Outcasts of the Earth: A History Podcast

Join Kenyon in this concluding episode for season two. This episode covers some examples of trials that continued into the eighteenth century, the end of the early modern witch hunts, as well as the legacies of this history today. Kenyon also briefly discusses how modern practitioners are again looking back to the ancient roots of magic, as well as parts of the world where witch hunts continue to...

In this episode, Kenyon covers the complicated and deeply entrenched history of the Salem Witch Trials. This is part two of a two-part episode on this topic; if you have not listened to episode one ("Tituba's Confession"), please check it out! More of this episode will make sense. Picking up the story with the downward spiral that followed Tituba's confession to witchcraft, the community across Sa...

In this episode, we take on the history of one of the most infamous witch hunts in popular memory; it is also the largest witch panic in American history. The research, analysis, and discussion of the Salem Witch Trials continues to attract widespread attention and fascination (with thanks to Arthur Miller). In this first episode of a two-part discussion of the Salem Witch Trials, we focus on the...

The cantankerous and evil witch who appears to tempt Hester Prynne in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter was based on an actual person. Who was the real "Mistress Hibbins," and why does she remain identified as a witch? In this episode, Kenyon breaks down the perilous position women could find themselves in while living in Puritan New England, as well as the case of Ann Hibbins; a woman who...

In this episode, we break down the origins of the deadliest witch hunt in English history, and how one man became responsible for the arrest and execution of hundreds. Set in the midst of the English Civil War, which threw the country into a state of violent turmoil, we look at the story of Matthew Hopkins, and how this self-styled Witchfinder General came to create this new occupation for himself...

What happens when someone claiming to be bewitched admits that it was all a lie? What also happens when that confession is made directly to a King? In this episode, Kenyon looks into a case of witchcraft accusations gone wrong. In a tale of feuding neighbors, feigned curses, and parental abuse, we follow the story of Anne Gunter, whose claims nearly brought three local women to the gallows. Instea...

Bad neighbors, demons named Snack, and a house full of possessed girls. Talk about a wild case to study. In fact, this one ranks among one of the more famous instances of witchcraft to come out of 16th century England: the Witches of Warboys. In this episode, we see how a household of young girls claimed to be bewitched by their older neighbor, Alice Samuel. Digging deeper, though, we see the nume...

In this episode, we travel to Scotland to take a look at the first “panic year” of 1590-1591 that resulted in the first witch hunt in Scottish history. Looking specifically at the case of Agnes Sampson, who was known as the Wise Midwife of Keith, we see how this first hunt for witches captured the attention of the king himself, as James VI became convinced that witches directly threatened his life...

In this episode, we discuss the rare story of a noble man who faced accusations of witchcraft on the faraway coast of South America. This is a story of a broken friendship, the abuse of power, and the exploitation of sailors' superstitions to levy accusations of witchcraft. When Sir Francis Drake departed on his infamous voyage that took him around the globe, his friend, Thomas Doughty, joined him...

In this episode, we look at the bizarre case of the woman mistakenly remembered as the first witch executed in England. The story of Agnes Waterhouse features peculiar accusations, including a possessed cat who could turn into a toad, and a horned dog who threatened a young girl's life. In what was presented at the time as an entertaining and macabre story for the masses across England, at its hea...

Outcasts of the Earth is taking a brief holiday break this week, but your host, Kenyon, will be back in two weeks with a new episode on the history of witchcraft. I took the opportunity this week to (re)introduce myself to any new listeners who may be tuning in since season one. Happy holidays to everyone who listens, and here's to a good start to 2026! Please let this new year be kind to us all.....

This week, we explore the first large-scale witch hunt in European history. Occurring in the French-speaking region of Switzerland, the Valais Witch Trials led to the execution of 376 people, the majority of which were men. Tune in to hear how a coordinated effort to eliminate heretical sects in the region turned into a widespread hunt for witches accused flying through the night to plan their dev...

This episode dives into the history behind one of the most significant texts in the history of the early modern witch hunts that took hold across several European countries, the Malleus Maleficarum . This consequential text defined what constituted a witch, the depravity of witches and their practices, and ultimately served as a guide through the legal processes one would need to pursue in order t...

This episode explores a familiar, oft-repeated tale of the ill-fated love shared between the lowly Agnes Bernaur and noble Albrecht, the future Duke of Bavaria. In a story that has come to shape the history and lore of the German city of Augsburg, we will see how a love shared between people from different worlds is ripped apart as Albrecht’s father took extreme measures to keep the two apart by a...

In this episode, we are covering the tragic story of Petronilla de Meath, a widower, a single mother, and working class woman who is largely remembered for being the first "witch" to be burned at the stake in Europe. In unpacking this story, we see how a power struggle that broke out between the rich and powerful in a medieval Irish town led to one woman taking the fall and suffering a horrific fa...

The history of witchcraft is a sordid tale that plagued and brought pure torment to a countless number of lives. With thousands upon thousands losing their lives to this belief in sinister, supernatural powers - usually wielded by malevolent women - this history includes an untold number of stories involving one of the great outcasts of the past. In this inaugural episode of season two (!), we exp...

The trailer for season two of Outcasts of the Earth: The Season of the Witch, debuting October 12! Check back for new episodes releasing every other week. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this final episode of season one, I take a look back on the history of alcohol, touching on some of the key topics and takeaways from antiquity to Prohibition. What can we glean from this history of drinking, and more importantly, the so-called 'drunkard'? Where does this issue stand now, and how do those suffering from alcohol use disorder today compare to those who struggled with drinking cen...

From 1920 to 1933, the United States seemed to achieve the impossible: the federal government amended the Constitution to turn the US "dry." The so-called 'Noble Experiment,' better known as Prohibition, did little to dampen the spirit of the Roaring 20s... It also did little to stop people from drinking. For this raucous thirteen-year period, the US was overtaken by illicit liquor, expanding crim...

By the turn of the twentieth century, the US was moving ever closer to adopting a nationwide prohibition against all intoxicating drinks - but how did we get here? How did the US go from being known for having a robust drinking culture to supporting a constitutional amendment against alcohol? This episode explores the strategies used by the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) and the Anti-Sa...

In this episode, we discuss how the reactions to the ever-rising drinking rates in the US and Great Britain culminated into organized movements that demanded greater temperance. We are only scratching the surface here, as there is a whole lot of history to tackle. This episode covers some early influential figures, such as Dr. Benjamin Rush, Lyman Beecher, and Joseph Livesey. It also touches on th...

In this episode, we are finally covering the history of my favorite spirit: whiskey! This uniquely American tale touches on whisky's backstory involving the migration of the Scots-Irish, as well as exactly how farmers felt when one (sing it with me) Alex-an-der Ham-il-ton tried to levy taxes on their beloved corn liquor. We also cover the ways the rise of the Industrial Revolution changed the drin...

Part two of the story of the Gin Craze, a roughly fifty-year drinking binge that took hold of early modern London. Check out part one if you have not yet listened to it! This episode covers dives into the ways women became uniquely connected to the juniper spirit, in addition to the specific problems gin drinking caused, such as theft, violence, and acts of murder. Also, what does drinking gin hav...

In this season's first two-part episode, we digging into the fascinating and disturbing history of the Gin Craze. Spanning roughly half a century, gin drinking seemed to hold London's poorer residents in an unrelenting grip. This decades long drinking binge did not happen by accident, however; this occurred as the result of legislation passed by members of Parliament who directly benefitted from t...

Where did rum come from? What what is originally called? When do we talk about pirates?! In this episode, we are traveling to the Caribbean to discuss the origins of a new, potent liquor that forever changed the way people lived with and consumed alcohol. Primary Sources: Sir Henry Colt, “The Voyage of Sr Henrye Colt...” in Harlow, ed. Colonising expeditions to the West Indies and Guiana (London:...