Why Did Witches Ride Brooms: The History Behind the Legend | Boring History

Long before Halloween decorations gave every witch a pointed hat and a broomstick, someone had to come up with the strange idea that witches could fly through the night on ordinary household brooms. Tonight, we’re finding out where that image actually came from. We’ll travel through medieval and early modern European folklore, old artwork, court records, religious writings, and popular stories to trace how witches and broomsticks became connected . And like most legends this old, there isn’t one perfectly tidy origin story. Along the way, we’ll explore older beliefs about magical flight, why the broom was such a familiar object in everyday households, how accusations and folklore influenced one another, and some of the earliest surviving images showing supposed witches traveling through the air. We’ll also sort through a few popular modern explanations that are repeated online as fact despite having much shakier historical evidence. The goal isn't to make the story frightening, but to see how generations of storytelling slowly created an image we still recognize instantly today. This is a calm folklore journey rather than a spooky witch story. Any darker aspects of historical witchcraft accusations are handled gently and without graphic detail, leaving plenty of room for strange traditions, old illustrations, unusual beliefs, and the surprisingly complicated history of one very ordinary broom. Using historical texts, surviving artwork, folklore studies, court material, and established scholarship, this episode has been carefully shaped to separate documented history from later legend. Perfect for discovering why witches ride brooms, witch folklore, broomstick history, medieval legends, European folklore, Halloween history, strange historical beliefs, relaxing history for sleep, folklore bedtime stories, and black-screen sleep documentaries. So settle in and get comfortable. The broom is by the door, centuries of folklore are waiting outside, and thankfully, nobody is asking us to actually fly anywhere tonight. Intro/Main Story: 00:00:00 Main StoryBeginning: 00:01:04 What Really Sank the Titanic?: 01:14:14 The Dundee Tay Bridge Disaster of 1879: 02:21:48 Zeus Vs. Kronos And The Quiet Turning of an Ancient Power: 03:30:56 The History Of The Pencil And How It Was Made: 05:01:45 If this podcast helps you relax or fall asleep, we’d love your support. Leaving a 5 ⭐ review on Spotify helps more people discover these calm stories and keeps us creating more for you. Patreon—https://www.buymeacoffee.com/historyandsleep - If you guys ever want to support me further, you can buy me a coffee here or simply donate if you're feeling generous. :) Love you all. 💛 Copyright © 2025 HistoryAndSleepOfficial. All rights reserved.