Enchanted: The History of Magic & Witchcraft

At the end of the sixteenth century, five sisters accuse their neighbors of witchcraft. In this episode, we examine the case against the witches of Warboys. How did a group of children gain the power to destroy an entire family, and could it happen again?  Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben, with original music by Purple Planet . Episode sources Support the show EnchantedPodcast.n...

“It is not himself but his crimes that I hate.” You don't become pope in the fourteenth century without making a few enemies. In this episode, we explore the life, death, and posthumous witchcraft trial of Pope Boniface VIII. When church and state collide, who can stand? Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben, with original music by Purple Planet .   Episode sources Support the s...

“Either the most ingenious and elaborate hoax ever played upon the public, or else... an event in human history which may in the future appear to have been epoch-making…” With these words, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes, presented to the world five photographs, declared to be genuine and featuring unmistakable images of real fairies. How did the Cottingley fairies become one of...

In the Golden Age of Islam, one twelfth-century philosopher seeks to reconcile pagan philosophy with the Quran. In this episode, we explore The Hidden Secret of Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī. When polytheism meets the Abrahamic tradition, where is truth?  Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben, with original music by Purple Planet . Still curious? Check out Michael-Sebastian Noble’s Philosophi...

Danger more savage than any wild beast lurks in the woods. In this special Halloween episode and season two finale, werewolves face trial in sixteenth-century France against the backdrop of the Wars of Religion. In a world where violence knows no bounds, who are the real monsters?    Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben, with original music by Purple Planet .   Episode sources Suppo...

When women owe their ultimate obedience to men, who will avenge their broken hearts? In this episode,  women in ancient Rome take matters into their own hands when their husbands' attentions wander a little too far.    Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben, featuring the voice talents of Kiernan Angley and Jack Krause, with original music by Purple Planet .    Episode sources Su...

At the turn of the century, modern invention meets the most primal fear. Welcome to Ipswich, where the last trial for witchcraft in the United States is about to get underway. In this episode, we meet a charismatic religious leader and watch her most devoted follower become her bitterest enemy in this saga of faith, jealousy, and mesmerism. Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben, feat...

At the dawn of the twentieth century, Sherlock Holmes' creator wants to believe. In this episode we meet mentalists, mesmerists, and mediums, the Fox sisters, and even Harry Houdini as we explore the origins of Spiritualism and the life and occult studies of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben, featuring the voice talents of Lenny Scovel and Randy Wylde...

Charlemagne's descendant, King Lothar II, is unhappy. He wants to crown his mistress queen, but, well... there's the small matter of his wife. In the scandalous divorce case that follows and Bishop Hincmar of Reims' critical reaction, morality, mayhem, and magic play starring roles. Is witchcraft to blame for the king's distress?  Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wi...

From a Mesopotamian spirit to Adam's first wife to demonic royalty, Lilith has a long and storied past. Today's episode explores the evolution of Lilith from obscure demon to feminist icon. What do you do with a woman who refuses to lie down?    Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben, featuring the voice talents of Gregg Adams, Kiernan Angley, Kate Austin-Groen, Kit Baker, a...

In the midst of the English Civil War, Matthew Hopkins has given himself a new title: Witchfinder General, and King Charles I isn't the only one losing his head. In a country divided against itself, who can stand? Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben, featuring the voice talent of Lenny  Scovel with original music by Purple Planet .    Huge thanks to Podcorn for sponsoring this...

A play, an opera, a film, three witches... and Benito Mussolini. Today, we examine why three twentieth-century works, Hans Wiers-Jenssen's Anne Pedersdotter , Ottorino Respighi's La Fiamma , and Carl Theodore Dreyer's Day of Wrath , were inspired by the life and witch trials of Anne Pedersdotter and why they all got her story so, so wrong.  Researched, written, and produced by Thoma...

On April 7, 1590 Anne Pedersdotter / Pedersdatter was burned for witchcraft in the city of Bergen, Norway. Remarkably, this was not the first time Anne had been tried for witchcraft. How did the wife of a prominent Lutheran clergyman find herself the defendant in multiple witch trials? In this episode, the first of a two-part series, we look to the Protestant Reformation for answers.  Researched,...

Heinrich Kramer has a problem: the powers that be don’t believe in witches. He plans to change that. In this episode we examine the author of the Malleus Maleficarum , the most influential witch-hunting manual in Europe. Kramer was essential in the creation and promotion of the early modern witch, but did he invent her, or did he just borrow her?   Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieb...

Plagues! Fires! Floods! Welcome to 2020 B.C. Thankfully, exorcists, amulets, and incantations abound in ancient Mesopotamia. In this episode we explore Sumerian, Akkadian, and Babylonian magic and medicine in some of the oldest surviving texts in the world. When the gods themselves attack, who can save us?  Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben, featuring the voice talents of Gregg A...

A man’s wife has run away, but everyone knows where she is: living with the priest who enchanted her. In this episode our host digs deep into her own archival research to bring you four cases of seduction by magic in one fourteenth-century Italian city. Why were priests and women so likely to be accused of using magic in late medieval Europe, and who could resist their charms?  Researched, written...

In our special season one finale Enchanted host Corinne sits down with Tanner Davidson of the Monster Legend Podcast to discuss medieval history, historical films, the Arthurian legends, the scariest creatures in Doctor Who , and more! We also make some announcements about the upcoming second season of Enchanted , so stay tuned! Support the show EnchantedPodcast.net Bluesky/enchantedpodcast.net

Modern science can’t quite shake its obsession with alchemy. Chemists have finally cracked the code and created gold, but what if alchemy had a different purpose all along? The final episode in our philosopher’s stone trilogy explores alchemy in the modern era, from Nicholas Flamel to Newton to nuclear physics and beyond!   Researched, written, and produced by Thomas Ignatius and Corinne Wieben, f...

The Hundred Years’ War is drawing to a close, but King Henry VI has lost his wits while his enemies gather their strength. Can England’s alchemists cure this Fisher King and save the country from war? Researched, written, and produced by Thomas Ignatius and Corinne Wieben, featuring the voice talent of Thomas Ignatius and original music by Purple Planet . Special thanks to Librivox for the recordi...

With the Roman Empire on the brink of collapse, Zosimos of Panopolis has a solution: the philosopher’s stone. To discover it, he’ll need to synthesize a wealth of competing philosophical and religious traditions. Can a Greco-Egyptian alchemist cure what ails his aging civilization before it’s too late?   Researched, written, and produced by Thomas Ignatius and Corinne Wieben, featuring the voice t...

A wealthy widow, a servant girl, and a newly appointed bishop, three unlikely participants in a tragic event. Alice Kyteler and Petronilla de Meath made history by being the first women to face execution for witchcraft in medieval Ireland. When a witch-hunt is about much more than magic, who can resist the pull of the tide?  Researched, written, and produced by Thomas Ignatius and Corinne Wieben,...

A rivalry, a scandal, a woman who sacrificed everything for the love of an emperor. Empress Chen of Wu risked it all when she resorted to witchcraft to defeat her rival. In her place, would we do the same?  Researched, written, and produced by Thomas Ignatius and Corinne Wieben, with original music by Purple Planet .  Episode sources EnchantedPodcast.net   Facebook/enchantedpodcast   Instagram/enc...

Tarot cards have become a symbol of the occult and divination. Over time they have inspired, enraptured, and even aided defectors. So what exactly is tarot, and where did it come from? How does a simple pack of cards hold such sway over our imaginations? The answer is in the cards.  Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben, with the voice talent of Thomas Ignatius and original music by...

Aleister Crowley has earned many names—the Beast, Baphomet, The Wickedest Man in the World—and embraced all of them. This week we explore Victorian ritual magic, occult societies, and the modern culture wars.  Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben, with the voice talents of Gregg Adams and Randy Wylde and original music by Purple Planet .  Episode sources Support the show EnchantedPo...

Astrology has become commonplace in modern culture, whether you check your horoscope in the newspaper or ask someone's sign while you're on a date. This week we meet one of the people responsible for astrology's popularity, Dr. John Dee, and examine his contributions, his life, and his legacy.  Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben, with the voice talents of Kiernan An...