The Witch Trials Explained: Fear, Power, and the Women They Tried to Silence

This week we’re diving into a topic you all have been asking us about for a long time: The Witch Trials. What actually happened during this period in history, and how did thousands of people end up accused of witchcraft?

In this episode, we talk about the massive witch hunts that took place across Europe between the 1400s and 1700s, the myths many of us learned about the Salem Witch Trials, and the social, political, and religious forces that fueled these accusations. We also break down some of the bizarre “tests” used to identify witches and why so many of the people targeted were women, healers, or outsiders in their communities.

To finish off, we talk about why this history still matters and how the idea of a “witch hunt” continues to show up in modern culture today.

Resources Mentioned:

- Heal the Witch Wound: Reclaim Your Magic and Step Into Your Power by Celeste Larson

- How to Kill a Witch: The Patriarchy's Guide to Silencing Women by Zoe Venditozzi, Claire Mitchell - Libro FM link

- Royal Witches: Witchcraft and the Nobility in Fifteenth-Century England by Gemma Hollman

- Lights, Camera, Witchcraft: A Critical History of Witches in American Film and Television by Heather Greene

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