National Park After Dark - The Death of Folklorist Robert Kirk: Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park

Episode Date: October 27, 2025

Do you believe in goblins and fairies? Do you believe in their the magic? Well, the Fairy Minister Reverend Robert Kirk did. In 1691 he published "The Secret Commonwealth of Elves and Fairies", a book that described their habits, appearance, and secrets in detail. The following year, Reverend Kirk was found dead on Doon Hill, the alleged entrance to the realm of the fairies. Coincidence? You decide.For a full list of our sources, visit npadpodcast.com/episodesFor the latest NPAD updates, group travel details, merch and more, follow us on npadpodcast.com and our socials at:Instagram: @‌nationalparkafterdarkTikTok: @‌nationalparkafterdarkSupport the show by becoming an Outsider and receive ad free listening, bonus content and more on Patreon or Apple Podcasts. Want to see our faces? Catch full episodes on our YouTube Page!Thank you to the week’s partners!Uncommon Goods: Use our link to get 15% off your next gift,Rocket Money: Use our link to get started saving.Nutrafol: Get $10 off your first month’s subscription and free shipping when you use promo code NPAD.Smalls: For a limited time, get 60% off your first order, plus free shipping, when you head to Smalls.com/NPAD. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Close your eyes. Listen to Monday.com. Feel the sensation of an AI work platform. So flexible and intuitive, it feels like it was built just for you. Now open your eyes, go to Monday.com. Start for free and finally, breathe. Expedia and visit Scotland invite you to come step into centuries of history that await in Scotland. Castle Steepton Legend, walk along cobblestone streets. Come share the warmth of stories passed down through generations.

This is a place with a past that is fully present today and all yours to explore. Plan your Scottish escape today at Expedia.com slash visit Scotland. Every October, when the air turns cold and the days grow short, something ancient stirs beneath the surface of our world. The veil between the living and the dead grows thin and souls from the past return. Before jackalantons and trick-or-treating, this time of year was sacred. A turning of the seasons when spirits walked among us and unseen forces entered our world. Across the miscovered hills of Scotland, Ireland, and beyond, people once lit fires to keep the

dark at bay and left offerings for the unseen. They called them the good people, the fairies, the ones you never speak of too loudly for fear they might hear. The fairies weren't the tinkerbells of children's tales. They were wild and ancient, creatures of twilight and revenge who could bless a household or curse a bloodline. For centuries, people knew better than to go looking for them. But one man did. A scholar, a believer, a man who claimed to have seen beyond the veil.

He wrote down their secrets and in doing so sealed his fate. Welcome to National Park After Dark. Hello everyone. Welcome back to National Park After Dark. I'm Danielle. I'm Cassie. Welcome. It's Halloween week.

I'm so excited. And because I know that like this episode is going to be a lot about fairies and stuff, but it's also a very real story about somebody going missing or dying or I already forget. You told me earlier. Yeah. Well, we'll find out really soon. But it is a true story. And it took place in Scotland, which is fun because I want to. to go to an international park and I wanted to kind of dive into Halloween and the story behind

its beginnings. But also, I wanted to get into fairies and stuff because they're so deeply ingrained with Halloween tradition. And I think a lot of times, at least for me, when I first heard of fairies growing up and stuff, I'm like, oh, Tinkerbell, like beautiful little woodland fairies that are bright and happy. And that's not their history. They're actually a lot darker than that. So I thought it would be fun to dive into some folklore for Halloween. And I'm very excited that it's taking place in Scotland because Scotland has taken over my entire life. Scotland is calling you. It really is.

Okay. So, and I know I'm falling prey to the internet algorithms and the powers that be there. I know it's not like some weird divine intervention in any way. but Scotland, Halifax, and the new Dracula are all that I see on my feed. I didn't even know there was a new Dracula. Okay. I need to hold on a minute. Okay.

I truly don't. We live such separate lives because I can't open my phone without clips of the new Dracula being thrust into my face. And I just, I feed into it because it's amazing. So I guess the new Dracula came out already internationally, but it's not coming to U.S. theaters until February. Oh, interesting. We're last. Actually, the U.S. has historically, they get movies later than other places. Well, I might have to take up offers to watch this, like on the whatever sites that.

I'm not just saying I'm going to do anything illegal, but. You're going to break the law and you're going to go on one of those. It's like you're going to go on one of the movie Limewire sites. Yeah, and then my entire system is going to crash. But it'll be worth it because you'll get the movie first. It just looks so. And I'm trying not to spoil it because clearly it's out and there's footage of, I mean, people have seen, millions of people have seen it.

But I'm going to send you clips of it. It just looks. So it can be my algorithm. Bring back yearning, men who yearn. You know what I mean? Yeah. It's like one of those and it's just he's been waiting for his love to reincarnate. again. So he, oh my God, it's just a whole thing. And I can't believe you haven't seen it. But yeah,

even a single time. Well, that'll change in an hour and a half when we're done with this. But yeah, so the new Dracula, Halifax, just because of the Titanic, it's always kind of swirling around. And then, yeah, Scotland has been, Uttembera has been on my radar for a while. And I know we've talked about it before. But have you been when you were? No. Okay. For some reason, I always feel like You've been there, maybe just because you've been over to England quite a bit. Yeah, I've done a lot of Europe, but not Scotland. It is definitely on my list. My mom's going to a wedding there in March or May or something next year, but I'm very, very jealous.

I was tempted to go for my birthday this year because last year I did Ireland. Yeah. But I don't know. I just like, I don't really want to go. And I'm sure it's probably charming in the winter because my birthday is a couple weeks before Christmas. So I always get that like Christmas market type of holiday feel for my birthday. And I'm sure it's very nice there for the holidays. But I don't know. I just kind of maybe would rather go in the fall. And the fall is already booked up. So. Yeah. That's true. Next year. Next year. 2006 for sure.

Here we can be. Okay. Until that gets booked up too. I would love to hear about fairies. Yeah. Yeah. And how. We hope everyone is having a fun, spooky season. Are you dressing up? I have no plans for Halloween. Yeah, me neither. Sad.

This is adult life. I know. I'm like, well, I guess, wait, do I have? Oh, no, I get back. That's the day after. So I'm going to Durango for a couple of days. And I fly back. I made my flight the day before Halloween.

because I'm like, I got to be home for Halloween. New England, yeah. And then when I really stopped to think about it, I was like, okay, in actuality, what am I doing? I have zero plans. Like, why am I rushing back here to do nothing? I don't know. Maybe, I don't know, maybe there's a local event going on. Yeah.

Yeah, I have zero plans at all. And it's kind of been like that for the past few Halloweens, I think. I don't remember the last time I did something for Halloween. Just sad. God, I guess me either. I want to dress up? Oh, no. Actually, okay, the last time I did do something, I do remember. I dressed up as Beetlejuice. I still had my Beetlejuice costume.

I actually remember that costume. Because I did my whole, like, I did like the face paint. I did my hair. I did the whole thing. And Ian and I went to a bar in the crypt. They had like an event going on in Washington. And I think it was Tacoma maybe. I don't know. Yeah. And then we tried to come back in. We set up for trick-or-treaters and none ever came. We just waited out there for hours. And it was so sad.

I know I've said this before, but it was so sad because we'd hear like distant laughter. We knew. They're nearby. They're just not here. They were so close. And we had like, we put music out. We did like the little tea lanterns.

We, like, we were trying to draw in the children. And no one ever came. That's sad. I know. And that was lit. But you're just sitting there and you're just sitting there. B.L. Juice costume and no one's it was like dress up. He had like a mask on and stuff and he was just like sitting in a

foldout chair next to a bowl of candy. Just waiting for someone to show up. We weren't even like, oh, we're going to watch a movie and if somebody knocks on the door or whatever, like we'll hand it out. Like you're actively participating. We were set up. We were ready. Candy in hand to give over. And yeah, no one ever came. And I do. I do.

At the end of the night and you're just like slowly eating the candy that no one came got. We ordered dominoes. We're like, we got to feed ourselves. We're post up here for a long time. Yeah. Anyway. So I guess that was the last, it's a sad last Halloween event, I guess. So, all right, turn this around. I'm sick of talking and I want to listen to something else. Okay. Well, let's dive into our story because today we step across the veil. We are delving into the deep, mysterious roots of a popular modern holiday. And of course, you know, that is Halloween. So good, so good, so good.

Everything you want for summer is at Nordstrom rack stores now. And up to 60% off. Stock up and save on the brands you love like Vince, Sam Edelman, frame, and free people. Join the Nordi Club to unlock exclusive discounts, shop new arrivals first, and more. Plus, buy online and pick up at your favorite rack store for free. Great brands, great prices. That's why you rack. Long before plastic pumpkins and pre-packaged candy, October 31st was known as Sawin.

This ancient Celtic festival marked the end of summer, the welcoming of the harvest, and the entry point into the dark part of the year. Sawwin was the Celtic New Year and took place the night before All Saints Day. It was believed that during the transition of Sawin, the boundaries between the world of the living and the world of the dead were lifted. Spirits walk the earth and this time of year was devoid. devoted to the dead, the ancestors, and the she. The she were believed to be powerful, sometimes unpredictable, spirits often referred to with euphonisms like the good people. The tradition of wearing disguises and costumes during Sawin started because people sought to confuse the evil spirits traveling the earth so they would be left alone. Games of chance,

like bobbing for apples, can trace their roots to these ancient customs. Even the traditional colors of Halloween, black and orange, originated with Sawin. Black represented the death of the summer. The orange symbolized the autumn harvest season, which was something that I never knew. I just accepted that black and orange was Halloween with no questions asked. Cool. I'm going to trivia tonight, so I'm banking all these fun facts. You know, you never know what's going to come up in trivia.

It's the season, so I feel like these would be part of trivia. Yeah. And if they're not, maybe I'll just offer the information. I have some trivia questions actually for the audience. I grab the mic. I'm like, hello, everyone. It's Halloween. And do you know what the meaning of black and orange is for this holiday?

That's such a good trivia question. It is. Okay. I'm banking it. Now you know. And if anyone is participating in trivia and you get this as a trivia question and you get it right because of me, please let me know. That would be incredible. I've never heard a question like that.

But it's such a piece of obscure knowledge that I feel like would be on jeopardy or something like that. It's like, how do they come up with those questions? Or like who wants to be a millionaire? I feel like I have a better shot at who wants to be a millionaire, especially because they. Phone a friend. Well, yeah, you have like your three lifelines. But also because I feel like they start with some softballs. Yeah.

Almost as if I can do this. And then you're like, wow, I don't know anything. They got to keep you there for a little while. They can't just, like, shoot you down really quick. Jeopardy doesn't do that. Yeah, they don't care. Jeopardy just goes right in hard. My Grammy, my mom's mom, I remember as a kid watching both Jeopardy and who wants to be a millionaire with her, and she knew everything. We used to always be like, you have to go on this show because we would be sitting there and she would say an answer and she would be right, like probably 80% of the time. I just don't understand how one prepares for something like that because,

the questions are so, there is no pattern to the question. Like, they're just, you need to have knowledge of everything. Yeah, you just have to know everything. You have to know a little bit about every single subject. And not even a little bit. Like specific important pits. Yeah. So the last time I watched Jeopardy was when Nitea was in labor. We had her husband, Mike, put on Jeopardy. She's, That's a good distraction show. I don't know. I think that at one point, she was just like, you know, hunched over, like, turn this shit off. I don't care. Burthing new life. But yeah, and there's a couple times that we paused it and had to really think about it and mull it over. And even then, yeah. Yeah, we got maybe too. Yeah. There's times I don't even understand what the question is asking. It's not even that I don't know the answer. I don't know the question. That does make it harder to win.

Don't sign me up for Jeopardy ever. Jeopardy don't even think about coming over here. I know it's tempting, but I won't do well. Sign me up for Iswick Cake because I would thrive. Cassie's dream is to be on Isset Cake. A top five dream, probably. If you ever see me on Isick Cake, just know that I've made it. We don't need anything.

What are like big things? We don't need to be... We don't need to see our name and light somewhere. We just want to be on Isick. Actually, I don't have any interest. I'll be in the crowd cheering you on. There isn't a crowd on Is It Cake. It's just the...

No, like in a bag, like just the... There's so crowd. What are you talking about? There's no live audience? No. The audience are the people who are participating in the show. Oh. Okay.

Well, I'll sit on the sidelines and watch you. And anyway, okay, this, up as people are going to be like, shut the fuck up, please. Anyway, back to Halloween. But that is relevant because they did do, Isa Cake did a Halloween series where they did all spooky cakes and stuff. So it is relevant. I was just taking a sip of my coffee and it almost came out of my nose. No, I swear this fits into this. This makes sense.

This makes sense. It does. My God. Okay. I'm going to mute myself. Does this program have a mute button? I think it does, but I need you to participate. Anyway, going back into it, last thing I said was black represents the death of summer and orange symbolizes the autumn harvest season. But these weren't all just quaint stories. These beliefs were woven into the very fabric of life. If you failed to make appropriate gestures to the ancestors or if you were simply unfortunate enough to be out alone, on Saw one night, you risked being killed or abducted by these roaming spirits or fairies. The world of the she was believed to be an invisible parallel universe that intersected with ours in strange and dangerous ways. It also serves, as I've been hinting, as an ominous precursor to the very legend and lore that define our modern Halloween, which brings us to the magnificent

Loch Lomond and Trussack's National Park and the charming village of Aberfoyle and Scot. Scotland. Lock Lomond and the Trussack's National Parks boast some of the most stunning scenery in the world, from breathtaking mountains and glens to the vast tranquil beauty of its locks. The National Park is home to Queen Elizabeth Forest Park, where you can find the village of Aberfoyle. And this is one thing that's really interesting, I think, about European national parks and a lot of other places around the world is when you're in the U.S., you think of national parks and it's just vast land, at least for most of them. And when you get to the UK and places around Europe, national parks don't mean there aren't towns or people living in them.

So when I was researching this about Aberfoil, it's very much a town that people live and recreate in. But it's also a national park. Yeah, that is pretty cool. Yeah, it would be cool to live inside a national park way, which I won't even dive into that. But I learned that my family history, they used to live in a national park in Italy, which I thought was really cool. But going back into Aberfoil, it sits on the banks of River Forth and serves historically as the Southern Gateway to the Trussacks. Following the publication of Walter Scots, The Lady of the Lake, Aberfoil quickly developed into a popular holiday village noted for its distinct Victorian architecture and attractive Main Street. Visitors today can find shops, cafes, restaurants, and the Aberfoil Golf Club, which was established in 1890.

There's also the Trussex Discovery Center where you can learn more about the area's natural beauty and history. The Trussex region is famous for its stunning scenery, and it also offers adventures ample opportunity for an adrenaline rush. Visitors can explore the Queen Elizabeth Forest by flying 46 meters above the ground on Britain's longest zip line or venture through over 60 miles of bike paths and forest walks. The Duke's Pass, named after the Duke of Montrose, is regarded as one of Britain's best drives providing spectacular views. It follows a route once used by Rob Roy's Cattle Drovers, which is fun because Roy, known as the Scottish Robin Hood, was the Duke's nemesis. Fun fact of more history you can dive into on. More trivia. Further north along the Duke's Pass is the Three Locks Forest Drive, a seven and one-fourth mile loop open to Walker's, cyclists and drivers. Within this beautiful, historically rich landscape is Dune Hill. And Dune Hill is where

our story takes place today. Dunhill, sometimes referred to as Ferry No or Dunce, is around soft, gentle hill, not high like the surrounding trussacks. The trail to the summit starts near the main parking lot in Aberfoyle. It's an easy, tranquil, two-hour circular walk that includes quiet oak woodland and mossy rocks. This small, seemingly innocuous hill has been long regarded as a significant spot in folklore. It's believed to be the entryway or threshold to the other world of fairies, a gateway guarded by mythical beings. In Reverend Robert Kirk's words, the local mountain people considered these fairy hills dangerous to peel or discover by taking earth or wood from them. At the top of Dune Hill, visitors reach a clearing where a single ancient Scotts pine stands among

circling oak trees. This is known locally as the minister's ponds. or the fairy tree. According to local belief, this pine is thought to be a doorway to an underground fairy queen's palace, where the soul of Reverend Robert Kirk is still held captive. The village of Aberfoyle is so deeply connected to this legend that Kirk's story has helped earn it the name the fairy capital. And going a little bit into our story in the 1600s Reverend Robert Kirk, a minister in Aberfoyle and an accomplished Gaelic scholar became obsessed with local folklore and the existence of these subterranean invisible people. Like many in the 17th century, he believed in spirits, witchcraft, and pagan rituals. In 1691, Reverend Kirk published an extraordinary book, The Secret Commonwealth of Elves and Fairies, which might sound like it's a fiction book, but this was completely based on his children.

true beliefs, and this book meticulously described the habits, appearance, and hidden secrets of fairy folk, also known as Eurisks. Local people believed that by revealing these closely guarded secrets in print, Kirk had transgressed a sacred taboo and greatly annoyed the spirit people. The following year, on May 14, 1692, Kirk disappeared mysteriously. His body was found eventually on Dune Hill, dressed only in a night. down. While some suggest he died of a sudden collapse or natural causes, local lore insists that the fairies killed him as retribution for betraying them. Well, everyone knows the first rule of fight club is you don't talk about fight club. So true. And it's funny because even telling and reading

this, I'm like, this all feels like fake lore that isn't a true story. But all of this is, I think the most interesting part about the story is that all of this is true. Okay, wait. What part of it feels not real? Like, that this guy dedicated his life to exposing fairies? No, that the whole town forever has thought that this area of Dune Hill is like this very opening of the, like, it feels like it would be folklore and it is, but it's also deeply ingrained in beliefs then. And his whole study of folklore. and fairies and stuff, it can almost, I think, feel like, wait, what? So are you going to, if I'm jumping ahead, I'm sorry, but how did he get into this? Because you said he's a minister. Yes. Right.

So was this just kind of a passion project or like a side thing? I think him being a minister actually contributed to his spiritual beliefs that contributed to his interest in folklore. But I'm so glad that you ask that because in order to fully understand his story, we have to dive into his. Girl, winter is so last season. And now Springs got you looking at pictures of tank tops with hungry eyes. Your algorithm is feeding you cutoffs. You're thirsty for the sun on your shoulders. That perfect hang on the patio sundress. Those sandals you can wear all day and all night. And you've had enough of shop from your couch. Done hoping it looks anything like the picture when you tear up on that envelope.

It's time for a little in-person spring treat. It's time for a trip to Ross. Work your magic. So going into what came of his death on the hill, this gave rise to an even stranger tale in Aberfoyle. Some said that the body that was found was merely a fake. It was an exact replica of him, but it wasn't truly him. They claimed the real Robert Kirk's soul, body, and spirit were captured and imprisoned in fairyland. His prison is said to be the ancient Scots pine tree standing alone on the hill's summit, now known as the minister's pine or the fairy tree. There was an attempt to free him at his posthumous child's baptism, which we will get into in a little bit. You're saying so much that I have so many questions about. But the attempt failed.

And Kirk remains trapped in fairyland. His ghost is said to still wander the hillside. So today, Dune Hill remains a site of spiritual significance. Visitors tie ribbons and offerings to the fairy tree, forever linking this quiet corner of Scotland to the dark, fascinating world of the supernatural. But like I said before, to totally understand why this region of the world has remained so connected to the supernatural with Robert Kirk at its center for hundreds of years, you need to understand who Robert Kirk truly was. The story of the fairy minister begins long before his

ill-fated walk on Dunehill. Robert Kirk was born probably in Aberfoyle, Perthshire, in 1644. Some sources suggest he might have been born as early as 1641. He was the son of Reverend James Kirk, who was the minister of Aberfoyle. Aberfoyle was a royalist stronghold, so Robert was a native Gaelic speaker. Crucially, Robert Kirk was the seventh son of his minister father. In the traditional beliefs of the Highlands, being a seventh son conferred upon the individual the power of second sight. Second site, known in Gaelic as Taver, allowed an individual to see the otherwise invisible world of the fairies and spirits. This inherent supernatural connection is why Robert Kirk later chose to delve into the beliefs surrounding the fairy world.

Robert was an accomplished scholar, linguist, and theologian. In 1661, he graduated with an M.A. from Edinburgh University and went on to further study at St. Andrews. After his ordination, he began his ministry in November 1664 in the parish of Balquitter, which was near his birthplace. He was appointed minister of Aberfoyle in 1685 and returned his childhood home and his father's former parish. His dedication to Gaelic scholarship was immense. He began translating the Bible, Psalms, and Catechism into Gaelic. His work was deemed both important and elegant. Around 1689, he went to London for eight months to supervise the printing of Bishop

Bettle's Gaelic Bible, which came to be known as Kirk's Bible of 1690. This work also included a vocabulary of 464 difficult words foreshadowing future Gaelic dictionaries. Kirk was an intellectual who actively engaged in theological and metaphysical debates seeking to combat the rise of fashionable skepticism and materialism. For Kirk, fairies provided a key piece of evidence for spiritual realms. If he could convince people of the realities of fairies, he believed he could uphold the beliefs in angels, the devil, and ultimately God. Okay. This is answering questions too. A lot.

Like why he's connecting all of this. Yeah, like why is he so passionate about fairies in particular and that it's all coming together. It's all all tying together. His goal was to suppress the impudent and growing atheism of this age. While in London, he met Bishop Edward Stillingfleet and his wife, Elizabeth. Since the bishop was also a seven son, the couple asked Kirk what this implied. Kirk wrote his next book in response, dedicating it to Elizabeth's Stilling Fleet. Kirk married twice while serving a bell quitter. He married Isabel Campbell in 1678 with whom he had a son named Colin.

After Isabel's death on Christmas Day two years later, Kirk later married her cousin. Scandalous. If I die, do not marry my cousin. Not you, I'm just saying. Wait. If I die and if I die and Elle married my cousin, I would haunt him forever. We've had this argument before, but I feel like maybe different. I just, of all the people. Yeah, but it's like, I don't know. I feel like it's like you would have, there's like a closer, like you, both those people loved you. Yeah.

And that's a totally fair point. I just, yeah. It's fine. It's a fair point. It's fine if you feel differently. I just think that it's like you both. Yeah. Love the same person.

Yeah. You love the same person. And I mean, I don't know. I don't know. Keep it all in the family. Keep it all in the family, I guess, yeah. I know that, and that was like a, I'm sure also what we're talking, 1600s, how many other people are around? Yeah.

And you kind of marry your family members at this time sometimes. So at least it's not his personal family member. Yeah. I mean, by marriage, I guess. Which, eh, it's a great area. Well, he later marries her cousin, Margaret Campbell. and they had a son named Robert. Margaret was pregnant with her second child, Marjorie, at the time of Kirk's death.

It is believed Kirk completed the manuscript for his most famous and infamous work around 1691. It was published under the title, The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fonds, and Ferrys, or an essay on the nature and actions of the subterranean and for the most part invisible people, heretofore going under the name of Fonds and Ferrys and the like as described by those. who have the second site. Wait, that was the title? That was the entire title. I just blacked out. Can you say that one more time? Say this three times fast.

The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Farries, Fonson, or the essay on the nature of actions of the subterranean, for the most part, invisible people here to foregoing under the name of Fonson Ferrys and the like, as to described by those who have the second site. The secret site. The secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fonson Faries, or the essay. Did you get it? I got it. Wow. Okay. I don't need to read the book. I feel like I got it. It's confusing read. I tried to read it because there's actually, you can read this book. It's better known as the secret commonwealth of elves and fairies. And I think that's for obvious reasons why it's better known as that instead of there. But you can actually find a digital version online if anyone is interested in reading it. But I will say it's very difficult to read. And I think because people spoke and wrote very differently in the same. 1960s, but I was reading it and I'm like, what is this? Hey, you know, I had to kind of like re. It's like me trying to read a jeopardy question. Yeah. It's like, hold on. Yeah, it's pretty similar. Pretty similar experience. Yeah. Well, Kirk completed the manuscript around 1691, but the book didn't

appear in print until 1815 when Sir Walter Scott published it. However, small numbers of handwritten copies of Kirk's manuscript were in circulation before he died. The Secret Commonwealth of Elves and Fairies recounts the habits, attitudes, and appearance of the supernatural beings that Kirk's parishioners referred to as the she or good people. Kirk treated the existence of fairies as a phenomenon worthy of study, blending his theological insights and local oral traditions in the manner of a folklorist and proto-scientist. He lived in a transitional age between tradition and modernity, magic and science, and his book stands as a priceless cultural document. Kirk presented his material as an anthropological study to avoid the political and theological dangers of writing directly about fairies in a skeptical age. Magic and science were still closely linked, and contemporary members of the Royal Society were great collectors of and often firm believers in magic. Kirk's depiction of fairies in the fairy world was extremely detailed.

He described them as having a middle nature between man and angel. He referred to them as lynchobious people, meaning those living by lamplight. He was also quite poetic, referring to fairies as people who, instead of day, useth the night and liveth as if they were by candle night, emphasizing their ghostly nature. He described them as pliable through the subtility of the spirits that do agitate them, that they can make them appear or disappear at their leisure. Kirk said that they had light, changeable bodies of cussetects of cussetate them,

congealed air. Some were human-sized. Others were much smaller. They wore clothes similar to humans in their region. Kurt compared their ability to change themselves and disappear to the chameleon. He said, Little Beast that Doth easily change itself into all colors and is nourished only with the air. Just to give a little view of how he spoke. Imagine reading that for like 200 pages. Little Beath that Doth easily change. I would need a translation. I think for each sentence. Yeah.

I feel like this episode, half of it, you've been speaking to me in riddles. Yeah. I feel like I'm reading the text right now through you. I get it, though. I don't, I'm not sure. I have a vision of what I think he's trying to describe. But the whole being lit by candle night or whatever you said through me for a second.

Yeah. Like, are they glowing? Like, are they glowing? I think that they are mostly out at night, is what he was trying to say. Okay, yeah. Ferrys were thought to inhabit the subterranean cavities and cells of the earth. Kirk embraced the concept that asserted that there was no corner of the earth that was empty of fairies. He wrote that there was, quote, no such thing as a pure wilderness in the whole universe. or one devoid of fairies.

He reasoned that since humans lived on the surface and worms, otters, and fish lived under it, it was inconceivable that the middle cavities could be empty. They often moved their lodging at the beginning of each quarter of the year, transversing until doomsday, impatient in staying in one place. When they move, Kirk wrote, their chameleon-like bodies swim in the air near the earth with bag and baggage. I can't argue with that. I understand. I'm picking up what he's putting down on that one. I get it. I mean, that logic, you can't really argue. Yeah. It's like there's this middle ground of you can't say that they're not here. Yeah. It's like you're right, but can you say they are for sure? It's like, do you know? He definitely feels like he knows if he wrote a whole book about it. Yeah. Does he claim to have ever seen one? Yes. Okay.

Yes, because he has like the gift of sight. Oh, the second sight. The shining. Yeah. Ready to soundtrack your summer? With Red Bull Summer All Day Play, you choose a playlist that fits your summer vibe the best. Are you a festival fanatic, a deep end DJ, a road dog, or a trail mixer?

Just add a song to your chosen playlist and put your summer on track. Red Bull Summer All Day Play. Red Bull gives you wings. Visit Red Bull.com slash Bright Summer Ahead to learn more. See you this summer. Ferrys were said to take the nourishment out of food and they would just leave the husks behind. They sometimes stole corn, prey, and he wrote, praying on the grain as do crows and mice. Their own homes had lamps and fires often seen without fuel.

They were rarely seen laughing. And according to Kirk, their mirth was more like the constrained grinning of a mort head. They were described. What? I don't know. What are you trying to say to me? Cassie, what's a moor? I don't know what a moort head is, but he said it.

No, his, there something is like a moorhead. What? They're mirth. Sorry, they're mirth. Sorry, I need to look at what a mort head is. Well, let's start with mirth because that's the first part. I think that's like their being, their essence. Yeah.

Oh, mirth is a literary or formal term. for great amusement and happiness often expressed through laughter. It's found in classical literature from older texts. Yeah, no shit. We know. What is a mort head? Like M-O-R-T? Yeah.

A mort-head is likely a misspelling of death's head. No, that's not true. Oh, the earliest known use of the noun morthead is in the mid-1500s. Okay. Okay. We're kind of. We're on something. It's earliest evidence for Morthead.

is from around 1554, from the Oxford English Dictionary, it doesn't go on. It's like that's when it was said. It's lost. It's lost in time. It does say it was used in Scottish English. Well, that tracks for all of this. Okay, what the hell? A more head is whatever you want it to be. Use your imagination. Imagination. Well, anyway, he further explained that the fairy world was the source of the gift of second sight. The second sighters or seers were often men in the highlands. And as I said earlier, Kirk considered himself among them. Sears, sorry. God, I keep interrupting. I'm so sorry. But that's just so interesting because generally when we think of people with psychic abilities or second sight, they're women. Yeah. And here they're thought of to be men. The seventh son, particularly.

Yes. So not the seventh child. Seventh son. Okay. Poor moms. It's like I must have a seer. Ten children later. Sears often had terrifying encounters with fairies, especially during the four quarters days of the year. So each like the years split up in four quarters in that day that marks the first quarter, the second quarter, the third quarter, the fourth quarter. quarter, that was when Sears were known to have encounters with fairies more often. So in case you were wondering, in Scotland, the four quarter days are Candlemas on February

2nd, Witt Sunday on May 15th, LaMas on August 1st, and Mardomass on November 11th, which for the super curious is different from the English four quarter days, which are Lady Day on March 25th, midsummer's day on June 24th, Michael Mass on September 24th. and December 25th, aka Christmas. So it's kind of different points in the year. Sears were believed to have keener senses, much like animals. In Kirk's words, they were like a deer that sense out a man at a great distance. Or the raven whose brain has been clarified by the high and subtle air.

Oh, that's why they're so smart. They're so high up there. Yeah, there's no oxygen up there. Clear air up there. Yeah. I didn't think of that before. In the secret commonwealth of elves and fairies, Kirk detailed the belief that every human being possesses a double man or a co-walker. Think of this as a dual self or a spiritual counterpart.

The double man walked with a person invisibly all their life until the human host died, at which point the double man would disappear. If a person's co-walker was seen separate from the human while the human was alive, it signified that the person would die very soon. Kirk's book fascinated many, including Sir Walter Scott, but it was Kirk's obsession and his alleged transgression that secured his lasting infamy. Robert Kirk was often seen walking from the manse to Dune Hill, one of his favorite spots. The local mountain people considered the fairy hills dangerous. Kirk was well aware that crossing the threshold of a known fairy abode was a transgression.

He had even interviewed a woman named McIntyre who had fallen asleep on the fairy hill and afterwards became melancholious and silent and was known to hardly ever see smile or laugh. This should have served as a clear warning to the reverend of the risks because they believed that her stay there just changed her and people who went there were changed permanently. But he didn't. He wasn't afraid of this change that people said in this dark lore around fairies and darker magic that was at play. So they thought that this significantly was a problem that he was kind of inviting something bad to happen for him. But then on top of that, he wrote a book detailing all of the fairy secrets. According to local belief, by putting the

secrets of the spirit down on paper, Kirk annoyed the fairies. Even if the book wasn't published until much later, the mere act of writing the secrets was considered enough to lead to his death. So on May 14, 1692, when Robert Kirk was found dead on Dune Hill, dressed only in a nightgown, there was lots of speculation. While some acknowledged the possibility that Robert suffered a sudden collapse or died of natural causes, local lore and tradition overwhelmingly holds that the fairies were responsible. The story doesn't end with Robert's burial. Reverend Patrick Graham, Kirk's successor in Aberfoyle, recorded the pervasive local belief that Kirk was not truly dead. People were convinced that a stalk of his body had been left behind on the hill while his actual body and soul were imprisoned in fairyland.

Kirk's prison is said to be the great Lone Scots Pine on the hill summit. His spirit was believed to be trapped serving the fairy queen as a chaplain. In a ghostly turn, Kirk was said to have appeared to his cousin, Graham. Kirk had died while his second wife Margaret was pregnant. He told Graham he was not dead but captive in fairy queen. land. Kirk provided instructions for his release saying that this was his last chance. When his posthumous child was brought to the manse for baptism, Kirk said he would appear in the room. He instructed Graham to throw the knife or dirk over the apparitions head and Kirk would be freed. Otherwise, he would be lost forever. Cold iron, such as a dirk or dagger, was widely known as a defense against fairies. So Graham brought the dirk as instructed. And true to his words, Kirk appeared at the christening. However, Graham was so astonished by the sight of Kirk that he couldn't move. When Graham failed to throw the knife, the opportunity was lost. The specter vanished,

and Kirk was left captive in fairyland for all of eternity. Kirk's family appeared resigned to his fate. His oldest son Colin reportedly said, father has gone to his own kind. Another version of the story suggests Kirk continuing trying to escape, appearing to people in dreams and telling them he could still be saved if a dirk was stuck into his great chair, which was still kept at the manse. Unfortunately, no child seems to have been christened at the manse after 1692, so the chance was lost. This episode is brought to you by Prime. Obsession is in session. And this summer, Prime Originals have everything you want. Steamy romances, irresistible love stories, and the book to screen favorites you've already read twice. Off campus, L.

Every year after, the love hypothesis, Sterling Point, and more. Slow burns, second chances, chemistry you can feel through the screen. Your next obsession is waiting. Watch only on Prime. Adding to the ghoulishness of the story, one researcher noted that Kirk's will was signed on May 13, 1692, the day before his death. Some say this suggests he may have anticipated his own demise. Another piece of lingering lore says that when travelers cross the humpbacked bridge near Dune Hill

that they might feel something touching their back. This is said to be the soul of Robert Kirk begging to be freed. Despite the rumors in lore that, of course, his body wasn't his, Kirk was buried at Aberfoyle Old Parish Churchyard. Visitors can find his earthly grave in the churchyard near the roofless ruins. His memorial, a slab of red sandstone, notes in Latin that he was a luminary of the Iberian tongue and the pastor of Aberfoyle who died May 14, 1692, age 48.

Notably, the gravestone visible today may not be the original one. And some believe the coffin may have been filled with stones, not Kirk's body, reinforcing the legend that Kirk was spirited away by fairies. The original writing on the stone mentioned Kirk's work translated the Psalms into Gaelic. However, it makes no reference to his work on fairies. This is probably because in the 17th century, witchcraft was still being condemned. A small modern plaque has been erected, and it discreetly notes that the gravestone of Robert Kirk, the quote, fairy minister is inside.

And with his burial, I wanted to kind of do a little bit of a shout out to your cemetery series that you've been doing on Instagram because I wanted to talk about some of the symbols that are on Robert Kirk's Headstone. Yay, okay, I'm so excited. And as you have explained, images and symbols on headstones correspond to certain time periods

and reflect religious beliefs and philosophical attitudes of the people. In New England, for instance, the death's head started popping up in the late 1600s correlating with the Puritan's grim attitudes towards death and human mortality. The shift away from this not so uplifting imagery to winged cherubs or soul effigies came with changing religious views that embraced the hope for resurrection and the soul's flight to an immortal afterlife.

The symbols on Kirk's grave, however, merge the sober reality of his clerical life with the dangerous ambiguity of his true fate. The slab bears three specific designs. The first one is etched thistle. This represents Robert Kirk's proud Highland background. Then there's the shepherd's crook, which symbolizes Reverend Roberts' calling as a pastor. Finally, there's a dagger. This is thought to be a coded reference to the fairy story. It is said to represent the dirk that Graham was supposed to throw, but never did.

Some sources, however, suggest the dagger is a Templar sword linking Kirk to Masonic connections. The story of the fairy minister, Reverend Robert Kirk, and the mysteries of Dune Hill are far from forgotten. They remain central to the history and myth of Aberfoyle. Today, the walk in Robert Kirk's footsteps, which begins at the Aberfoil parking lot and passes his graveyard, is a well-known local path. Visitors still make the ascent to Dunhill, a place of historical and spiritual significance. They visit the lone Scots Pine, aka the fairy tree, which is still adorned with ribbons and wishes tied to the branches in memory of Robert Kirk. The persistence of the Kirk legend reminds us that belief in the unseen in folklore in the she, in worlds beyond our own, is an

enduring preoccupation. Kirk's texts argue the existence of the fairy people proved the existence of the spiritual realm and fought the skepticism of his age. His ultimate fate, whether natural death or supernatural abduction, has ensured his argument lives on. The celebration of Halloween or Sawin is defined by these dark ancient traditions. It's the time of year when the boundaries blur, the spirits are believed to run rampant, the costumes, the pranks, and the acknowledgement that something or someone otherworldly might be lurking just out of sight is inspired by the life and, of course, the work of Robert Kirk. As you enjoy the festivities this Halloween, the jump scares and the laughs, take a moment to ponder the very real, serious beliefs behind the origins of the holiday. Remember the story of

Reverend Robert Kirk, the man who walked out onto a hill near his church, found his purpose, and then found his doom. And when you look into the dark wood, keep in mind the lingering stories of Ministers Pine. Because as the old warnings go, when you cross the humpback bridge, you might just feel a burden settle on your back, and that burden might just be the soul of Robert Kirk, begging to be freed from Fairyland. And that is my Halloween story, kind of. Sort of. That was great. I won't ever forget it, the ferry minister. He's up here. I'm ready to, I'm ready to throw out some fun facts about him now forever because that was so intriguing. It's just a weird, interesting story. And I just think it's so fun that he's still so remembered and that you can go to this national park, hike up this trail and you will see. And if you look up pictures of this fairy tree, it's covered with all of these. ribbons and just people paying homage to fairy lore and a lot of people truly believe in it too. So it's

not even just lore, but it's actual belief too. So it's this location is the same location that they were saying to not go to before. Yes. And it's the same location he died. And it is where they believe that this is the opening to the realm of the fairy world and that he is trapped in there. Of course. Yeah. He serving the fairy queen. Yeah. For all of eternity, because he gave up her secrets of the mortheads. Right. Of that we know all about. So interesting. Wow. I loved it. I think it was fun. And I think there's like some very real ways to just kind of get to the bottom. Like we can exhume the coffin. Is there rocks in? it or is there remains or is there a body in it? You know, you probably, maybe you could DNA test

from like generations of family or something. Yeah, but like, where's the fun in that? So I get it being like, you know what? We'll never, there's no way to ever know. There's no way to ever know. And he could be with the fairies still. Yeah, it's like we. And okay, so just to be clear, when they found his remains allegedly, because what did you say? It was a stalk or something. I just pictured like, I pictured being like, yeah, it actually, like, that wasn't his body. It was just like, I just imagined somebody dressing up like a scarecrow and like laying it, like, to look like him and being like, they took his actual body and they just left this. It's just this. From my understanding is that it was, they thought it was a replica of his body that wasn't real.

Yeah, but a 1692 replica, I just envision. The fairies left it, though, not human. Okay, yes. How could I get that wrong? Right. So it was really, it was very realistic. It had to have happened. Yeah. So he let he, so they found him there in his nightgown. So clearly he had like walked out at some point in the night over to that area and died. Yeah. Or was killed for revenge for. Yeah, because from, from what I gathered, there was no obvious signs of why he was. would die looking at him. So it's not like he was obviously murdered or anything like that. He was just

found mysteriously deceased. Yeah, which I mean, he might have just had a heart attack and died. And that's the end of all the lore. But that's not fun either. No, where's the fun in that? It reminds me a lot. I wonder if you, and this isn't going to make sense anyone who has not read the book, but our book club book the other month, Smother Moss. Oh, yes. It reminds me of the grandmother. That in her nightgown, she just walked out and was found dead in her nightgown. That's so true. I didn't even link that together. And it was also with some weird other supernatural beings at play.

Exactly. That's the only thing I was thinking of during that whole thing, which Smother Moss was a, as this episode, it was a weird time. It was a weird time. I don't know. I'm not saying this episode it was weird. I actually quite enjoyed it. I think it was weird. I think it was weird and fun.

And I was kind of, with this episode, I kind of wanted to do something that was more, you don't have to believe any of the story. You can if you think it's fun too. But it's kind of more of just giving an acknowledgement to the lore that surrounds Halloween and that whether you believe it or not, Halloween does come from real beliefs. And I think one of the fun things about Halloween, which I didn't know until years ago, and I mentioned it very slightly at the beginning. beginning was that people dressed up in these costumes to scare evil spirits. So when you dress up

in these costumes and you're dressing up as a death or a vampire or whatever, people really did these kinds of things to try and scare what they thought were evil spirits and keep them away from them, which I just think is kind of funny because now we're like dressed as playboy bunnies. And the way they would shake their heads at 2012 Danielle College. I didn't scare away any evil. Actually, I might have scared away some evil spirits. They're like, we can't touch that. I, yeah, I was, that was also, yeah, that's an embarrassment to the origins of Halloween for sure. I don't think I've ever dressed up as anything truly, like, scary, scary. But I don't think I was it going to say. But I would love. I would love. Have you ever participated in, what is it called, like, All Miss Shifts Night or? Miss Schiff night.

It's like the night before Halloween, whenever you kind of goes out and you like egg houses or TP. Mayhem. Yeah. What is it? I'm trying to think. It's like Miss shift night or something. How do we have a podcast? Night before.

We don't know any. We know zero things. Night before Halloween name. Mishift night. You're right. Yeah. Mishift night. I remember I could not wait to participate because it's a big thing of where I grew up.

And I grew up in a really small town. But I remember once you got to a certain age, you could participate. It was basically whatever age your parents let you go out at night with your friends instead of having them as a chaperone. Yeah. And I remember when I finally got to participate in it. And I think I only did it one year, maybe two years. It was like sixth grade or something. But we all went out and the big thing was you would shaving cream each other.

Did you guys ever do that? No. So it was welcomed in the community. I don't know if it was like super welcomed in the community, but basically all the teenagers would go out and they would shaving cream each other in this area of downtown that was kind of like deemed okay. and you would just have these shaving cream fights. And people did toilet paper, but a lot of people didn't really like that because it was leaving trash around and shaving cream would just kind of wash away. But you would shaving cream cars and only with permission, hopefully, where you could like draw things on their windows and stuff and you would do shaving cream fights and you would just run around at night around town just like having fun as teenagers. No.

I never was aware that that was. was, if that was a thing in Merrimack, I was not aware of it. I don't know if it's happening just down the road. Just down the road. It was big. I was so excited when I would see all the older kids out doing it. Like one year I'm going to shaving cream. It's so funny because when I looked up what it was called, Mischief Night, it says that in several regions, it has like several regional names.

But like Mischief Night is kind of the overarching one. New England. and Ohio's, interestingly, is called cabbage night. I don't ever. It says it's used in places like New England and Ohio referring to the tradition of throwing rotten vegetables at houses. What? The world in the world.

I kind of actually remember that. No. I swear, I actually kind of remember that. Aside from the shaving cream portion of the night. Yeah, like I have when it brought back a very buried memory of a friend with like, old carrots. Carrots. Why would they use that?

I don't know. I feel like tomatoes would be the moot or cabbage, I guess. There might have been tomatoes. Interesting. Yeah. I feel like, okay, that's another, that's another trivia thing. What is Mischiff Night called in New England? Cabbage Night.

Yeah. Or what is the night before Halloween called Mishch Night? Or a cabbage night, depending on really. I've never heard of cabbage night. It being called cabbage night. I don't know. Maybe this is the, I don't know. What are the sources here? I'm not even sure.

University of Wisconsin, Madison. I mean, they must know. They must know. What are they doing right about New England, though? And Ohio when they're neither. What gives them the right? I'm not sure. Okay, wow, cool. Well, we hope everyone is having a fun spooky season.

We hope you enjoy your Halloween and are safe. And if you're participating in Mischief Night, you're not doing anything to And really. Unless it's sanctioned by the town, I guess. It's just so funny that it was like, hey, we know you're going to get into trouble. So here's this a little corner of town where you guys can just go at it with shaving cream. Like shaving cream each other. Have a nice time.

And I remember we would go to school the next day. And the whole playground would be covered in shaving cream unless it rained. But the whole, you would just see like these big gloves of shaving cream. everywhere from the night before. I would love to hear if people have similar story because I, and again, right before this recording, I mean, the reason we're chatting so much today, I think is because we haven't talked much this weekend. And so we're literally just catching up.

Yeah. But I said, I feel, because you're like, what did you do this weekend, which is rare because we usually talk throughout the weekends. And I truly drew a blank. I had to look at my Google calendar to be like, what did I do? I feel like I'm having some like memory issues. So maybe there was stuff going on that I just truly don't recall. So I would really love to know if people have stories of mischief night things because I really don't remember it being a thing. Or maybe I just wasn't invited, which is possible. Maybe. I feel like even if

you weren't invited, I feel like you would have known about it though. Yeah, I don't know. I'm not sure. I don't know much. I'm not in the, like, I'm, at any time, there's a lot of circumstances where people will be like, oh, did you hear about this? Do you know about this or whatever? And I truly have no idea what they're talking about. So when I do speak to you about certain things, you're like, I've never heard that. I feel great about that because it's my one dynamic in relationship where I'm the person in the know.

At least I feel like that. Oh, that reminds me. I'm going to send you a Dracula. Real. Oh, yes. I need to see that. Okay. All right. Yeah.

On that now. We have more to talk about, but let's just. Go watch Dracula participate in a shift night. No, I. Enjoy. It comes out in February. In February. Go read Dracula. And, yeah.

And enjoy the view. And watch your back. No, but watch your back. But watch your back. We're out of practice. Who are we? Happy Halloween. Happy Halloween.

Bye, everyone. Bye. Thank you for joining us again this week. If you love National Park After Dark and want to hear exclusive bonus stories, join us on Patreon or Apple subscriptions. Patreon subscribers have access to our National Park After Dark book club, live streams, discord, and much more. If you prefer to watch our episodes, video episodes are now available on YouTube.

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