About this episode

The episode explores the dark and infamous story of Peter Stumpp, the Werewolf of Bedburg, and the historical context surrounding his alleged crimes.

In this episode of That Would Be Rad, we dive into one of the darkest, strangest, and most infamous werewolf stories in recorded history: The Werewolf of Bedburg. In 1589, a farmer named Peter Stumpp was accused of terrorizing the German countryside for decades. According to the accounts of the time, Stumpp had made a pact with the Devil, received a mysterious belt that allowed him to transform into a monstrous wolf, and used that power to commit a series of horrifying crimes. But this story is much more than a werewolf legend. It is a nightmare pulled from a world of religious panic, witch trials, public executions, folklore, fear, and violence. Join Woody and Tyler as they travel back to late sixteenth-century Germany, a time when belief in demons, witchcraft, magic, and monsters wasn’t just superstition. It was part of everyday life. In that world, people didn’t ask whether werewolves were real. They asked where they were hiding. Together, we explore the terrifying legend of Peter Stumpp, the giant wolf said to stalk the countryside near Bedburg, the infamous Devil’s belt, the alleged transformation, the missing hand, the brutal confession, and one of the most shocking public…

People in this episode

Hosts: Woody Brown, Tyler Bence

Topics covered

• werewolf legend
• historical crime
• religious panic
• folklore
• witchcraft
• public execution

Keywords

• werewolf
• Peter Stumpp
• Bedburg
• witch trials
• folklore
• religious hysteria
• public execution
• Devil's belt
• transformation

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Bedburg

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