In 1500s France, a silent convent suddenly erupted into chaos when one exhausted nun in the back pew began to meow—and other sisters started joining her. What looked like mockery of God quickly spiraled into a full‑blown “feline chorus” that shattered the vow of silence, terrified authorities, and drew whispers of witchcraft, hysteria, and demonic possession.

As discipline tightened and punishments escalated, church leaders called in an exorcist, convinced this bizarre behavior had to be the Devil at work. But hours of dramatic exorcism, fasting, and prayer couldn’t silence the meows—only the arrival of soldiers and the threat of brutal corporal punishment finally did.

In this episode of Hysterical, we unravel the so‑called “meowing nuns” as a case of mass psychogenic illness, and explore what happens when generations of silenced, abandoned girls are given one tiny crack in the armor of obedience—and take it, together.

In 1589, the small German town of Bedburg became the stage for one of the most infamous trials in history. Peter Stumpp—forever remembered as the Werewolf of Bedburg—was accused of unspeakable crimes: murder, cannibalism, incest, and making a pact with the Devil to transform into a wolf. His execution was brutal, his confession extracted under torture, and his story spread across Europe in lurid pamphlets that fueled a wave of fear.

But how much of it was truth—and how much was hysteria?

In this episode, we unravel the legend of the Bedburg Werewolf, exploring the clash of religion and politics in the Holy Roman Empire, the rise of witch hunts and werewolf trials, and the way fear can shape justice. Was Stumpp truly a monster, or the perfect scapegoat in an age desperate for order?

Join me as we step back into the smoke-filled square of Cologne on Halloween night, 1589, and uncover what really happened when a man was burned as a beast.