image by @caricatureclub

Jourdemayne, the Witch of Eye

Jourdemayne was burned at Smithfield in London for witchcraft in 1441. Friend to the eminent and educated of her time, she was sought by many for her knowledge of dark matters.

Jourdemayne writes about …

... belief in the supernatural: what and why; where does it lead us? She also occasionally suffers from mission creep. Sorry.

I am editor of …

The Skeptic is the UK’s only regular magazine to take a critical-thinking and evidence-based approach to pseudo-science and the paranormal.

The latest issue:

Quotes & Testimonials

"Everyone's favourite skeptical witch, Jourdemayne, with superbly written thoughts on superstition, religion and the human condition"
Crispian Jago

"My two favourite bloggers ... are Petra Boynton and Jourdemayne ... Jourdemayne draws her insights from a different background: profound historical knowledge of the extraordinary things people have believed in. She then uses this to contextualise more contemporary matters."
Jack of Kent

"... the erudite and charming Jourdemayne ..."
Jack of Kent

"This is brilliant - must read"
('Priests, Pederasts & Privilege')
David Colquhoun

The Anglian Wolf Society

I support the work of The Anglian Wolf Society, which operates a sanctuary for wolves in North Bedfordshire. Its aims are to:

• educate and inform the public about wolves
• promote and support wolf conservation
• give people who would like to study or work with wolves the chance to do so

Please visit their site and donate if you can. You can even visit, and learn more about these wonderful and often misunderstood animals.

Vodcasts: The Natural Historie of the European Werewolf

In April 2012, Hampshire Skeptics Society hosted my talk on werewolves, a talk which I had first given at QEDcon a month previously.

The werewolf is a common horror motif, but here we consider what people during the witch-hunt of sixteenth and seventeenth century Europe really meant when they accused someone of ‘lycanthropy’? It was an evening discussing films, history and analysis at which we asked who is worse – man or beast.

Part 1

Introduction
Werewolves in the media
Lycanthropy as a medical condition

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Part 2

Psychopaths as Lycanthropes
Lycanthropes as Witches
The historical context
Witch-hunting manuals

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Part 3

Lycanthropes as Witches – the Werewolves of Poligny
Lycanthropes as Witches – Giles Garnier
How do people change shape?

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Part 4

Lycanthropes as Witches – Peter Stubbe
Conclusions
Real wolves – the Anglian Wolf Society

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Credits

Many thanks to the following:

Hosted by
Hampshire Skeptics Society

With special thanks to
Crispian Jago
Dave Hughes

Assisted by
Linda Dewhurst

Camera
David Lee

Editor
Sam Seal

Music
Stone Idols and Rob Jenkins