From flying witches to demonic familiars and translucent cats, the Salem villagers believed themselves plagued by a spectrum of supernatural terrors. In this episode we’ll be investigating the long history of witchcraft beliefs that influenced accusations, from the first witches in the ancient world to the explosion of witch hunts triggered by fears of a satanic conspiracy in Early Modern Europe and America.

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Want to hear more? Browse the rest of the episodes in our series Investigating the Salem witch trials

Authors

Ellie CawthornePodcast editor, HistoryExtra

Ellie Cawthorne is HistoryExtra’s podcast editor. She also contributes to BBC History Magazine, runs the podcast newsletter and hosts several live and virtual BBC History Magazine events.

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