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Enchanted: The History of Magic & WitchcraftCity Upon a HillIn the shadow of Puritan New England, where scripture, law, and community shaped every aspect of daily life, a different kind of visionary emerged. Drawing on European alchemical traditions, Hermetic philosophy, and Christian reformist ideals, he believed that nature itself was a sacred text, written by the Creator and waiting to be deciphered. This episode brings you a story of religion, medicine, politics, and alchemy in an age of upheaval and imagination: the story of John Winthrop, Jr.Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben with original music by Purple Planet.Episode sources...2025-07-0424 minEnchanted: The History of Magic & WitchcraftAbiquiúIn 1764, Fray Juan José Toledo, the priest of the mission church in Abiquiú, New Mexico, wrote a striking letter to the local magistrate. In it, he described an extraordinary spiritual crisis: a surge of demonic possessions affecting the women in his congregation. Viewed through the lenses of gender, colonialism, and religious conflict, this event emerges as a powerful moment of Indigenous resistance, expressed through bodies and language. This episode tells a story of ritual and rebellion: the story of the witches of Abiquiú.Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben with original music by Purple Planet.E...2025-06-0725 minEnchanted: The History of Magic & WitchcraftMalking TowerIn the summer of 1612, a woman named Alice Nutter walked to her death. She was not like the others who stood beside her on the gallows, gaunt women worn hollow by poverty. Alice Nutter was a woman of property in Lancashire, a woman of standing, and—most damningly—a woman who did not easily bow her head. This episode brings you a story of fear, injustice, and resistance in early modern England: the story of the Pendle witch trials.Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben with original music by Purple Planet.Episode sourcesSu...2025-05-0222 minEnchanted: The History of Magic & WitchcraftTo Change Her ShapeMorgan le Fay, the infamous enchantress of Arthurian legend, has worn many faces across the centuries: healer and villain, seductress and savior, sister and sorceress. Her story is often a mirror, reflecting the anxieties and desires of the cultures that tell it. This episode brings you the shapeshifting faces of Morgan le Fay.Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben with original music by Purple Planet.Episode sourcesSupport the showEnchantedPodcast.netFacebook/enchantedpodcastInstagram/enchantedpodcastTumblr/enchantedpodcast2025-04-0425 minEnchanted: The History of Magic & WitchcraftAn Exorbitant FireIn seventeenth-century England, astrology hovered at the edges of learned society. That is, until one man predicted the Great Plague and the Great Fire, both of which would strike at the very heart of London. This episode brings you the story of the English astrologer William Lilly and his legacy.Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben with original music by Purple Planet.Episode sourcesSupport the showEnchantedPodcast.netFacebook/enchantedpodcastInstagram/enchantedpodcastTumblr/enchantedpodcast2025-03-0723 minEnchanted: The History of Magic & WitchcraftFoundersIn the summer of 1836, against a backdrop of economic instability and fervent religious revival, Joseph Smith, accompanied by his brother Hyrum, Oliver Cowdery, and Sidney Rigdon, set forth on a journey that would forever connect them to the notorious witch trials that took place centuries earlier in Salem, Massachusetts. This episode brings you the story of seer stones, witch trials, and the life of Joseph Smith.Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben with original music by Purple Planet.Episode sourcesSupport the showEnchantedPodcast.netFacebook/enchantedpodcastInstagram...2025-02-0718 minEnchanted: The History of Magic & WitchcraftThe CorrectorA bishop, a scholar, and a moral arbitrator, Burchard of Worms was a man of many roles, but it's his monumental work of church law, the Decretum, that may reveal folk beliefs about magic that persisted well into the eleventh century. This episode brings you the story of The Corrector and the folk magic of early medieval Europe. Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben with original music by Purple Planet.Episode sourcesSupport the showEnchantedPodcast.netFacebook/enchantedpodcastInstagram/enchantedpodcastTumblr/enchantedpodcast2025-01-0320 minEnchanted: The History of Magic & WitchcraftThese FestivalsFrom ancient times to the present, cultures worldwide have celebrated the sun’s return following the winter solstice. In this episode, I bring you the story of the midwinter celebrations of ancient Rome, from Saturnalia to Sol Invictus and beyond.Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben with original music by Purple Planet.Episode sourcesSupport the showEnchantedPodcast.netFacebook/enchantedpodcastInstagram/enchantedpodcastTumblr/enchantedpodcast2024-12-0721 minEnchanted: The History of Magic & WitchcraftBonus Halloween MinisodeSince ancient times Avernus, an ancient volcanic crater in the Campania region of southern Italy, has been the source of legend. In this special minisode, I bring you the story of Italy’s legendary gateway to the underworld.Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben with original music by Purple Planet.Episode sourcesSupport the showEnchantedPodcast.netFacebook/enchantedpodcastInstagram/enchantedpodcastTumblr/enchantedpodcast2024-11-0114 minEnchanted: The History of Magic & WitchcraftThe Red BranchIf there is one thing every reader of fairy tales can tell you, it’s that you should never, ever venture into the woods alone. From the whispering willows to the ominous oaks, this episode brings you the stories of the trees that loom large in our collective imagination, exploring their sinister attributes and the cautionary tales they inspire.Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben with original music by Purple Planet.Episode sourcesSupport the showEnchantedPodcast.netFacebook/enchantedpodcastInstagram/enchantedpodcastTumblr/enchantedpodcast2024-10-0423 min
Dig: A History PodcastLove and Magic: A History of ViolenceWitches III, Episode #1 of 4. Magic practitioners - both real and fictional, historical and contemporary - wield many different kinds of magic. Blood and bone magic, necromancy, divination, cleansing magic, manifestation, earth and elemental magic; the list is extensive. But wherever there is magic use, you are likely to find love magic. Spells and incantations to entrap a lover, potions and drugs to enthrall or make one feel amorous - love magic is ubiquitous in our current cultural representations of magic, especially (but not exclusively) when there are women magic-users involved. Curiously, while love magic has been around for millenia...2024-09-0944 minEnchanted: The History of Magic & WitchcraftFables and ImpossibilitiesIn 1584, Reginald Scot, a little-known English gentleman farmer from Kent, published a work that would shake the foundations of religious and legal authority in Europe. At a time when witch trials were sweeping through Europe, Scot’s book was a rare and radical challenge to the powers that be. This episode brings you the story of Reginald Scot and his The Discoverie of Witchcraft.Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben with original music by Purple Planet.Episode sourcesSupport the showEnchantedPodcast.netFacebook/enchantedpodcastInstagram/enchantedpodcastTu...2024-09-0623 minEnchanted: The History of Magic & Witchcraft🔒 The Heavens' Gift (Minisode)Subscriber-only episodeThe illustrious mistress of King Henry II of France was a woman whose beauty, intellect, and influence left an indelible mark on the French court. However, the very substance that promised her immortality might have been her undoing. This subscriber-exclusive minisode brings you the story of Diane de Poitiers and her potentially deadly pursuit of youth and beauty.Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben with original music by Purple Planet.Episode sourcesEnchantedPodcast.netFacebook/enchantedpodcastInstagram/enchantedpodcastTumblr/enchantedpodcast2024-08-1813 minEnchanted: The History of Magic & WitchcraftGreat CalamityDespite the inscrutability of his writings and the fact that he was only one of a number of court astrologers advising Catherine de' Medici, "Serpent Queen" of France, Nostradamus’s prophecies have found a dedicated audience in the centuries following their publication. How is it that Nostradamus and his writings have such a lasting legacy? This episode brings you the story of Catherine de’ Medici, her occult advisors, and the life and lasting influence of Nostradamus.Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben with original music by Purple Planet.Episode sourcesSupport the show...2024-08-0223 minEnchanted: The History of Magic & WitchcraftGoodwifeIn the last decades of the eighteenth century, Thomas Jefferson, principal author of the American Declaration of Independence, began collecting documents related to the history of the Colony of Virginia. Among them was a volume of early seventeenth-century case records from the Williamsburg Courthouse. During the American Civil War, retreating Confederate forces burned the archives in Virginia’s state capital in 1865. This one volume, maintained in Jefferson’s private library, survived, and with it, the record of America’s earliest documented witch trial, some seventy years before the famous trials at Salem. This episode brings you the story of Goodwi...2024-07-0521 minEnchanted: The History of Magic & WitchcraftThe Perpetual FlameAs Europeans embarked on their colonial ventures in the Americas, they also forged new frontiers closer to their homelands. In Norway's far northern territory of Finnmark, settlers from the south moved into the ancestral home of the Indigenous Sámi people, and by the end of the seventeenth century, nearly five percent of the population had been tried for witchcraft. This episode tells the story of Norway’s Vardø witch trials and their legacy. Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben with original music by Purple Planet. Episode sources Support the showEnchan...2024-06-0726 minEnchanted: The History of Magic & WitchcraftLawful SciencesDespite his dedication to science and mathematics—or perhaps because of it—Pope Sylvester II has been historically linked with legends of magic and sorcery, though these stories are more myth than fact. His reputation for being involved in magic largely stems from his profound knowledge and his use of what was then cutting-edge technology. This episode brings you the story of the life and legacy of Gerbert of Aurillac also known as Pope Sylvester II. Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben with original music by Purple Planet. Episode sources Support the show...2024-05-0422 minEnchanted: The History of Magic & WitchcraftBear and KivaWhen Spanish colonizers and missionaries came to settle in New Mexico, the resulting cultural, religious, and class tensions between the Spaniards and their Pueblo neighbors would lead to a series of witchcraft trials overseen by the local branch of the Spanish Inquisition. This episode tells the story of colonization, resistance, and witchcraft in colonial New Mexico. Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben, with the voice talent of Jack Krause and original music by Purple Planet.Episode sources Support the showEnchantedPodcast.netFacebook/enchantedpodcastInstagram/enchantedpodcastTumblr/enc...2024-04-0626 minEnchanted: The History of Magic & WitchcraftGracious CreatureSome men just can't keep their promises. Of course, when that promise is to his magical wife, the consequences can be dire. This episode brings you the story of Melusine, the mythical faerie of the waters said to have founded some of medieval Europe's most powerful ruling dynasties. Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben, with original music by Purple Planet. Episode sources Support the showEnchantedPodcast.netFacebook/enchantedpodcastInstagram/enchantedpodcastTumblr/enchantedpodcast2024-03-0122 minEnchanted: The History of Magic & WitchcraftBeyond All Human ReasonPart of the broader witch hunts that swept across Europe during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the Basque witch trials unfolded much like their counterparts elsewhere. However, these witch trials were halted by an unlikely hero: a member of the Spanish Inquisition. In this episode, I bring you the story of the Basque witch trials and the inquisitor who put a stop to them. Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben, with original music by Purple Planet. Episode sources Support the showEnchantedPodcast.netFacebook/enchantedpodcastInstagram/enchantedpodcastTum...2024-02-0223 minEnchanted: The History of Magic & WitchcraftA Woman with AnswersThe tradition of Southern Conjure is centuries old, tracing its history back to the forced migration of Africans to the Americas during the era of the slave trade. In New Orleans, Louisiana, the unique blend of Creole culture and Catholic tradition yielded Louisiana Voodoo and its undoubted queen, who served the people of New Orleans as a healer, herbalist, entrepreneur, spiritual leader, social worker, and community activist. This episode brings you the story of Marie Laveau, Voodoo Queen of New Orleans. Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben, with original music by Purple Planet. Episode s...2024-01-0521 minEnchanted: The History of Magic & WitchcraftOne of the HouseholdFolklore from around the world contains the stories of household gods, fairies, sprites, and other spirits who protect a house’s inhabitants or a given family. These spirits can be mischievous at times but are often downright helpful. Of course, that all depends on how they’re treated. From baku to brownies, this episode brings you the stories of some helpful household spirits from around the world. Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben, with original music by Purple Planet. Episode sources Support the showEnchantedPodcast.netFacebook/enchantedpodcastInstagr...2023-12-0118 minEnchanted: The History of Magic & WitchcraftAnnouncing Season 5 of Enchanted: The History of Magic and WitchcraftThe Enchanted crew is taking November off to prepare for the premiere of season five in December. In the meantime, we'll be releasing remastered versions of earlier episodes, so stay tuned!Support the showEnchantedPodcast.netFacebook/enchantedpodcastInstagram/enchantedpodcastTumblr/enchantedpodcastTwitter/enchantedpod2023-11-0300 minEnchanted: The History of Magic & WitchcraftBy Night OverwhelmedThe experience of falling asleep only to be awakened by terror, realizing you cannot move and feeling something pressing on your chest, is surprisingly common in human experience, though the entity that one sees—or not—often depends on cultural expectations. Night-hag, demon, or invisible assailant, in this special Halloween episode and season four finale, I bring you the story of the “Night-Mare.”Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben, with original music by Purple Planet.Episode sources For more on Lilith, check out The Serpent.For more on witchcraft in early Scandina...2023-10-0622 minEnchanted: The History of Magic & WitchcraftKnoweheadThe haunting of Ann Haltridge of Knowehead House, Islandmagee, began in September 1710. It ended with her death less than six months later. In this episode, I bring you the story of a haunting, a death, and the last witch trial in Ireland: the case of the Islandmagee witches. How does one girl's affliction shape a community's fear? Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben, with original music by Purple Planet. Episode sources The Islandmagee Project For more on the first witch trial in Ireland, check out The Lovelorn Lady. For more on...2023-09-0122 minEnchanted: The History of Magic & WitchcraftThese Who Are GoodIn 1575 inquisitors in northern Italy discovered the benandanti, a band of self-professed spiritual warriors who claimed to send their spirits forth in their sleep to engage in ritual night battles to defend the season's harvest from witches. In this episode, I bring you the stories of two men prosecuted by the Inquisition for their witch-fighting ways. When records obscure reality, who can find the truth?Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben, with original music by Purple Planet.Episode sourcesFor more on the Malleus Maleficarum and witch hunting on the European continent...2023-08-0420 minEnchanted: The History of Magic & WitchcraftSaints and SinnersCorinne is in Italy for the summer and has brought some of the sounds and stories of the Tuscan city of Lucca to Enchanted. In this episode, we explore the legends of saints and devils, the portal to Hell in one of Lucca's churches, and Lucida Mansi, Lucca's most famous ghost. In a city that's existed since the third century BCE, aren't there bound to be a few mysteries? Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben, with original music by Purple Planet. Episode sources Give to the Italian Red Cross to help victims...2023-07-0720 minEnchanted: The History of Magic & WitchcraftThe Opulent ShrineOver the centuries, stories of the Pythia have been collected in texts devoted to myth, poetry, philosophy, history, and political science. In this episode, we explore the story of the Oracle of Delphi, her prophecies, and attempts by modern researchers to explain the oracle’s gift. Who was this priestess, and what power did she hold over the ancient Mediterranean world? Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben, with original music by Purple Planet. Episode sources Support the showEnchantedPodcast.netFacebook/enchantedpodcastInstagram/enchantedpodcastTumblr/enchantedpodcast2023-06-0221 minEnchanted: The History of Magic & WitchcraftA Wicked SongIn an era shaken to its core by dramatic political and social change, a nation wracked by war and looming economic disaster looked for a villain to blame. In Russia, on the eve of the October Revolution, that villain was the charismatic holy man who had seemingly bewitched the tsar and the royal family. In this episode, we explore the life and the many deaths of Grigori Rasputin. Was he a spiritual guide, a faith healer, or a wielder of occult forces? Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben, with original music by Purple Planet. Epi...2023-05-0526 minEnchanted: The History of Magic & WitchcraftMen and DevilsBefore Salem came Windsor, Wethersfield, and Hartford. Thirty years before the famous witch trials of 1692, Connecticut became the first colony in New England to execute a convicted witch. In this episode, we explore the stories of New England's earliest convicted witches and the modern legislation that seeks to exonerate them. When injustice is clear, what do we owe the past? Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben, with the voice talents of Jack Krause and Lenny Scovel and original music by Purple Planet. Episode sources Support the showEnchantedPodcast.netFace...2023-04-0722 minEnchanted: The History of Magic & WitchcraftThe Tigress of ForliIn Renaissance Italy, a young widow must hold herself, her family, and her lands together to survive. The answers may lie in alchemy. In this episode, we explore the life and experiments of Caterina Sforza, the Tigress of Forlì. Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben with original music by Purple Planet. To hear more about the history of alchemy, check out Enchanted's "Philosopher's Stone Trilogy": A Flower of the Fire, The Fisher King, and Beyond Expression Bright. Episode sources Support the showEnchantedPodcast.netFacebook/enchantedpodcastInstagra...2023-03-0324 min