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Witches - Truth, Trials and Terrors

Jon Briggs

With a selection of the world's foremost academic experts on witches and witchcraft, we separate the history from the hysteria and discover just what a witch was - and why were they accused and often put to death? 

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  • 6 episodes
  • fortnightly
  • Avg 43 min
  • English

Episodes 6

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  • S1 · E6
    Saturday · 39 min

    6. An Invitation to the Witches Assembly

    Witches flying through the night. Secret gatherings. Feasting, dancing, sex with demons and worshipping the Devil. There was just one problem with the witches’ Sabbats: they almost certainly never happened. However your invitation isn't lost in the post - it's right here - so do you know what to wear? Jon and Robin Briggs are joined by Professor Julian Goodare to discover why people confessed to attending these extraordinary gatherings, what they claimed went on there, and how an imaginary party could lead to very real arrests, trials and deaths. Expect flying witches, fairy queens, terrible food, discordant music, the Devil himself... and a surprisingly important chicken. Send us Fan Mail If you've enjoyed this episode - please follow, subscribe and comment so that we can continue creating more historical highlights. A Showstealers Ltd Production

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  • S1 · E5
    September 12 · 42 min

    5. Who Do You Call When You’ve Been Bewitched?

    Your child falls ill. Your cow stops giving milk. You suspect a witch. Who do you call? Across early modern Europe, cunning folk claimed to heal the sick, identify witches, recover stolen property and even send curses back to whoever cast them. Fresh from publishing her new book Witchland - Jon and Robin Briggs are joined by historian and author Professor Marion Gibson to explore the extraordinary world of supernatural problem-solving, from witch bottles and healing charms to magical side-hustles, dubious doctors and the surprisingly dangerous business of being good at magic. Because the difference between being the village healer and the village witch was sometimes simply a question of whether the cure worked or not. Send us Fan Mail If you've enjoyed this episode - please follow, subscribe and comment so that we can continue creating more historical highlights. A Showstealers Ltd Production

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  • S1 · E4
    August 29 · 44 min

    4. Who Invented Witches?

    What if witches weren’t discovered at all... but invented? For centuries, Europeans feared magic, demons and heretics. But somewhere along the way, those separate fears were stitched together into something new: the witch, a servant of the Devil and member of a secret conspiracy threatening Christian society. Jon Briggs is joined by historian Robin Briggs and demonology expert Dr Jan Machielsen to uncover how that extraordinary idea took shape, why medieval scholars were summoning demons of their own, what “God’s hunting dogs” had to do with it, and whether anyone actually believed the notorious Malleus Maleficarum. Send us Fan Mail If you've enjoyed this episode - please follow, subscribe and comment so that we can continue creating more historical highlights. A Showstealers Ltd Production

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  • S1 · E3
    August 15 · 42 min

    3. The Witches Nobody Talks About

    When you picture a witch, who comes to mind? For most of us, it's an old woman living on the edge of a village. But what if that picture is completely wrong? In this episode of Witches: Truth, Trials and Terrors, broadcaster Jon Briggs is joined by Oxford don Robin Briggs and Professor Alison Rowlands to uncover one of the biggest surprises in witchcraft history - the forgotten victims of the witch hunts, the men! We explore why women were still far more likely to be accused, why women often accused other women? And why have the thousands of men who stood trial for witchcraft been almost completely forgotten? The truth is far more complicated, and far more fascinating, than the stereotype. Send us Fan Mail If you've enjoyed this episode - please follow, subscribe and comment so that we can continue creating more historical highlights. A Showstealers Ltd Production

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  • S1 · E2
    August 1 · 46 min

    2. Everything you Know About Witch Hunts is Wrong

    How many people were really executed during the witch hunts? The answer is almost certainly not the one you think. In this episode of Witches: Truth, Trials and Terrors, broadcaster Jon Briggs is joined by historians and witchcraft experts Robin Briggs and Dr Jan Machielsen to unravel the myths surrounding Europe's witch trials. From the famous claim that nine million women were burned to the surprising number of men accused of witchcraft, you'll discover why the real history is every bit as fascinating as the fiction. If you think you know the story of the witch hunts... think again. Send us Fan Mail If you've enjoyed this episode - please follow, subscribe and comment so that we can continue creating more historical highlights. A Showstealers Ltd Production

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  • S1 · E1
    July 18 · 42 min

    1. A World Before Reason

    Imagine living in a world where every illness, every storm and every stroke of bad luck had a supernatural cause. Long before Europe's witch hunts began, people believed the world was filled with unseen forces capable of helping... or harming them. In Episode One of Witches: Truth, Trials and Terrors, broadcaster Jon Briggs, historians and witchcraft specialists Robin Briggs and Professor Alison Rowlands uncover the world in which our ancestors were steeped, a world that made belief in witches seem perfectly rational. Before people believed in witches, they believed in a world where almost nothing happened by accident. A World Before Reason. Send us Fan Mail If you've enjoyed this episode - please follow, subscribe and comment so that we can continue creating more historical highlights. A Showstealers Ltd Production

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Showing 1–6 of 6 episodes