Werewolf For God: The Turbulent Trial of Thiess of Kaltenbrunn with Sarah Blake

Like the witchcraft trials as a whole, the trial of supposed werewolves emerged in what is now Switzerland (especially the Valais and Vaud) during the Valais Witch Trials in the early 15th century and spread throughout Europe in the 16th, peaking in the 17th and subsiding by the 18th century. The persecution of werewolves and the associated folklore is an integral part of the "witch-hunt" phenomenon. During the early period, accusations of lycanthropy (transformation into a wolf) were mixed with accusations of wolf-riding or wolf- charming. The 1598 case of Peter Stumpp led to a significant peak in both interest in, and persecution of, supposed werewolves, primarily in French-speaking and German-speaking Europe. Werewolf trials reached Livonia in the 17th century, and would become the most common form of witch-trial in that country. The phenomenon persisted longest in Bavaria and Austria, with persecution of wolf-charmers persisting until well after 1650, the final cases being recorded in the early 18th century. Joining me today to discuss witchcraft and werewolf trials is Sarah Blake from Hushed Up History. As part of this topic we also examine the fascinating case of Thiess of Kaltenbrunn a werewolf trial that stands alone in history....  Thank you for listening. If you want to get your hands on The Feminine Macabre Volume I, II, III or IV then make sure to take a look at https://spookeats.com/femininemacabre/ or via Amazon. You can explore my chapter titled, 'In Search of the Medieval' in Volume III. If you wish to support the Haunted History Chronicles Podcast then please click on the Patreon link. https://www.patreon.com/Haunted_History_Chronicles Please use the links below or on the website to keep in touch via our social media pages : to ask questions and review other content linked to this episode. Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/HauntedHistoryChronicles/?ref=bookmarks  Twitter: https://twitter.com/hauntedhistory4 Instagram: instagram.com/haunted_history_chronicles Website: https://www.podpage.com/haunted-history-chronicles/ https://sarahcsmells.scentsy.us Links to guest social media: https://husheduphistory.com/ https://twitter.com/husheduphistory https://www.instagram.com/husheduphistory/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/husheduphistory/ https://www.tiktok.com/@husheduphistory