Sep 16, 2026 · 35 min · 10 segments
In this episode of Story Medicine, we explore "The Black Bull of Norroway" from Scottish tradition: an old tale about a young woman who goes out to seek her fortune and the long road she must walk to…
Joe SummerfieldHost
In Norroway long ago, there lived a woman who had three daughters, and the time came when the eldest of them went to her mother and said, "Mother, bake me a bannock and roast me a collop, for I am going away to seek my fortune." Her mother did so, and the eldest daughter took her bread and her meat and set off down the road until she came to the house of an old washer wife.
"Stay here," said the old wife, "and look out my back door and see what you can see." The first day, the girl looked out and saw nothing.
But on the third day, she looked, and coming along the road was a coach drawn by six horses.
"Ah, well," said the old wife, "that is for you." And they took her into the coach, and away it went.
"Mother, bake me a bannock and roast me a collop, for I am going away to seek my fortune." Her mother did so, and the second daughter went to the old washer wife just as her sister had done.
"Mother, bake me a bannock and roast me a collop, for I am going away to seek my fortune." Her mother did so, and the youngest came to the old washer wife and was told to look out the back door just the same as her sisters.
But on the third day, she looked, and what was coming along the road was a great black bull roaring as it came.
"Ah, well," said the old wife, "that is for you." The girl was nearly out of her mind with grief and terror, but she was lifted up and set upon the bull's back, and away they went.
"Eat out of my right ear," said the bull, "and drink out of my left, and set by what you leave." She did as he said and was wonderfully refreshed.
"We must stay there tonight," said the bull, "for my eldest brother lives there." They lifted her down and took her in and sent the bull away to a field for the night.
In the morning, they brought her into a fine, shining room and gave her an apple and told her not to break it until she was in the greatest strait that ever a mortal could be in, and that it would bring her out of it.
In Norroway long ago, there lived a woman who had three daughters, and the time came when the eldest of them went to her mother and said, "Mother, bake me a bannock and roast me a collop, for I am going away to seek my fortune." Her mother did so, and the eldest daughter took her bread and her meat and set off down the road until she came to the house of an old washer wife.
"Stay here," said the old wife, "and look out my back door and see what you can see." The first day, the girl looked out and saw nothing.
But on the third day, she looked, and coming along the road was a coach drawn by six horses.
"Ah, well," said the old wife, "that is for you." And they took her into the coach, and away it went.
"Mother, bake me a bannock and roast me a collop, for I am going away to seek my fortune." Her mother did so, and the second daughter went to the old washer wife just as her sister had done.
"Mother, bake me a bannock and roast me a collop, for I am going away to seek my fortune." Her mother did so, and the youngest came to the old washer wife and was told to look out the back door just the same as her sisters.
But on the third day, she looked, and what was coming along the road was a great black bull roaring as it came.
"Ah, well," said the old wife, "that is for you." The girl was nearly out of her mind with grief and terror, but she was lifted up and set upon the bull's back, and away they went.
"Eat out of my right ear," said the bull, "and drink out of my left, and set by what you leave." She did as he said and was wonderfully refreshed.
"We must stay there tonight," said the bull, "for my eldest brother lives there." They lifted her down and took her in and sent the bull away to a field for the night.
In the morning, they brought her into a fine, shining room and gave her an apple and told her not to break it until she was in the greatest strait that ever a mortal could be in, and that it would bring her out of it.
The rest of this transcript — segmented and speaker-labeled, so you land on the exact moment something was said
Search every transcript — by keyword, by phrase, or by meaning, across every show Radar indexes
Trends — what is surging across podcasts, measured against its own baseline
Alerts — when a name you follow appears in a newly indexed episode
No account is needed to search Radar.