The real source of witch-flight legends: hallucinogenic ointment on broomsticks
Witch-flight legends originated from ointment containing hallucinogenic alkaloids, applied to broomsticks and absorbed through mucous membranes to produce sensations of flying.
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The round besom and flat broom are identical tools, separated by two centuries
North America's earliest European-style brooms were round besoms made from bound birch branches—the broomstick witches rode in legend. Shaker communities in Massachusetts' Hadley region flattened them, expanding the surface area for more effective cleaning. Kate calls this transformation "the great flattening." What went unrecognized for centuries: the round besom and the flat broom are the same tool, merely separated by two centuries of history.
— KateOne farmer's 1797 gift to his wife built a 35-million-unit industry
In 1797, Massachusetts farmer Levi Dickinson made a broom from dried sorghum stalks for his wife. It was so effective that neighbors' wives began requesting their own—this homemade gift is considered the start of America's broomcorn industry. By the 1920s, the U.S. was cultivating over 80,000 tons of sorghum annually for brooms; by 1965, American factories produced 35 million brooms yearly. One household craft became an industrial-scale commodity in over a hundred years.
— KateAmerican broomcorn likely arrived via slave trade, not colonial design alone
The "broomcorn" used in American brooms is actually sorghum bicolor, originally from East Africa, brought to Europe before the 17th century. Evidence suggests it arrived in North America not simply through colonial import but likely through the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Benjamin Franklin's 1757 letter to his sister mentions "whisk seeds," but contradictory stories surround how he obtained them. The plant's true path to America remains tangled with the history of enslaved labor.
— Allie WardPrison broom-makers worked in Wyoming's territorial jails; they work in modern prisons today
Wyoming Territory Prison, now a museum, once held a large broom-making workshop where shackled inmates labored under threat of punishment using dangerous machinery. Profits flowed to the institution, not the workers; today visitors can buy historically identical brooms in the gift shop. A 2022 ACLU report documents that over 1.2 million people are incarcerated in the U.S., with two-thirds performing labor. Over 76 percent of incarcerated workers report being forced to work; refusing means solitary confinement and other punishments. Wages range from $0.33 to $1.41 per hour in most states, and zero in six states. The annual economic value of goods produced by incarcerated workers exceeds $2 billion; services produced, $9 billion.
— KateJumping the broom crosses cultures: no single African origin
Jumping the broom at weddings is often assumed to be exclusively African-American, but research traced by Kate connects it to Roma, multiple African ethnic groups, and Celtic and Welsh traditions across the British Isles. The practice spread globally through colonialism and slavery. The ritual entered mainstream culture through the 1977 television adaptation of Alex Haley's novel Roots; the 2016 remake even questioned whether the tradition was actually practiced in Africa. Today, couples from many communities perform the ceremony—not just Black families, but also neo-pagan communities.
— KatePapal documents and flying ointment together created the witch on her broomstick
In the 1480s, Pope Innocent VIII's papal bull and German priest Heinrich Kramer's Malleus Maleficarum systematically described witches flying to serve demons, providing Church authorization for witch hunts. But why the broomstick specifically? Earlier guest Theo Parma offered an explanation: so-called "flying ointment" containing hallucinogenic alkaloids was applied to broomsticks and absorbed through mucous membranes, producing the sensation of flight. The broomstick's phallic shape made it a potent symbol for associating "wicked women" with demons and evil.
— KateCinnamon brooms are seasonal marketing, not ancient witchcraft heritage
Cinnamon brooms, bestsellers each Halloween, lack genuine historical roots. Kate found no deep tradition—at most a minor reference, not authentic folklore. The method is straightforward: infuse sorghum or linen fibers with cinnamon essential oil. Appeal partly stems from scent nostalgia—traditional broom fibers carry natural aromas that stand out against odorless mass-produced plastic. But cinnamon brooms are fundamentally a modern smell-economy and seasonal marketing tactic, not ancient witchcraft heritage.
— KateA homemade broom requires only tension and footwork
Broom-making's core principle is simple: bundle fibers and maintain tension. Without professional wrapping machinery, you can use "foot sticks"—wooden shafts you press with your feet while pulling twine by hand, creating tension between your hands and feet. If you don't wrap tightly, the broom falls apart. Two essential guides to broom-making are Karen Hobbs's Swept Away and Cynthia Main's The Handmade Broom. Appalachia maintains a living tradition of broom-making instruction, keeping this craft alive.
— KateIn their own words · checked verbatim
Man, you just hit the nail on the head. You are absolutely correct in the way that this is mostly a folkloric or a folk practice.
Kate3:08
They had a few notes like flattening it for greater directional surface area. And this broom boom was born.
Kate23:54
There is a great suspicion that the plant, at least in part, came over to the United States with enslaved Africans during the time of the transatlantic slave trade.
Allie Ward28:06
And anyone who thinks that prison labor is a thing of the past is unfortunately unaware of how prevalent it still is in this country.
Kate37:19
Basically, the idea is that there are these witches fucking broomsticks and poles that are covered in ointment that send them into an ecstatic trance.
Theo Parma1:03:25
So then this, holy shit, it was grain rot, y'all, spread as the golden explanation.
Allie Ward1:05:29
I do think that the cinnamon broom smell good. I think olfactory experience is important in broom making.
Kate1:09:36
Figures
| U.S. broomcorn production in 1965 | 35 million brooms | 24:58 |
| U.S. incarcerated population | Over 1.2 million | 40:33 |
| Incarcerated worker wages (most states), per hour | $0.33 to $1.41 | 39:27 |
| Incarcerated worker wages (six states), per hour | $0.00 | 39:27 |
| Prison wildfire firefighter wages, per day | $2.90 to $5.12 | 40:33 |
| Annual value of goods produced by incarcerated workers | Over $2 billion | 39:27 |
| Annual value of services produced by incarcerated workers | $9 billion | 39:27 |
| Incarcerated workers reporting forced labor | Over 76% | 40:33 |
| Salem witch trials: accused and executed | About 200 accused, 20 executed | 1:04:25 |
Glossary
- besom
- Traditional European round-bundled broom made from birch or similar branches, brought to North America by colonists.
- broomcorn johnny
- 19th-century seasonal male laborers who followed the broomcorn harvest, traveling for work.
- flying ointment
- Ointment purportedly containing hallucinogenic alkaloids; applied to broomsticks and absorbed through mucous membranes to produce flight sensations.
- broom squire
- Playful title for broom craftspeople, borrowing the hierarchy and terminology of European guild traditions.
- Malleus Maleficarum
- 1480s witch-hunting manual by German priest Heinrich Kramer that systematized the image of witches flying and serving demons, authorizing religious persecution.
How to listen
Creators and general audiences interested in folklore research, craft revival, labor history, or the origins of Halloween symbols.
Franklin's letters on courtship and flatulence (ca. 29:00–32:00) can be skipped.