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Mother Shipton’s Cave. Source: GetFocusArt / Adobe Stock.

Mother Shipton’s Cave Turns Objects into Stone… Literally! (Video)

Nestled within the quaint village of Knaresborough lies a place steeped in folklore and mystery – Mother Shipton's Cave . The origins of this age-old tourist attraction are shrouded in uncertainty,...
The witch trials. Source: Justinas / Adobe Stock.

The Chilling True Story of the Pendle Witch Trials (Video)

The Pendle Witch Trials tell a chilling true story of fear, superstition, and religious tensions that ignited one of the most infamous witch trials in English history. At the heart of this dark...
Sculpture depicting the gnarly-faced character of Baba Yaga. Source: Public domain

Baba Yaga: The Wicked Witch of Slavic Folklore

As ambiguous as she is hideous, Baba Yaga is an anomaly. In Slavic folklore, Baba Yaga is both a maternal, mother nature figure and an evil villain who kidnaps and eats children. Numerous renditions...
Many hags/witches are depicted as possessing supernatural powers and the use of magic. Source: TeodorLazarev/AdobeStock

8 of History’s Most Terrifying Hags

Whether one is studying European, Asian, or American folklore, different variations of the same nightmarish creatures tend to crop up. Of all the things that go bump in the night, the most prominent...
Auto de Fe in the Plaza Mayor, an oil painting from 1683 by Francisco Rizi. The painting depicts the ritual public penance carried out by heretics and apostates during the Spanish Inquisition. Source: Public domain

The Spanish Inquisition: The Truth behind the Dark Legend (Part I)

One of the most controversial organizations in history, the Spanish Inquisition has been poorly understood by the general public. This period of religious persecution, which took place between 1478...
1889 painting of Circe by Wright Barker. Source: Public domain

The Spellbinding Story of Circe, Goddess of Magic in Greek Mythology

Circe is a complex character within Greek mythology. Feared and desired in equal measure, Circe was a goddess of magic, and even today she continues to be one of the most enchanting and deadly...
The Lamia demon terrified ancient Greeks. Source: Andrey Kiselev / Adobe Stock

The Lamia of Ancient Greek Mythology: The Original Bogeyman

Ancient Greek mythology is absolutely full of things that go bump in the night. It’s one of the many reasons Greek mythology is still so popular today. How many films, novels, and video games take...
Examination of a Witch (1853) by T. H. Matteson, inspired by the Salem trials, which have been finally “closed” by the exoneration of the last Salem witch, Elizabeth Johnson. Source: Peabody Essex Museum / Public domain

Last Salem Witch Has Been Exonerated Posthumously By Boston Court

It’s not just something one can bury in the recesses of history because even today many cultures across the world accuse women of practicing black magic and witchcraft. And women accused of this...
Witch on a broomstick. Source:  T.Den_Team / Adobe Stock

The Cringeworthy Reason Witches are Shown Riding Broomsticks

What comes to mind when you think of a witch? For most people, the first image that comes to mind is of a witch flying through the night sky on a broomstick. Ever wondered why witches have been...
Victims of Arrogance and Cruelty: The Pendle Witch Trials of 1612

Victims of Arrogance and Cruelty: The Pendle Witch Trials of 1612

Witch trials are among some of the cruelest events in European history. Thousands of innocent women were murdered by people who provided fake accusations. In England, one of the most famous witch...
La Voisin is believed to have poisoned thousands of people. Source: Igor Igorevich / Adobe Stock.

Who Was La Voisin? France’s Socialite Poisoner For Hire

In a darkened room stands a 40-year-old woman named Catherine Monvoisin. Her figure is lit only by torches held by the faceless men standing in front of her, men who are sentencing her to death by...
A Visit to the Witch by Edward Frederick Brewtnall

Bubbling Brews and Broomsticks: How Alewives Became the Stereotypical Witch

"Brewing", "herbs," "broomsticks," "woman." When one hears these words together, most often the assumption is that the person in question is a witch. Yet brewing has a very human meaning as well, one...
The Nine Maidens on Belstone. Source: Ethan Doyle White / CC BY-SA 4.0.

Dancing Maidens or Cursed Brothers? The Nine Maidens Stone Circle

The Nine Maidens Stone Circle lies near the village of Belstone in Devon, England. In spite of its name, the site actually has a total of 17 stones. Based on our understanding today, the stone circle...
The Lady of Lawers is said to haunt the village to this day. Source: Kim Traynor / CC BY-SA 4.0

For Sale: Abandoned Scottish Village “Haunted By A Seer”

The traditional loch-side home of a legendary Scottish prophet is up for sale in Scotland. While you can buy the Old Village of Lawers for around £125,000, you might have to deal with the Lady of...
Locustra testing Poison by Joseph-Noël Sylvestre

Top 10 Infamous Serial Killers from Ancient History

Serial killers are not a new phenomenon. Before Jack the Ripper began his legendary killing spree in London in the 1800s, there is a long list of infamous serial killers active throughout history...
Baroque library hall in the National Library of the Czech Republic in Prague. A collection of 13,000 occult and witchcraft books that were once part of Himmler’s “witch library” were found in the library.

Was Heinrich Himmler’s 'Nazi Witch Library' Discovered in a Czech Library?

In 2016, along with a vast array of international publications, the Daily Mail picked up a story that had been published by a Norwegian-based paper prior to a conference about the confiscation of...
A witch with her cat familiar, a spirit servant to help her with magic.

Bad Company? Witch Familiars, Spirit Guardians, and Demons

The folklore of the wicked witch and her diabolical animal familiar is a well-known and often repeated tale. When the seasons change and the nights get long it’s not uncommon to see images and...
Volterra: Home to Three Civilizations and the World’s First Witch

Volterra: Home to Three Civilizations and the World’s First Witch

Volterra, an archaeological gem in the province of Pisa, in Italy, is often eclipsed by more famous historical sites. This beautiful village, however, dates to the Etruscan period and also contains...
Representation of a seer or prophetess.

The 17th Century Seer, Janet Douglas: Being A Gifted Child Isn’t Always A Good Thing

Janet Douglas was a 17th century Scottish teenager reputed to have a paranormal gift known as ‘Second Sight.’ She should not be confused was another well-known Janet Douglas, a Scottish noblewoman...
Examples of a king’s mark, person, and witch mark carved into trees in the New Forest, Hampshire, England. Source: New Forest National Park

Symbols of the Enchanted Forest? Witch and King’s Marks Carved into English Trees

How have these ancient markings carved into trees in the New Forest in Hampshire, including witch and king’s marks, gone unrecorded for so long? The Enchanted Forest of Symbolic Secrets Some over-...
Mother Shipton's Cave

Mother Shipton’s Cave of Magic, Mystery, and Prophecy

According to legend, one of the most famous mystical women of England was born in a cave in Knaresborough, Yorkshire. The place of her birth, now known as Mother Shipton’s Cave, continues to be a...
Representation of a female Viking magic practitioner

Vestiges of the Vikings: Magic Buried in a Viking Woman's Grave

Murky, elusive and undefined, the religion of the pre-Christian Vikings has long been subject to debate. Contemporary texts of their spiritual worship do not survive, and the later records that do...
Grianan of Aileach ring fort, Donegal, Ireland.

Where the Fairies Dwell: Irish Ringforts in Our World and Theirs

A cloud of mystery looms over the ringforts that speckle the countryside of Ireland. More than 45,000 ringforts have been documented throughout Northern Europe and yet little is known about the date...
A wizard in a cave

Experts Map Cave Full of Witches’ Marks Used to Counter Evil

Originally written off as graffiti, experts have now declared that the hundreds of markings of squares, letters, mazes , and lines in an English cave system are actually witches’ marks – apotropaic...

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