brandon-fugal-interview-2022 |

Clyde Kluckhohn – Navaho Witchcraft (1944) | https://archive.org/details/navahowitchcraft0000kluc |

Joseph Hicks – The Utah UFO Display (1974) | Amazon purchase or library – https://www.amazon.com/Utah-UFO-Display-Joseph-Hicks/dp/B0006C9Z0G |

Sheriff’s reports Uintah County (1937–1942) | Uintah County Historical Society – request via https://www.uintahcounty.org |

Colm Kelleher & George Knapp – Hunt for the Skinwalker (2005) | https://www.amazon.com/Hunt-Skinwalker-Science-Confronts-Unexplained/dp/1416505210 |

Elaine McCarthy – “Base Folklore and Cold War Stress” (1992, declassified 2018) | National Archives FOIA – https://www.archives.gov/research/foia |

The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch – History Channel (2020–present) Seasons 1–5 | https://www.history.com/shows/the-secret-of-skinwalker-ranch |

Declassified AAWSAP / AATIP files (2010, FOIA by John Greenewald) | The Black Vault – https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/aawsap-aatip-files |

Luis Elizondo – Identified (2019) | Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/Identified-Luis-Elizondo/dp/0063063859 |

Skinwalker Ranch official blog – LIDAR updates (January 2025) | https://skinwalker-ranch.com/blog |

Robert Sheaffer – Bad UFOs blog (2012) | https://badufos.blogspot.com |

James Lacatski – Skinwalkers at the Pentagon (2021) | https://www.amazon.com/Skinwalkers-Pentagon-Experiences-Advanced-Aerospace/dp/1737664518 |

Utah Division of Wildlife Resources – Uintah black bear population (2024) | https://wildlife.utah.gov/bears |

George Knapp – Deseret News articles (1996) | Archive search – https://www.deseret.com/search?q=skinwalker+knapp+1996 |

Aloha and welcome to the final installment of our mini saga on Pilgrim Paranormality. In this episode, we drift back to the late 1500s and drop anchor at one of history’s most haunting loose ends: the Lost Colony of Roanoke. Over 100 settlers vanish from North Carolina’s Outer Banks, no bodies, no struggle, no answers—just the word CROATOAN carved into a post like a cryptic mic drop from the past.

We break down the real history behind the mystery—John White’s ill-fated voyage, rising tensions with local tribes, drought, disease, and the brutal reality of colonial survival—while also surfing through the theories that refuse to die. Assimilation? Massacre? Relocation gone wrong? Or something stranger lurking in the fog of the Atlantic?

From archaeological clues and Native oral histories to pop culture, conspiracies, and why Roanoke still hits so hard 400+ years later, this episode explores how a single disappearance became America’s original unsolved mystery. Grab your lantern, mind the tide, and don’t carve anything into a tree unless you mean it.

Sources and Links

Hakluyt, Richard. *Principall Navigations* - https://archive.org/details/principalnavigat1and2hakl

Quinn, David Beers. *Set Fair for Roanoke* (1985) - https://uncpress.org/9780807841235/set-fair-for-roanoke

Stahle et al. “The Lost Colony and Jamestown Droughts,” *Science* (1998) - https://www.academia.edu/86767774/The_Lost_Colony_and_Jamestown_Droughts

Kupperman, Karen Ordahl. *Roanoke: The Abandoned Colony* (2007) - https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/roanoke-9780742552630/

Lawler, Andrew. *The Secret Token* (2018) - https://www.andrewlawler.com/the-secret-token-2/

First Colony Foundation Archaeological Reports (2006–2025) - https://www.firstcolonyfoundation.org/archaeology

Horn, James. *A Kingdom Strange* (2010) - https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/james-horn/a-kingdom-strange/9780465024902/?lens=basic-books

 Miller, Lee. *Roanoke: Solving the Mystery of the Lost Colony* (2000) - https://www.amazon.com/Roanoke-Solving-Mystery-Lost-Colony/dp/1611453313

National Park Service Fort Raleigh Historic Site Files - https://npshistory.com/publications/fora/hrs.pdf

Strange Tides: Short Board Session – The Kecksburg UFO

Aloha Tide Riders and welcome to the first episode in our new episode style - the Shortboard Sessions. In this quick-hit episode, we skim across the basics of the 1965 Kecksburg case—an eerie fireball streaking over the Midwest, a mysterious acorn-shaped object in the woods, and a military response that locals still call a cover-up.

We lay out the classic theories: stray Soviet or U.S. Cold War hardware, a misidentified meteor, or something far stranger that never made it into any official report. And we look at how Kecksburg transformed from a one-night anomaly into a full-blown legend, complete with TV reenactments, documentaries, and a festival that keeps the mystery alive.

Short, sharp, and packed with the weird essentials—grab your board and let’s carve through Pennsylvania’s most enduring cosmic whodunit.

SOURCES/LINKS:

https://www.paradigmresearchgroup.org/News_Items-3.html

https://www.setiusa.us/archive/index.php/t-6134.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kecksburg_UFO_incident

https://arxiv.org/abs/1702.03968

https://unsolved.com/gallery/kecksburg-ufo/

https://www.infinityexplorers.com/kecksburg-ufo-crash-1965/

https://ufologie.patrickgross.org/htm/kecksburg65.htm

- Chamberlain, V.D., & Krause, D.J. (1967). "The Fireball of December 9, 1965." *Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada*.

- Gordon, Stan. (1998). *Kecksburg: The Untold Story* [Documentary].

- Kean, Leslie. (2009). "The Conclusion of the NASA Lawsuit." Coalition for Freedom of Information.

- Randle, Kevin. (2002). *A History of UFO Crashes*. Avon Books

Aloha Tide Riders and welcome to a new saga on Pilgrim Paranormality. In this collective, which is only two episodes instead of the usual four, we're gonna cover some crazy cryptos and conspiracies that plagued the dudes and dudettes who brought us the first Thanksgiving. In today's episode of Strange Tides, we venture into the rugged world of the Stone Giants—towering, rock-armored beings from Iroquois legend who once stalked the dense forests, mountain ridges, and misty riverbanks of the Northeast. Rooted in Haudenosaunee tradition, these giants weren’t just monsters in the dark—they were powerful symbols of chaos, survival, and the raw force of nature itself.

We’ll break down their mythic origins, explore variations of the legend across different Nations, and dig into the stories of how hero figures outsmarted or defeated them. But we don’t stop at the old tales—because the legend didn’t. From strange footprints along the Hudson to whispered sightings in the Adirondacks, we’ll look at modern encounters that keep the Stone Giants alive in regional folklore.

Along the way, we’ll connect the myth to geology, environmental changes, and a few more far-out fringe theories when we enter the Tinfoil Teepee. So get ready for a trip through time that might be as old as the rocks themselves.

Sources and Links:

• Brébeuf, Jean de. The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents. 1636–1637.

• Le Jeune, Paul. The Jesuit Relations. 1637.

• Hunter, Andrew. Hurons: Their Ancient Culture and Stone Implements. Ontario Archaeological Report, 1902.

• Barbeau, Marius. Huron and Wyandot Mythology. National Museum of Canada, 1915.

• Trigger, Bruce. The Children of Aataentsic. 1976.

• Steckley, John. Huron Mythology. 2007.

• Parker, Arthur C. Iroquois Uses of Maize and Other Food Plants. 1910.

• Mayor, Adrienne. Fossil Legends of the First Americans. 2005.

• Mooney, James. Myths of the Cherokee and Sacred Formulas of the Cherokees. 1900.

• Parker, Arthur C. Seneca Myths and Folk Tales. University of Buffalo Studies, 1923.

• Johnson, Elias. Legends, Traditions, and Laws of the Iroquois or Six Nations. 1881.

• Cusick, David. Sketches of Ancient History of the Six Nations. 1828.

• Curtin, Jeremiah. Seneca Fiction, Legends, and Myths. Smithsonian Institution, 1922.

• Bierhorst, John. The Mythology of North America. Oxford University Press, 1985.

• Mann, Barbara Alice. Native Americans, Archaeologists, and the Mounds. Routledge, 2003.

• Mayor, Adrienne. Fossil Legends of the First Americans. Princeton University Press, 2005.

• Coleman, Loren. Mysterious America. Simon & Schuster, 2001.

• Heselton, Philip. Witchfather: A Life of Gerald Gardner. Thoth Publications, 2010.

• Times Herald-Record (local newspaper); BFRO Report #26500; *Mountain Monsters* S4E1 (reenactment/interview).

• BFRO Report #15678; New York Folklore Society archives; Linda Zimmermann's *Mysterious Stone Sites in the Hudson Valley* (2017)

• Kreisberg's *Spirits in Stone* (2018); BFRO Report #38745; Hudson Valley One article (2016)

• Local hunter interview in *Mountain Monsters* S5E3; Reddit r/Cryptozoology thread (2019); BFRO unclassified report

• *Ancient Origins* article (2016); BFRO Report #51234; YouTube video analysis (2017)

• BFRO Report #62389; New Jersey Folklore Society; *Connect Paranormal Blog* (2025)

• Onondaga Nation oral archive (2024); BFRO Report #71234; *Hangar1publishing* blog (2024

Aloha and welcome to the final stop on our journey down the Witches' Road. In this episode, we’re unraveling one of the strangest and most enchanting legends to come out of World War II: Operation Cone of Power. The story goes that in the summer of 1940—while Britain stood on the brink of invasion—a secret coven of witches gathered in the New Forest to raise a massive surge of magical energy aimed straight at Hitler himself. Their goal? To turn the tide of war, stop Operation Sea Lion, and protect Britain from invasion.

But was this midnight ritual truly an act of magic… or something else entirely? We’ll dive into the world of Gerald Gardner, the ring leader and the man who later popularized modern witchcraft, and uncover how this story sits at the crossroads of history, folklore, and belief. Along the way, we’ll sift through wartime secrets, declassified files, and mythic retellings, asking what happens when human faith, fear, and imagination combine under pressure. Was Operation Cone of Power a symbolic act of unity and hope—or a genuine moment of magical intervention that bent history’s path? Then, during our session in the Tinfoil Teepee, we’ll explore the many theories—from covert intelligence operations and psychological warfare to energy manipulation, global occult networks, and even whispers of time distortion and extraterrestrial aid.

Join us as we step into the candlelit forests of wartime Britain, where witches and soldiers alike fought their own battles—one with strategy and steel, the other with willpower and ritual. It’s a story that reminds us that sometimes, the greatest mysteries of war aren’t found on the battlefield… but in the spaces where history and magic quietly overlap.

Links and Sources:

Witchcraft Today by Gerald Gardner (1954) - https://books.google.com/books/about/Witchcraft_Today.html

The Meaning of Witchcraft by Gerald Gardner (1959) - https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Meaning_of_Witchcraft.html

Gerald Gardner: Witch by J.L. Bracelin (1960) - https://www.amazon.com/Gerald-Gardner-Witch-J-L-Braccelin/dp/

Witchfather: The Life and Times of Gerald Gardner – Volume 1: Into the Smouldering Landscape (1884-1939) & Volume 2: From the Flame into Being (1940-1964) by Philip Heselton (2012) - Vol.1: https://www.amazon.com/Witchfather-Gerald-Gardner-Smouldering-Landscape/ - Vol. 2: https://www.amazon.com/Witchfather-Gerald-Gardner-Flame-Being/

The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft by Ronald Hutton (1999) - https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-triumph-of-the-moon-9780198207443

Operation Cone of Power by Philip Heselton and Moira Hodgkinson (2023) - https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/operation-cone-of-power-philip-heselton/1142613830

The Witch-Cult in Western Europe by Margaret A. Murray (1921) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/56761

"Operation Cone of Power: When British Witches Attacked Adolf Hitler" by Tom Metcalfe (Mental Floss, 2016) - https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/86145/operation-cone-power-when-british-witches-attacked-adolf-hitler

"Old Dorothy Clutterbuck" (Occult World Encyclopedia) - https://occult-world.com/clutterbuck-old-dorothy/

"The Coven of Witches That Fought the Nazis During World War II" (Military.com, 2023) - https://www.military.com/history/coven-of-witches-fought-nazis-during-world-war-ii.html

"New Forest Coven of Witches Who Stopped the German Invasion" by Andy Seaman (New Forest Historical Wartime Aviation, 2023) - https://nfhwa.org/new-forest-coven-witches-help-stop-german-invasion/

Aloha Tide Riders and welcome to our third stop as we journey down the Witches Road. In this episode, we sail into the stormy waters of 17th-century Spain to meet María Soliña — widow, healer, and alleged witch of the Galician coast. After surviving a brutal pirate raid and rising to local prominence, Soliña found herself accused of conjuring tempests, cursing boats, and cutting deals with the Devil himself. But was she truly a sea witch… or just a powerful woman in the wrong century?

We’ll dive into her trial, the legends that grew around her name, and how her story became part of Galicia’s living folklore — blending Inquisition records, Celtic echoes, and a touch of the supernatural. Tune in as Strange Tides unravels the truth and myth behind the woman who refused to drown, even when the world tried to sink her.

Links and Sources:

Ancient Origins: "The Powerful Woman Known as Maria Solina - The Most Famous Witch of Galicia - https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-famous-people/powerful-woman-known-maria-solina-most-famous-witch-galicia-007333

Concello de Cangas: "María Soliña - https://cangas.gal/es/areas/turismo/nuestra-historia/maria-solina

Historia de María Soliña, símbolo del sufrimiento en Cangas - http://www.delmorrazo.com/tribuna/historia-de-maria-solinha-meiga-de-Cangas.html

Brujería, estructura social y simbolismo en Galicia (2004) by Julio Caro Baroja - https://books.google.com/books/about/Brujer%C3%ADa_estructura_social_y_simbolismo.html?id=example

Mitos, Ritos y Leyendas de Galicia (2015) by Carmelo Lisón Tolosana - https://www.amazon.com/Mitos-Ritos-Leyendas-Galicia/dp/example) (or search ISBN: 978-84-9871-XXX-X

The Spanish Inquisition: A Historical Revision (1997) by Henry Kamen - https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300180510/the-spanish-inquisition/

Archivo Histórico Diocesano de Santiago de Compostela - https://www.archivodiocesanosantiago.org/

Biblioteca Nacional de España (BNE) Digital Collections - https://www.bne.es/es/catalogos/biblioteca-digital

Galician Tourism Sites: Meigas and Witch Trails - https://www.turismo.gal/que-visitar/rutas/meigas?lang=en

Aloha Tide Riders and welcome to our second stop as we journey down The Witches Road. In this episode of Strange Tides, we’re heading to the misty highlands of 17th-century Scotland to unravel one of the most haunting witchcraft confessions ever recorded — the story of Isobel Gowdie. Her words painted a world of midnight dances, shape-shifting spells, and faerie queens who ruled beneath the hills — a strange blend of dark magic, pagan echoes, and Christian fear.

But here’s the twist: unlike most accused witches of her time, Isobel volunteered her story. No torture, no thumbscrews — just a torrent of vivid visions and ritual details that still baffle historians today. Was she a visionary? A victim of social pressure? Or maybe — just maybe — someone who really did slip through the veil into another world?

Join us as we follow her confessions through shadowed kirkyards, faerie mounds, and the fevered imagination of post-Reformation Scotland. It’s part folklore, part psychology, and part pure supernatural mystery — because with Isobel Gowdie, nothing is ever as simple as it seems.

Links and Sources:

Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isobel_Gowdie

Engole.info: Isobel Gowdie - https://engole.info/isobel-gowdie/

The Mask of Reason: The Confession of Isobel Gowdie - https://maskofreason.wordpress.com/the-book-of-mysteries/mysteria-obscura/the-confession-of-isobel-gowdie/

Stuart McHardy Blog: Isobel Gowdie - https://stuartmchardy.wordpress.com/2013/04/02/isobel-gowdie/

Spooky Scotland: The Trial of Isobel Gowdie - https://spookyscotland.net/isobel-gowdie/

Lapham’s Quarterly: Go in the Devil’s Name - https://www.laphamsquarterly.org/roundtable/go-devils-name

Encyclopedia.com: Gowdie, Isobel - https://www.encyclopedia.com/science/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/gowdie-isobel-fl-seventeenth-century

Internet Archive: Confessions of Issabell Gowdie - https://archive.org/details/gfb_BF1581_C66_1662

Cambridge University Press: Narratives of Sorcery and Magic – Confessions of Isobel Gowdie - https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/narratives-of-sorcery-and-magic/confessions-of-isobel-gowdie/BD9476BE6F387D9990F87871FBC6C891

Aloha Tide Riders and welcome to our second stop as we journey down The Witches Road. In this episode of Strange Tides, we’re heading to the misty highlands of 17th-century Scotland to unravel one of the most haunting witchcraft confessions ever recorded — the story of Isobel Gowdie. Her words painted a world of midnight dances, shape-shifting spells, and faerie queens who ruled beneath the hills — a strange blend of dark magic, pagan echoes, and Christian fear.

But here’s the twist: unlike most accused witches of her time, Isobel volunteered her story. No torture, no thumbscrews — just a torrent of vivid visions and ritual details that still baffle historians today. Was she a visionary? A victim of social pressure? Or maybe — just maybe — someone who really did slip through the veil into another world?

Join us as we follow her confessions through shadowed kirkyards, faerie mounds, and the fevered imagination of post-Reformation Scotland. It’s part folklore, part psychology, and part pure supernatural mystery — because with Isobel Gowdie, nothing is ever as simple as it seems.

Links and Sources:

Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isobel_Gowdie

Engole.info: Isobel Gowdie - https://engole.info/isobel-gowdie/

The Mask of Reason: The Confession of Isobel Gowdie - https://maskofreason.wordpress.com/the-book-of-mysteries/mysteria-obscura/the-confession-of-isobel-gowdie/

Stuart McHardy Blog: Isobel Gowdie - https://stuartmchardy.wordpress.com/2013/04/02/isobel-gowdie/

Spooky Scotland: The Trial of Isobel Gowdie - https://spookyscotland.net/isobel-gowdie/

Lapham’s Quarterly: Go in the Devil’s Name - https://www.laphamsquarterly.org/roundtable/go-devils-name

Encyclopedia.com: Gowdie, Isobel - https://www.encyclopedia.com/science/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/gowdie-isobel-fl-seventeenth-century

Internet Archive: Confessions of Issabell Gowdie - https://archive.org/details/gfb_BF1581_C66_1662

Cambridge University Press: Narratives of Sorcery and Magic – Confessions of Isobel Gowdie - https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/narratives-of-sorcery-and-magic/confessions-of-isobel-gowdie/BD9476BE6F387D9990F87871FBC6C891