50. Waterfalls: Wailing Spirits, Weird Rituals, and Suspicious Whistles

50. Waterfalls: Wailing Spirits, Weird Rituals, and Suspicious Whistles

February 8, 2026 · 26 min · Episode 50

About this episode

Jenny explores the folklore surrounding waterfalls in Scotland, including wailing spirits and ancient rituals.

The folktales are cascading in this episode as Jenny gets drenched under the waterfall lore of Scotland! First she explores the strange and sad folklore of the wailing Caoineag, a water spirit that lives by waterfalls, and its ties to the Glen Coe Massacre of 1692. Next she looks into the healing powers of waterfalls and Saint Fillan's easing of suffering using magical stones near the village of Killin. Then it’s onto some very odd divination rituals in Trotternish, Skye, that have ancient roots in Irish culture, before ending with the tale of ‘The Silver Whistle’ which takes place in the mighty mountain of Beinn na Caillich on Skye, and sees a drover run in with the Fianna. Follow The Scottish Folklore Podcast on Instagram Visit the website and view the interactive map Support Jenny as she makes the show by joining the Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Host: Jenny

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Scottish Folklore Podcast

Books & works: The Silver Whistle

Places: Scotland, Glen Coe, Killin, Trotternish, Skye, Beinn na Caillich

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