Have you ever worn a pointy hat?

Not as often as one might think.

You know, I definitely have some cool hats.

The point is a little too on the nose or on the point for me.

And to be honest, you know, the pointy hat tends to be much more of a costume.

It tends to be more of an image of like a fictional witch.

And it's a really interesting history because it's very hard to pin down where the pointy hat originates.

But no, that is not something that I wear in my day-to-day.

You have it right here. If you're looking for a witch, probably not wearing a pointy hat.

But that is the question of the hour, which is, where did all this come from? Why the pointy hat?

Why the cauldron? Why the broom? Why, for God's sake, our witches riding a broom?

You just take it for granted.

But like, stop.

Ask yourself.

Why?

I'm Dylan Thuris, and this is Atlas Obscira,

a celebration of the world's strange, incredible, and wondrous places.

Today, I'm talking to Pam Grossman.

She is an old friend.

She is a delightful witch, which is just always the fun thing to say.

And she's also a writer, a curator, and host of the podcast, The Witch Wave.

As the winter solstice and yule are upon us, we thought we would honor this moment, this pagan

...