As summer wanes and the nights grow long, we turn to tales of witches, curses, and the old ways that never truly died. For centuries, harvest time has carried its own magic: charms for fields, blessings for homes, and darker stories of those who bent nature to their will.

At harvest’s edge, European folklore treats the final sheaf as a living vessel of the corn spirit—captured in plaited “corn dollies,” chased as a wolf or hare, or celebrated with the West Country’s eerie “Crying the Neck.” This episode traces how communities honoured, contained, or expelled that presence—and how darker echoes of sacrifice lingered beneath the feasting.

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Research Links:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corn_dolly

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Golden_Bough

https://sacred-texts.com/pag/frazer/

https://cornwallforever.co.uk/story/crying-the-neck

https://www.legendarydartmoor.co.uk/crying_neck.htm

https://hauntedpalaceblog.com/2019/09/28/corn-dollies-from-the-old-crone-to-the-maiden/

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Corn-Mother

https://www.tota.world/article/harvest-customs-of-wales/

Sarah and Tobie xx

"Spacial Winds," Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licenced under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licence

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As summer wanes and the nights grow long, we turn to tales of witches, curses, and the old ways that never truly died. For centuries, harvest time has carried its own magic: charms for fields, blessings for homes, and darker stories of those who bent nature to their will.

Special thanks to Dixie for allowing us to share their story.

In this episode, we share one listener story and one Reddit story.

The BOOK

BY US A COFFEE

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Stories:

https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/comments/uil86y/the_scarecrow/

Thanks so much for listening, and we'll catch up with you again tomorrow!

Sarah and Tobie xx

"Spacial Winds" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

SURVEY

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As summer wanes and the nights grow long, we turn to tales of witches, curses, and the old ways that never truly died. For centuries, harvest time has carried its own magic: charms for fields, blessings for homes, and darker stories of those who bent nature to their will.

Across fields and centuries, harvest spirits blur the line between blessing and curse. We meet Habernitsa, the noon wraith who punishes scythe-swingers under the blazing sun; the Corn Mother, whose gifts are tangled with poison, sacrifice, and the last sheaf; and Chicomecōātl, the Aztec maize goddess who nourishes—and demands a life in return. A tour of folklore where grain is sacred, the stakes are mortal, and abundance is bought in blood.

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Research Links:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornflower_Wraith

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Midday

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ergot

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ergotism

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Corn-Mother

https://nativehistoryassociation.org/kanati_selu.php

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicomec%C5%8D%C4%81tl

Sarah and Tobie xx

"Spacial Winds," Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licenced under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licence

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

SURVEY

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As summer wanes and the nights grow long, we turn to tales of witches, curses, and the old ways that never truly died. For centuries, harvest time has carried its own magic: charms for fields, blessings for homes, and darker stories of those who bent nature to their will.

In the Essex village of St. Osyth, a mustard-yellow cottage hides a grim past. Known as The Cage, it once served as a lock-up where accused witches—including figures tied to the 1582 trials—were held before judgment.

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Research Links:

https://www.livescience.com/65694-medieval-witch-prison-house.html

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-06-14/haunted-house-that-housed-witches-in-medieval-times-for-sale/11208806

https://www.mamamia.com.au/st-osyth-cage/

https://www.mysteriousbritain.co.uk/hauntings/the-cage-st-osyth/

Sarah and Tobie xx

"Spacial Winds," Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licenced under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licence

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

SURVEY

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As summer wanes and the nights grow long, we turn to tales of witches, curses, and the old ways that never truly died. For centuries, harvest time has carried its own magic: charms for fields, blessings for homes, and darker stories of those who bent nature to their will.

Healer and midwife Ursula Kemp became the focus of fear in St. Osyth, Essex, when neighbourly disputes and misfortune spiralled into witchcraft accusations in 1582. Pressed by magistrate Brian Darcy—and with testimony from her young son—Kemp confessed to directing animal “familiars,” was convicted at the Chelmsford Assizes, and hanged.

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Join Sarah's new FACEBOOK GROUP

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Research Links:

https://www.mysteriousbritain.co.uk/occult/ursula-kemp-and-the-st-osyths-witches/

https://engole.info/ursula-kemp-witch/

https://www.stosythmuseum.co.uk/buildings/the-cage

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-06-14/haunted-house-that-housed-witches-in-medieval-times-for-sale/11208806

https://www.mamamia.com.au/st-osyth-cage/

Sarah and Tobie xx

"Spacial Winds," Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licenced under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licence

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

SURVEY

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As summer wanes and the nights grow long, we turn to tales of witches, curses, and the old ways that never truly died. For centuries, harvest time has carried its own magic: charms for fields, blessings for homes, and darker stories of those who bent nature to their will.

This September, we step into that threshold where folklore meets fear. From ancient curses to infamous trials, from haunted ground to witches said still to walk among us… welcome to the Season of the Witch.

In this episode, we share five creepy Reddit stories. Thanks to Scarysubmit for allowing us to share your stories.

The BOOK

BY US A COFFEE

Join Sarah's new FACEBOOK GROUP

Subscribe to our PATREON

EMAIL us your stories

Follow us on YOUTUBE

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Stories:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Paranormal/comments/m8l62s/my_greatgreat_grandfather_married_a_witch/

https://www.reddit.com/r/Paranormal/comments/poksfv/witches_circle/

https://www.reddit.com/r/Paranormal/comments/nf0pbt/witchlike_laughs_heard_at_night_immediately/

https://www.reddit.com/r/Paranormal/comments/12aino3/seeing_shades_since_beginning_to_practise

https://www.reddit.com/r/Paranormal/comments/cd1mb7/witchcraft/

Thanks so much for listening, and we'll catch up with you again tomorrow!

Sarah and Tobie xx

"Spacial Winds" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

SURVEY

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.