E299: Hex Appeal - The Witches of Austria and Germany

Fresh Hell Podcast

freshhellpodcast

True Crime, History

4.8 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 3 October 2025

⏱️ 71 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This week on Fresh Hell, we’re taking you to the heart of spooky fuckery month with a deep dive into witch lore and trials in Austria and Germany. You know Salem: twenty people, one tragic year! But compared to what happened in central Europe, Salem was just a footnote. We’ll explore the folklore that fed the fear: Walpurgisnacht on the Brocken, Frau Perchta and her terrifying entourage, witches blamed for storms and nightmares, and then the very real trials in Würzburg, Bamberg, Salzburg, and beyond. Tens of thousands of people, mostly women, were executed in brutal hunts that tore entire communities apart. And yet, centuries later, witches have gone from a death sentence to Halloween costumes, protest slogans, and pop culture icons. witches, witch trials, Würzburg, Bamberg, Salzburg, Walpurgisnacht, Blocksberg, Brocken, Frau Perchta, Perchten, Druden, nightmares, weather magic, Hexe, Holy Roman Empire, Malleus Maleficarum, German folklore, Austrian folklore, spooky season, Halloween, Fresh Hell Podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	You feel that? A sudden chill, a tingle down your spine?
0:06.0	It's not a draft, is it?
0:08.0	No, it's the unmistakable sign that we've found them.
0:12.0	The most terrifyingly delicious ghost stories you've ever heard.
0:16.0	And trust us, we've had some close calls.
0:20.0	We're talking haunted hallways, phantom apparitions, and things that go bump in the night.
0:25.9	All served up on our new show, Ghostbites.
0:29.7	Join us as we dig into the spectral secrets and spooky sightings that will have you sleeping with the lights on.
0:35.9	So if you're brave enough, come grab a bite with us.
0:39.3	Just try not to let it be your last.
0:45.3	Ghostbytes, streaming now, on all your favorite podcast platforms.
1:06.8	You are listening to the Fresh Hell podcast.
1:13.0	Fresh Hell contains stories of a disturbing and often graphic nature and is intended for a mature audience.
1:16.5	Please don't let your kids listen to this, or they might turn out like us.
1:29.9	Hi, I'm Annie from Massachusetts, and yes, I do live very close to Salem.
1:36.9	And I'm Johanna from Austria, and you're listening to your favorite international podcast.
1:45.4	The podcast hosted by two women who never met in real life, but who could totally end up on the steak together.
1:46.9	You're not wrong.
1:52.0	And I don't mean steak like steak, I mean steak.
1:53.1	That's right.
1:58.6	Hellions, as always, we need to start with a huge thank you to our patrons. You are the reason that this podcast is still bubbling away
2:02.5	in the cauldron week after week. Your support keeps the candles lit, the research rabbit holes deep
	...

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