Home Podcasts Enchanted: The History of Magic & Witchcraft
Enchanted: The History of Magic & Witchcraft

Enchanted: The History of Magic & Witchcraft

Corinne Wieben 80 Episodes Oct 2, 2026

Enchanted: The History of Magic & Witchcraft explores fascinating stories from the history of magic and witchcraft. It is produced and hosted by an award-winning historian. Each episode combines atmospheric music, dramatic performances, and in-depth historical analysis. The show connects listeners to the people and events that shaped magical traditions in the past. New episodes are released on the first Friday of every month.

Episodes

The Lily-Faced Maiden
The Lily-Faced Maiden Oct 2, 2026 1605 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 pomegran
The Wonderman
The Wonderman Sep 4, 2026 1613 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 d
How You Catch a Hare
How You Catch a Hare Aug 7, 2026 1451 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 Wieb
This Wooden O
This Wooden O Jul 3, 2026 1698 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
The Seer
The Seer Jun 5, 2026 1442 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 Brah
The Happy Place
The Happy Place May 1, 2026 1393 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
A Phantom
A Phantom Apr 3, 2026 1583 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
A Vicious Seed
A Vicious Seed Mar 6, 2026 1448 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 ou
Secrets and Marvels
Secrets and Marvels Feb 6, 2026 1525 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
The Grand Cophta
The Grand Cophta Jan 2, 2026 1544 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, writte
Winter It Is Coming On
Winter It Is Coming On Dec 5, 2025 1485 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 mu
Positively Do Not Open
Positively Do Not Open Oct 3, 2025 1450 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 o

Recommended