Cannibalism in Scotland: Legend of Sawney Bean

Cannibalism in Scotland: Legend of Sawney Bean

According to legend, Sawney Bean and Agnes "Black" Douglas raised a clan of cannibals in a remote Scottish cave. They killed and ate unlucky travellers on lonely roads. This went on for decades with more than a thousand perishing. Who invented this gruesome story? Why? And why has Sawney Bean become a kind of cult hero in Scotland itself?


Cat Byers is our guest today, a writer and historian based in Paris currently finishing a PhD on the Paris Morgue.


Edited and produced by Freddy Chick. Senior Producer is Charlotte Long.


Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code AFTERDARK sign up at https://historyhit/subscription/


You can take part in our listener survey here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Det här avsnittet är hämtat från ett öppet RSS-flöde och publiceras inte av Podme. Det kan innehålla reklam.

Avsnitt(276)

Who was the Last Witch of Scotland?

Who was the Last Witch of Scotland?

With the nights closing in, what better time to re-visit a favourite episode of ours.In 1727, Janet Horne of the Highland community of Dornoch became the last person in Britain to be tried and execute...

24 Nov 202529min

Could you Survive the Medieval Apocalypse?

Could you Survive the Medieval Apocalypse?

For Medieval Europe, the Apocalypse wasn’t just a metaphor - it was very real and very imminent.We are talking about the four horsemen, locusts the size of horses, the beast of the abyss, the Whore of...

20 Nov 202545min

Why Did Henry VIII Kill Catherine Howard?

Why Did Henry VIII Kill Catherine Howard?

In 1540 Henry VIII was getting old, and his eyes turned to teenager Catherine Howard.He fell hard and fast for Catherine - his "rose without a thorn" - but when he found out about her past, all hell b...

17 Nov 202552min

Who Was Nostradamus?

Who Was Nostradamus?

Did Nostradamus really predict everything from the Great Fire of London to the rise of Hitler?We predict that you'll find out in this episode...Join Anthony and Maddy as they explore the life of 16th ...

13 Nov 202532min

Day in the Life of a Tudor Executioner

Day in the Life of a Tudor Executioner

Did they wear black hoods? Whose axe did they use? How did you get the job in the first place? Today Anthony Delaney takes Maddy Pelling inside the world of the Tudor Executioner.Research by Phoebe Jo...

10 Nov 202542min

Henry VIII's Murderous Reign

Henry VIII's Murderous Reign

Henry VIII was a monarch everyone was excited for, and turned into someone who weaponised his powers for murder.What happened in his life that caused the death toll to suddenly rise?In this episode, A...

6 Nov 202551min

The Perfume Poisoner Who Killed 500 Men

The Perfume Poisoner Who Killed 500 Men

Deep in Renaissance Rome, it is said that a woman called Giulia Tofana supplied poison to kill some 500 abusive men.Is this the stuff of myth and folklore? What historical truth is there to be found? ...

3 Nov 202530min

Introducing a chilling new podcast: TWISTED TALES WITH HEIDI WONG

Introducing a chilling new podcast: TWISTED TALES WITH HEIDI WONG

Reality is the real horror.Every Monday, poet and paranormal obsessive Heidi Wong unearths the chilling true stories behind the world’s most terrifying legends. From haunted dolls to cursed houses, ea...

1 Nov 20257min

Populärt inom Samhälle & Kultur

podme-dokumentar
gynning-berg
p3-dokumentar
aftonbladet-krim
en-mork-historia
skaringer-nessvold
aftonbladet-daily
killradet
hor-har
creepypodden-med-jack-werner
kod-katastrof
flashback-forever
rss-nemo-moter-en-van
svenska-fall
mardromsgasten
historiska-brott
spar
rss-brottsutredarna
vad-blir-det-for-mord
rss-mer-an-bara-morsa