A Werewolf in Court

A Werewolf in Court

From Bone and Sickle by Al Ridenour

November 25, 2025 · 22 min · Episode 150

About this episode

This episode explores the 1692 trial of Thiess of Kaltenbrunn, a self-proclaimed werewolf, through verbatim court transcripts.

In our second short episode for November, we take a close look at a the 1692 trial of Thiess of Kaltenbrunn, a purported werewolf in the town of Jürgensburg, in Livonia, (a Baltic region now divided between Estonia and Latvia). “Old Thiess,” as he was known, described himself as being a particularly exotic form of werewolf — one who served God in Hell. The testimony offered was so curious that we will be presenting the court transcripts verbatim, with nearly all exchanges between witness and judges included. Decide for yourself!

People in this episode

Host: Al Ridenour

Topics covered

  • werewolves
  • historical trials
  • court transcripts
  • supernatural beliefs
  • 17th century history

Keywords

  • werewolf
  • Thiess of Kaltenbrunn
  • court trial
  • Jürgensburg
  • Livonia
  • supernatural
  • history
  • 17th century

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Jürgensburg, Livonia, Estonia, Latvia

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