Ahead of tomorrow’s date, we’re revisiting one of the strangest and most compelling trials in European history — the case of Thiess of Kaltenbrun, often known as “Old Thiess”.
On the 28th April 1691, Thiess stood before a court in what is now Cēsis (then Venden) and made an extraordinary confession: he claimed to be a werewolf. But not in the way anyone expected.
Rather than describing himself as a servant of the devil, Thiess insisted he was a “hound of God” — part of a group that descended into hell three times a year to battle witches and devils, fighting to protect crops and ensure the fertility of the land.
This episode explores:
The details of the trial and surviving transcripts
Why Thiess’s testimony shocked the court
The wider beliefs about werewolves in the 17th century
And what this case reveals about folklore, religion, and the blurred line between superstition and worldview
It’s a case that continues to fascinate historians and anthropologists alike.
👉 Full episode & more:
https://www.podpage.com/haunted-history-chronicles/werewolf-for-god-the-turbulent-trial-of-thiess-of-kaltenbrunn-with-sarah-blake/
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