In 1726, a young English woman named Mary Toft began producing pieces of rabbits during what appeared to be labor. Local surgeons were baffled, royal physicians were called in, and before long, the strange case had reached the court of King George I.

The doctors examined the animals, argued over how such a thing could be possible, and tried to explain the births through everything from anatomy to the old belief that a mother’s imagination could physically affect her unborn child. But the closer they looked, the stranger—and more suspicious—the evidence became.

In this Feral Fragment, I’m telling the bizarre true story of The Woman Who Gave Birth to Rabbits—a case that drew in surgeons, royal physicians, and the court of King George I before the truth finally came out.

Feral Fragments are bonus episodes where I share subjects that are short but impressive—odd legends, bizarre incidents, strange creatures, unexplained events, and pieces of weird history worth telling.

Want more from The Feral Folklorist?

Dive deeper into each episode, explore merch, and get all the latest updates at:
https://feralfolklorist.com

Become a patron to unlock Feral Footnotes (our exclusive after-show), get early sneak peeks, weekly folk magic articles, and downloadable spells featured in each episode:
https://patreon.com/papagee

Stock up on your magical supplies from our metaphysical shop that’s been serving the public for over 25 years:
https://aromags.com

Browse Papa Gee’s books, tarot readings, and more at:
https://folkloreum.com/

and be sure to checkout our new podcast if you love spooky storytelling - Feral by Night

Support the show