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