The Thing About Witch Hunts Podcast

06/18/2026

06/18/2026

I’m looking forward to speaking at the Witchcraft Accusation and Harmful Practices Conference 2026 organised by The Hydrant Programme and Lancaster University.
This two-day conference will bring together police professionals, academics, policymakers and practitioners to explore the realities of witchcraft-related abuse.
Sign up for this free event using the link below.
https://www.hydrantprogramme.co.uk/events/witchcraft-accusation-and-harmful-practices-professional-responses-and-operational-learning

06/14/2026

Anatomy of a Witch Trial: The Case Against Bridget Bishop

We dig into original Salem Witch Trials documents to map, step by step, how Bridget Bishop moved from first mention to execution—and how “evidence” worked in 1692. Using the arrest warrant (April 18, 1692), competing examination records by Ezekiel Cheever and Samuel Parris, and a trail of stat...

06/14/2026

Katherine Branch Accuses Goody Miller of Witchcraft in Connecticut: Salem Witch Trials Daily June 13

June 13, 1692: Salem Lulls, Wells Attacked, and Goody Miller Slips ...

06/14/2026

Josef Diveky Paints The Krampus And Other Terrible Monsters For The Wiener Werkstätte

Josef Diveky and his wonderful images of the Krampus, who on Krampusnacht (Krampus Night) comes to punish bad children

06/14/2026

Episodes regarding Albinism and Human Rights organized in a playlist:

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06/14/2026

06/14/2026

Ever wonder about about the history behind the Hampden County Hexenbruts who perform at the Connecticut Witchcraft and Culture Fest in Hartford? Their story shows how tradition and inspiration ripple across the world.

When the Wolfshäger Hexenbrut, a German dance troupe from the Harz Mountains, released a 2016 witches dance performance, it sparked a global movement. The MA Hampden County Hexenbruts caught that spark and now perform right here.

The "witches gathering on the Brocken" legend they all celebrate traces back to Harz folklore. In 1668, Johannes Préetorius published "The Blocksberg Performance," documenting these local tales and locating the April 30th Walpurgis Sabbath at the Brocken with illustrations.
German philosopher Johann Wolfgang von Goethe later drew upon Préetorius's published work for his 1808 play Faust, cementing the legend in popular imagination.

So when the Hampden County Hexenbruts perform, they're honoring a cultural narrative.

Here in New England there are many examples of "witches gatherings" and the "Witches Sabbat" in records of d our witch trials. The Hartford Witch Panic included such an accusation.

That's why we're excited to have them there. It's cultural history, art performance, and celebration all at once.

**Source:** "Witches and Walpurgis Night," OUPblog, April 30, 2017.

06/14/2026

Moral Panics come up a lot in our podcast.

A collection of 1980s rave and club memorabilia, a social history of Britain’s late-1980s and 1990s underground music revolution.