Enchanted: The History of Magic & Witchcraft

Each autumn for more than a thousand years, pilgrims from across the Greek and Roman world walked the Sacred Way to Eleusis to witness secret rites that promised a better fate in the world below. At the heart of those rites was the story of a maiden seized from a flowering meadow by the lord of the dead, a grieving mother whose sorrow brought the world to the brink of famine, and a single pomegranate seed that set the seasons turning. This episode brings you the story of Persephone, from the ...

He talked his way into the court of Louis XV, unsettled Casanova over dinner, and dabbled in alchemy and diplomatic intrigue. He’s an eighteenth-century con artist, alchemist, spy, and, depending who you ask, an immortal ascended master still hiking Mount Shasta today. This episode brings you the many lives, real and invented, of the Comte de Saint-Germain, the man Voltaire called “one who never dies, and who knows everything.” Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben with original...

The I Ching, or Book of Changes, is one of the oldest divination texts in the world and one of the strangest survival stories in the history of magic. This episode brings you the 3,000-year story of the I Ching, the world's most reinvented book of divination, from Bronze Age turtle-shell pyromancy to Carl Jung's couch and modern computing. Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben with original music by Purple Planet. Episode sources Support the show EnchantedPodcast.net | Blue...

Antitheatrical writers in early modern England compared the actor’s transformation into a character to a kind of illicit magic. In response, playwrights like William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, and Ben Jonson created a body of plays that treated the conjuror’s circle as a mirror of the theater. This episode brings you a story of magicians, witches, and the spectacles they conjured: the story of magic on the early modern English stage. Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben ...

How did a sixteenth-century criminal record give rise to one of Scotland’s most famous legends? Whether an enchanter, a prophet, or a hero who spoke truth to power, his story would be remembered and retold, transforming the real man into a mythic figure. This episode brings you the story of Highland second sight, the historical "Dark Kenneth" (Coinneach Odhar), and the legend of the Brahan Seer. Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben with original music by Purple Planet. Episode ...

Death wasn’t the end for ancient Egyptians; it was a gauntlet. The soul faced guardians, gods, the weighing of the heart against the feather of Ma’at, and the ever-present threat of Ammit waiting to devour the unworthy, with only magic to guide the soul to the Field of Reeds. This episode brings you the story of the afterlife, the Duat, and the most sophisticated collection of funerary spells the ancient world ever produced: the Egyptian Book of the Dead. Researched, written, and produced by ...

In an early medieval Constantinople filled with pagan artifacts and dark histories, one man's writings would reveal a world in which sorcery, religion, and politics were inextricably intertwined. This episode brings you the story of a scholar, bishop, and savvy political survivor in an era of iconoclasm: the story of Ignatios the Deacon. Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben with original music by Purple Planet. Episode sources Support the show EnchantedPodcast.net | Bluesk...

In the sixteenth century, witch trials were a fact of life. Women were being hauled before courts across Europe. Confessions were extracted under torture. Executions followed. Into this world stepped Johann Weyer, who looked at all of it—the confessions, the trials, the executions—and said that these women are sick, not sinful. They are patients, not criminals. And the men putting them on trial ought to know better. This episode brings you a story of religious belief and scientific inquiry at...

Albertus Magnus, the thirteenth-century polymath known as the Universal Doctor, had a problem. To some, he was the greatest natural philosopher of his age. To others, he was a dangerous sorcerer who built talking automatons, disguised himself as a midwife to learn forbidden secrets, and wrote books on summoning demons. Was Albertus Magnus a saint, or was he a sorcerer? The answer to this question would help define the very boundary between science and magic. In this episode, I bring you the s...

In 1785, a scandal broke that would captivate all of Europe, destroy reputations, and help light the fuse of revolution. At its center stood three remarkable figures: an ambitious con artist who claimed royal blood, a desperate prince of the church, and a flamboyant mystic. This episode brings you the story of Count Alessandro di Cagliostro and the Affair of the Diamond Necklace. Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben with original music by Purple Planet. Episode sources Support ...

Picture masked figures appearing at your door on a dark winter's evening, their faces hidden behind soot and disguise, ready to perform ancient rituals of death and resurrection. This is mumming, a tradition stretching back centuries. From medieval Europe to its journey across the Atlantic to its dramatic transformation in modern Philadelphia, this episode brings you the story of Christmas mumming and how folk traditions are constantly remade. Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieb...

Haunted dolls are a cornerstone of folklore and popular culture. Our enduring fascination with them may stem from the fact that they occupy the uncanny valley, where their lifelike resemblance to humans both captivates and disturbs us. This episode brings you the stories of Robert and Annabelle, two of the world’s most famous haunted dolls. Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben with original music by Purple Planet. Episode sources Support the show EnchantedPodcast.net | Blu...

On June 29, 1987, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the tomb of the late president, Juan Domingo Perón, was desecrated by a mysterious group calling itself “Hermes IAI and the 13," which led some to link the act to Perón’s former minister, known for his involvement with occult groups and mystical practices. This episode brings you a story of political intrigue, violent upheaval, and the occultist who took control of Argentina’s leaders: the story of José López Rega. Researched, written, and produce...

Before microscopes and stethoscopes, before hospitals and modern medicine, there were the cunning-folk, who practiced a kind of magic woven into the fabric of daily life: practical, personal, and deeply rooted in community belief. A missing object, a run of bad luck, or an unrequited love were their concerns. This episode brings you the story of the wise men and women who worked in whispers and who bridged belief and need: the cunning-folk of Britain. Researched, written, and produced by Cori...

In 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. Re...

In 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: t...

In 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 origi...

Morgan 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 sources Support the show EnchantedPodcast.net | Bluesky/enchant...

In 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 sources Support the show EnchantedPodcast.net | Bluesky/enchantedpodcast.net | Instagram/...

In 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 Purp...

A 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 sources Support the show EnchantedPodcast.net | Bluesky/...

From 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 sources Support the show EnchantedPodcast.net | Bluesky/enchantedpodcast.net | Instagram/enchantedpodcast

Since 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 sources Support the show EnchantedPodcast.net | Bluesky/enchantedpodcast.net | Instagram/enchantedpodcast

If 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 sources Support the show EnchantedPodcast.net |&nb...

In 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 sources Suppo...

Despite 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, a...

In 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 w...

As 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 Corin...

Despite 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 pro...

When 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...

Some 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 show EnchantedPodcast.net | Bluesky/enchantedpodcast.net | Instagra...

Part 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. Episo...

The 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...

Folklore 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 Pla...

The 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. Ep...

The 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 t...

In 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 Pla...

Corinne 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 th...

Over 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 ...

In 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...

Before 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 a...

In 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 Expr...

In the era of Alexandre Dumas' The Three Musketeers, the real-life Cardinal Richelieu must solve a bizarre mystery: the demonic possessions of the Ursuline nuns of Loudun, who have accused the parish priest of sorcery. In this episode, we explore the trial of Urbain Grandier and the possessions at Loudun. What happens when desire becomes obsession? Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben with original music by Purple Planet. For more on the Loudun affair, check ou...

On 30 January 1540, the Mexican Inquisition's trial of Pedro Ruiz Calderón began in New Spain. Calderón was a priest accused of using magic to find hidden gold, but what if that's exactly what a Spanish colonist was supposed to do? Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben with the voice talent of Jack Krause and original music by Purple Planet. For more on Fray Juan de Zumárraga and the trial of Pedro Ruiz Calderón, check out Richard E. Greenleaf's Zumárraga and the Mexican Inqui...

In 2013 Icelandic officials ceased construction on a planned roadway. The project was halted for environmental reasons but also because petitioners argued it would disturb the natural habitat of Iceland’s elves. In this episode, we examine three stories of the Yuletide habits of Iceland’s elves. Who's ready for an elf party? Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben with original music by Purple Planet. To hear more on magic in Scandinavian lore, check out Runes & Songs. Episo...

The tumultuous politics of the late Roman Republic gave rise to a truly terrifying figure in Latin literature: the hideous and necromantic Roman witch. In this spooky season three finale, we meet Horace's Canidia and Lucan's Erictho. Poison, blood, and prophecies from the undead: what else could you ask for in ancient Rome? Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben with original music by Purple Planet. To hear Enchanted's episode on the goddesses of magic in ancient Greece, ...

Dogs have lived alongside humans as guardians, helpers, and companions since before the dawn of recorded history, making dogs the perfect familiars for suspected witches. In this episode, we explore animals as witches’ familiars, hear the story of Elizabeth Sawyer and her dog-familiar, Tom, and meet one of the most famous dogs suspected of witchcraft: a white poodle named Boy. Can a dog be a witch's best friend? Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben with original music by Purpl...

Most musicians work for years to master their instruments, with no guarantee of success. To what lengths will humans go for the sake of genius? What wouldn’t we give to be talented? To be famous? To be the best in the world? In this episode, we meet four musicians rumored to have paid the ultimate price for their art. Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben with the voice talent of Jack Krause. Music: - Paganini's 24 Caprices for Solo Violin, Op. 1 - XX. Caprice in D Majo...

Magic abounded in Viking Age Scandinavia, granted to humankind by Odin himself, but seidr was gifted to women alone. Despite this, some men risked condemnation, shame, and even the loss of their masculinity to gain this power. What kind of magic tempts a man to surrender his manhood, and what does he stand to gain? Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben, with the voice talent of Jack Krause and original music by Purple Planet. Episode sources Support the show EnchantedPodcast.n...

From enslavement to Emancipation to independence, the Afro-Caribbean community sought protection, healing, and justice from Obeah men and women, but when Obeah became a tool for resistance, it was outlawed, breaking the chain of transmission from one generation to the next. Could Obeah aid decolonization in the twenty-first century, and can its traditions be recovered? Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben, with original music by Purple Planet. For more on the history of Obea...