On 30 January 1540, the Mexican Inquisition's trial of Pedro Ruiz Calderón began in New Spain. Calderón was a priest accused of using magic to find hidden gold, but what if that's exactly what a Spanish colonist was supposed to do?

In 2013 Icelandic officials ceased construction on a planned roadway. The project was halted for environmental reasons but also because petitioners argued it would disturb the natural habitat of Iceland’s elves. In this episode, we examine three stories of the Yuletide habits of Iceland’s elves. Who's ready for an elf party?

The tumultuous politics of the late Roman Republic gave rise to a truly terrifying figure in Latin literature: the hideous and necromantic Roman witch. In this spooky season three finale, we meet Horace's Canidia and Lucan's Erictho. Poison, blood, and prophecies from the undead: what else could you ask for in ancient Rome?

Dogs have lived alongside humans as guardians, helpers, and companions since before the dawn of recorded history, making dogs the perfect familiars for suspected witches. In this episode, we explore dogs as familiars, hear the story of a real-life witch and her fictional dog, and meet one of the most famous dogs suspected of witchcraft: a white poodle named Boy. Can a dog be a witch's best friend?

Most musicians work for years to master their instruments, with no guarantee of success. To what lengths will humans go for the sake of genius? What wouldn’t we give to be talented? To be famous? To be the best in the world? In this episode, we meet four musicians rumored to have paid the ultimate price for their art.

Magic abounded in Viking Age Scandinavia, granted to humankind by Odin himself, but seidr was gifted to women alone. Despite this, some men risked condemnation, shame, and even the loss of their masculinity to gain this power. What kind of magic tempts a man to surrender his manhood, and what does he stand to gain?

From enslavement to Emancipation to independence, the Afro-Caribbean community sought protection, healing, and justice from Obeah men and women, but when Obeah became a tool for resistance, it was outlawed, breaking the chain of transmission from one generation to the next. Could Obeah aid decolonization in the twenty-first century, and can its traditions be recovered?

Let's face it: most of the time, witches get a bad rap. Some witches, however, are famous gift-givers, protectors, healers, and liberators. In this episode, you'll travel from the first century to the twenty-first and meet La Befana, Arima, Aradia, and many of the other good witches of Italy. Who doesn't need a bit of magic now and again?

When Martin Luther throws down the gauntlet, what's a good Jesuit to do? In this episode, our story spans the lives of three men, two continents, and one hundred years as we explore Counter-Reformation Europe's most influential witch-hunting manual: Martín del Río's Magical Investigations.

What’s in a hand? If you’re a believer in chiromancy, everything. In this episode, we encounter Oscar Wilde, Carl Jung, and even Adolf Hitler, as we explore the history of palm reading in modern Europe.

At the end of the sixteenth century, five sisters accuse their neighbors of witchcraft. In this episode, we examine the case against the witches of Warboys. How did a group of children gain the power to destroy an entire family, and could it happen again?

“It is not himself but his crimes that I hate.” You don't become pope in the fourteenth century without making a few enemies. In this episode, we explore the life, death, and posthumous witchcraft trial of Pope Boniface VIII. When church and state collide, who can stand?

In 1920 Sir Arthur Conan Doyle presented to the world five photographs, declared to be genuine and featuring, unmistakably, fairies. How did the Cottingley fairies become one of the greatest mysteries of the twentieth century, and why do so many of us want to believe?

In the Golden Age of Islam, one twelfth-century philosopher seeks to reconcile pagan philosophy with the Quran. In this episode, we explore The Hidden Secret of Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī. When polytheism meets the Abrahamic tradition, where is truth?

Danger more savage than any wild beast lurks in the woods. In this special Halloween episode and season two finale, werewolves face trial in sixteenth-century France against the backdrop of the Wars of Religion. In a world where violence knows no bounds, who are the real monsters?

When women owe their ultimate obedience to men, who will avenge their broken hearts? In this episode, women in ancient Rome take matters into their own hands when their husbands’ attentions wander a little too far.

At the turn of the century, modern invention meets the most primal fear. Welcome to Ipswich, where the last trial for witchcraft in the United States is about to get underway.

At the dawn of the twentieth century, Sherlock Holmes' creator wants to believe. In this episode we meet mentalists, mesmerists, and mediums, the Fox sisters, and even Harry Houdini as we explore the origins of Spiritualism and the life and occult studies of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Charlemagne's descendant, King Lothar II, is unhappy. He wants to crown his mistress queen, but, well... there's the small matter of his wife. In the scandalous divorce case that follows and Bishop Hincmar of Reims' critical reaction, morality, mayhem, and magic play starring roles. Is witchcraft to blame for the king's distress?

From a Mesopotamian spirit to Adam’s first wife to demonic royalty, Lilith has a long and storied past. Today's episode explores the evolution of Lilith from obscure demon to feminist icon. What do you do with a woman who refuses to lie down?