witchcraft Archives - Page 3 of 6

Witches, Healers, and Hex Cats in Old Pennsylvania

June 12, 2021 boneandsickle America, Braucherei, EPISODE, folk magic, folklore, grimoires, Hex Cats, Hexerei, history, legends, local legends, Pennsylvania, Pow-Wow, witchcraft

Stories of witchcraft and folk-healers in early Pennsylvania are surprisingly plentiful. In this episode, we examine the state’s German-American tradition[…]

Gallows Lore

September 5, 2020 boneandsickle ballads, black magic, Charles Dickens, crime, criminals, cunning folk, death, England, EPISODE, execution, folk customs, folk medicine, folk music, folk tales, folklore, gallows, hand of glory, hangmen, history, Ireland, Jack Ketch, legends, literature, magic, puppets, science fiction, Scotland, superstition, William Calcraft

We examine the lore of the gallows, focusing on the British Isles, encountering hangmen as figures straddling history and myth,[…]

Toad Magic

June 21, 2020 boneandsickle antiquity, Astor Place Riot, black magic, broadsheets, Canidia, criminals, cults, cunning folk, Devil, EPISODE, familiars, folk customs, folk medicine, folklore, frogs, history, James I, Macbeth, medicine, Middle Ages, mythology, necromancy, poison, Scotland, Shakespeare, superstition, toads, witchcraft, witches, zombies, Zugarramurdi

Toads have long been associated with magic, as witches’ familiars and as a source both of poison as folk healing.[…]