Outcasts of the Earth: A History Podcast

When the Witches Came to Salem: Tituba's Confession

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 03:52:27 GMT

In this episode, we take on the history of one of the most infamous witch hunts in popular memory; it is also the largest witch panic in American history. The research, analysis, and discussion of the Salem Witch Trials continues to attract widespread attention and fascination (with thanks to Arthur Miller). In this first episode of a two-part discussion of the Salem Witch Trials, we focus on the contextual background to the panic that began in 1692. Years of warfare, including King Philip's War and King William's War, plus the loss of Massachusetts' colonial charter hit the Puritan community of Salem hard. Then, in 1689, Salem Village gain their new minister, Samuel Parris, who brought with him an enslaved woman named Tituba, whose eventual confession to witchcraft sent the entire region into a destructive spiral.

Visit the Outcasts of the Earth website at: www.ootepod.com

Outcasts of the Earth on Instagram: @ootepod

Sources:

SWP No. 013: Bridget Bishop Executed, June 10, 1692.

SWP No. 125: Tituba.

Arthur Miller, The Crucible, 1953.

Edmund Randolph, “King Philip’s War,” 1675; available through the Digital History archive.

—

Carol Berkin, et al, Making America, Volume 1 To 1877, Cengage Learning, 2012.

Jess Blumberg, “A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials,” Smithsonian Magazine (October 24, 2022).

Elaine G. Breslaw, Tituba, Reluctant Witch of Salem: Devilish Indians and Puritan Fantasies (NYU Press, 1995).

Elaine G. Breslaw, “Tituba's Confession: The Multicultural Dimensions of the 1692 Salem Witch-Hunt,” Ethnohistory 44:3 (Summer 1997).

Douglas O. Linder, “Bridget Bishop,” Famous Trials (1995).

Rachel McShane, Ph.D., “TAMUC History Professor Busts Myths About The Salem Witch Trials,” East Texas A&M Today (October 24, 2023).

Mike Messina, “America’s Most Devastating Conflict: King Philip’s War,” Your Public Media (August 12, 2014).

Marilynne K. Roach, Six Women of Salem: The Untold Story of the Accused and Their Accusers in the Salem Witch Trials (Da Capo Press, 2013).

Written and recorded by: Kenyon Payne

Theme music: "Southern Gothic" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Outro music: “D´vil,” anrocomposer

Opening clip from The Crucible (1996), produced by David V. Picker Productions and distributed by 20th Century Fox.

Additional featured music

“Dark Lullaby,” ShadowsAndEchoes

“Devotional Disorder,” Vincent-Santamaria

“Dark Piano,” BrunoMagic

“Dark Story,” Joel Fazhari

“Soul of Classic,” Monument_Music

By Kevin MacLeod(incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/:

“Clash Defiant”

“Mourning Song”

“Lightless Dawn”

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The Witch & The Scarlet Letter: the True Story behind Mistress Hibbins

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:14:44 GMT

The cantankerous and evil witch who appears to tempt Hester Prynne in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter was based on an actual person. Who was the real "Mistress Hibbins," and why does she remain identified as a witch? In this episode, Kenyon breaks down the perilous position women could find themselves in while living in Puritan New England, as well as the case of Ann Hibbins; a woman who committed the social crime of challenging the price and quality of some local carpenters’ work. In an attempt to win retribution for this perceived wrong, Ann instead became a pariah, condemned as a witch, and - thanks to Hawthorne - her memory has been forever bound to the crime that claimed her life.

Visit the Outcasts of the Earth website at: www.ootepod.com

Outcasts of the Earth on Instagram: @ootepod

Sources:

John Winthrop, Winthrop's Journal, "History of New England," 1630–1649, Volume 7. Edited by James Kendall Hosmer (1908).

Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter (Boston, 1850).

—

Stephanie Buck, “This woman was executed as a witch because she complained about her carpenters,” Medium (November 29, 2016).

Olivia Campbell, “She’s a Witch!” Medium (March 13, 2023).

Nancy F. Cott, ed., Root of Bitterness: Documents of the Social History of American Women, second edition (Northeastern University Press, 1996).

David D. Hall, ed., Witch-Hunting in Seventeenth-Century New England: A Documentary History 1638-1693 (Northeastern University Press, 1991).

David Ketterer, “‘Circle of Acquaintance’: Mistress Hibbins and the Hermetic Design of The Scarlet Letter” English Studies in Canada, vol. 9, no. 3 (September 1983): 294-311.

Steve LeBlanc, “Boston had witch trials, too. A group wants justice for those accused across Mass.” WBUR (October 31, 2023).

William F. Poole, ed. “The Case of Ann Hibbins, Executed for Witchcraft in Boston in 1656” Joshua Scottow Papers, 5.

Written and recorded by: Kenyon Payne

Theme music: "Southern Gothic" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Outro music: “D´vil,” anrocomposer

Additional featured music:

By Kevin MacLeod(incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/:

“Myst on the Moor”

“Lasting Hope”

“Lightless Dawn”

“Leaving Home”

“SPC-x5x”

“Blue Feather”

“Dark Fog”

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Witchfinder General

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 05:27:36 GMT

In this episode, we break down the origins of the deadliest witch hunt in English history, and how one man became responsible for the arrest and execution of hundreds. Set in the midst of the English Civil War, which threw the country into a state of violent turmoil, we look at the story of Matthew Hopkins, and how this self-styled Witchfinder General came to create this new occupation for himself as fears around witchcraft were once again on the rise. This is a story of an opportunistic man who left a deadly legacy in his wake. How exactly does one become a witchfinder? Tune in to find out...

Visit the Outcasts of the Earth website at: www.ootepod.com

Outcasts of the Earth on Instagram: @ootepod

Sources:

Matthew Hopkins, The Discovery of Witches: In Answer to Severall Queries Lately… (1647). Made available through Project Gutenberg.

Ellen Castelow, “Matthew Hopkins, Witch-Finder General,” Historic UK (April 4, 2017).

Malcolm Gaskill, Witchfinders: A Seventeenth-Century English Tragedy (Harvard University Press, 2005).

Diane Purkiss, “Matthew Hopkins and the Panic about Witches,” in Literature, Gender, and Politics During the English Civil War, edited by Diane Purkiss (Cambridge University Press, 2005).

James A. Sharpe, Instruments of Darkness: Witchcraft in England, 1550-1750 (Penguin, 1996).

Jim Sharpe, “The Devil in East Anglia: the Matthew Hopkins Trials Reconsidered” in New Perspectives on Witchcraft, Magic and Demonology, Volume 3: Witchcraft in the British Isles and New England, edited by Brian P. Levack (Routledge, 2001).

Written and recorded by: Kenyon Payne

Theme music: "Southern Gothic" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Outro music: “D´vil,” anrocomposer

Additional featured music

By Kevin MacLeod(incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/:

“Leaving Home”

“Mourning Song”

“String Impromptu Number 1”

“Blue Feather”

“Double Drift”

“Constance”

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Caught in a Lie: the Case of Anne Gunter

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 02:30:01 GMT

What happens when someone claiming to be bewitched admits that it was all a lie? What also happens when that confession is made directly to a King? In this episode, Kenyon looks into a case of witchcraft accusations gone wrong. In a tale of feuding neighbors, feigned curses, and parental abuse, we follow the story of Anne Gunter, whose claims nearly brought three local women to the gallows. Instead, confessions of fictitious allegations turned this case of witchcraft into one of alarming manipulation and physical torment. How did this young woman end up making such damning claims against her neighbors? And why was her father so invested in winning this case that he appealed to the King of England himself?

Sources:

Megan Benson, “Anne Gunter,” in A Biographical Encyclopedia of Early Modern Englishwomen: Exemplary Lives and Memorable Acts, 1500-1650, edited by Carole Levin, Anna Riehl Bertolet, and Jo Eldridge Carney (2016).

James Sharpe, The Bewitching of Anne Gunter (Routledge, 2000).

Written and recorded by: Kenyon Payne

Theme music: "Southern Gothic" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Outro music: “D´vil,” anrocomposer

Additional featured music

By Kevin MacLeod(incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/:

“Vanishing”

“Morgana Rides”

“SCP-x1x”

“Interloper”

“Heavy Heart”

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Love Thy Neighbor? The Infamous Case of the Witches of Warboys

Sat, 21 Feb 2026 02:05:33 GMT

Bad neighbors, demons named Snack, and a house full of possessed girls. Talk about a wild case to study. In fact, this one ranks among one of the more famous instances of witchcraft to come out of 16th century England: the Witches of Warboys. In this episode, we see how a household of young girls claimed to be bewitched by their older neighbor, Alice Samuel. Digging deeper, though, we see the numerous layers that appear before us, including a wealthy household that chose to use its power and influence to take control over the prosecution of the accusations, as well as the construction of the narrative that followed.

Did you hear the fun news at the end of the episode? This is one spoiler to share, but Outcasts of the Earth has its own website! You can visit it at: www.ootepod.com. Feel free to check it out!

Sources:

Anon., The Most Strange and Admirable Discoverie of the Three Witches of Warboys… (London: 1593).

Philip C. Almond, Demonic Possession and Exorcism in Early Modern England (Cambridge University Press, 2004).

Anne Reiber DeWindt, “Witchcraft and Conflicting Visions of the Ideal Village Community,” Journal of British Studies, Vol. 34, No. 4 (Oct., 1995), pp. 427-463.

Enid Porter, “Witchcraft in Warboys” Nov. (1968), 28-30.

Willow Winsham, “The Witches of Warboys and the Death of Lady Cromwell” (August 8, 2018).

Written and recorded by: Kenyon Payne

Theme music: "Southern Gothic" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Outro music: “D´vil,” anrocomposer

Additional featured music:

By Kevin MacLeod(incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/:

“Long Note Three”

“The Escalation”

“Krampus Workshop”

“Spacial Harvest”

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Of Kings and Midwives: the First Witch Hunt in Scotland

Sun, 01 Feb 2026 20:48:18 GMT

In this episode, we travel to Scotland to take a look at the first “panic year” of 1590-1591 that resulted in the first witch hunt in Scottish history. Looking specifically at the case of Agnes Sampson, who was known as the Wise Midwife of Keith, we see how this first hunt for witches captured the attention of the king himself, as James VI became convinced that witches directly threatened his life by conjuring a storm at sea. Because of this, King James brought all the more attention and credibility to this witch hunt as he personally sat in on the trials and participated in the questioning of the accused, including a respected old widow and midwife who spent her final days suffering horrific pain and humiliation under the scrutinizing eyes of her king.

Sources:

Ray J. Defalque and A.J. Wright, “In the Name of God: Why Agnes Sampson and Eufame McCalyean were burned at the stake,” Bulletin of Anesthesia History Vol. 22, Issue 3 (July 2004).

Julian Goodare, “Women and the Witch-Hunt in Scotland,” Social History, Vol. 23, No. 3 (Oct. 1998).

Brian P. Levack, ed., “The Trial of Agnes Sampson, 1591,” The Witchcraft Sourcebook, second edition (Routledge, 2015).

Michael Lynch, ed., “Witch-hunts,” The Oxford Companion to Scottish History (Oxford University Press, 2007).

Lois Martin, A Brief History of Witchcraft (Running Press, 2010).

Written and recorded by: Kenyon Payne

Theme music: "Southern Gothic" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Outro music: “D´vil,” anrocomposer

Additional featured music:

“Inside the Walls,” MeeGiStudio

“Dark Storytime,” JoelFazhari

“Dark Piano,” BrunoMagic

“Sinister Night,” SoulProdMusic

“Tragedy and Grief,” Ashot_Danielyan

By Kevin MacLeod(incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/:

“Skye Cuillin”

“Interloper”

“Invariance”

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Sorcery in the Age of Exploration: the Captain General vs. the Gentleman Captain

Mon, 19 Jan 2026 05:18:26 GMT

In this episode, we discuss the rare story of a noble man who faced accusations of witchcraft on the faraway coast of South America. This is a story of a broken friendship, the abuse of power, and the exploitation of sailors' superstitions to levy accusations of witchcraft. When Sir Francis Drake departed on his infamous voyage that took him around the globe, his friend, Thomas Doughty, joined him on the journey. In the course of this expedition, everything fell apart between the two men, leading to claims of sorcery and an impromptu trial. This week, we dive into the topic of witchcraft during the Age of Exploration, and we consider the question: was anyone truly safe from facing accusations?

Sources:

David Hannay, “The Case of Mr. Doughty,” Blackwood’s Magazine (1898).

Harry Kelsey, Sir Francis Drake: The Queen’s Pirate (Yale University Press, 1998).

Francesca Loverci, “New Light on the Doughty Case: English Catholics during the Elizabethan Age,” Clio: Rivista di studi storici (September 1994).

Morgan, “10 Ancient Nautical Superstitions and Their Origins,” The Collector (January 14, 2026).

Parris, “The Assassination of Thomas Doughty by the Brigand Sir Francis Drake,” Crime Reads (December 9, 2019).

Written and recorded by: Kenyon Payne

Theme music: "Southern Gothic" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Outro music: “D´vil,” anrocomposer

Additional featured music:

Lightless Dawn

Folk Round

Netherworld Shanty

Crypto

Hitman

The Escalation

Fantastic Dim Bar

Interloper

Devastation and Revenge

SCP-x6x

Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Story of Satan the Cat and England's "First" Witch

Sun, 04 Jan 2026 15:00:00 GMT

In this episode, we look at the bizarre case of the woman mistakenly remembered as the first witch executed in England. The story of Agnes Waterhouse features peculiar accusations, including a possessed cat who could turn into a toad, and a horned dog who threatened a young girl's life. In what was presented at the time as an entertaining and macabre story for the masses across England, at its heart we see the story of a woman offering her own life in order to try and save the life of her daughter.

Sources:

Anon., “The Examination and confession of certaine wytches at Chensforde in the countie of Essex : before the Quenes Maiesties judges, the xxvi daye of July, anno 1566, at the assise holden there as then, and one of them put to death for the same offence, as their examination declareth more at large” EEBO Lambeth Palace Library records.

Barbara Rosen, ed. Witchcraft, “English witchcraft statutes of 1542, 1563, and 1604.”

Marion Gibson, “The Trial of Agnes Waterhouse - Witchcraft in Essex, 1566” Essex Record Office blog (July 29, 2021).

Lois Martin, A Brief History of Witchcraft (Running Press, 2010).

Hugh Willmott, “The dissolution of the monasteries: mindless violence or planned precision?” History Extra ( Feb 1, 2021).

“Chelmsford: Memorial of first witchcraft execution considered,” BBC (February 24, 2022).

Rosemary Ellen Guiley, “Chelmsford Witches,” in The Encyclopedia of Witches, Witchcraft, and Wicca (2008): pp. 58-60.

Written and recorded by: Kenyon Payne

Theme music: "Southern Gothic" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Outro music: “D´vil,” anrocomposer

Additional featured music:

“Lord of the Land”

“Stay the Course”

“Night of Chaos”

“Evening of Chaos”

“Mesmerize”

All by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pardon the (Holiday) Interruption!

Sun, 21 Dec 2025 23:59:02 GMT

Outcasts of the Earth is taking a brief holiday break this week, but your host, Kenyon, will be back in two weeks with a new episode on the history of witchcraft. I took the opportunity this week to (re)introduce myself to any new listeners who may be tuning in since season one. Happy holidays to everyone who listens, and here's to a good start to 2026! Please let this new year be kind to us all... Take care, everybody!

Theme music: "Southern Gothic" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The First Witch Hunt (or, Nobody Expected the Swiss Inquisition)

Mon, 08 Dec 2025 00:15:21 GMT

This week, we explore the first large-scale witch hunt in European history. Occurring in the French-speaking region of Switzerland, the Valais Witch Trials led to the execution of 376 people, the majority of which were men. Tune in to hear how a coordinated effort to eliminate heretical sects in the region turned into a widespread hunt for witches accused flying through the night to plan their devilish deeds. This episode looks at the origins and deadly legacy of this witch hunt, as well as what separates the events that occurred in Valais from other witch hunts that followed.

Sources:

Hans Peter Broedel, “Fifteenth-century witch beliefs”/ in Brian P. Levack (ed.), The Oxford handbook of witchcraft in early modern Europe and colonial America, Oxford University Press, 2013.

Phil Carradice, Witches and Witch Hunts Through the Ages (Pen & Sword Books, 2024).

B.F. Cotterill, The Witch Hunts. In: Are Children Reliable Witnesses? (Palgrave Macmillan, 2022).

Richard Kieckhefer, "Mythologies of Witchcraft in the Fifteenth Century," Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft 1, no. 1 (2006): 79-108.

Lois Martin, A Brief History of Witchcraft (Running Press, 2010).

P. G. Maxwell-Stuart, Witch Beliefs and Witch Trials in the Middle Ages : Documents and Readings, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2011.

Kathrin Utz Tremp, The Heresy of Witchcraft in Western Switzerland and Dauphiné (Fifteenth Century) in Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft, Vol. 6, No. 1 (2011): 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1353/mrw.2011.0008

Written and recorded by: Kenyon Payne

Theme music: "Southern Gothic" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Outro music: “D´vil,” anrocomposer

Additional featured music:

The following songs are all by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

“Dragon and Toast”

“Ossuary 2 - Turn”

“The Other Side of the Door”

“Dark Standoff”

“Political Ad”

“Darkest Child”

“Ghost Processional”

“Morgana Rides”

“Thunder Dreams”

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Hammer of Witches

Sun, 23 Nov 2025 22:07:18 GMT

This episode dives into the history behind one of the most significant texts in the history of the early modern witch hunts that took hold across several European countries, the Malleus Maleficarum. This consequential text defined what constituted a witch, the depravity of witches and their practices, and ultimately served as a guide through the legal processes one would need to pursue in order to secure a conviction and an execution of such a witch. This book retains one of the bloodiest legacies in history. Take a listen to learn where it came from, and what effect it had on the expansive waves of witch hunts in early modern European history.

Sources:

Pope Innocent VIII, Summis desiderantes affectibus (December 5, 1484), from George L. Burr, ed., The Witch-Persecutions Vol. 3, No. 4 (1896).

Heinrich Kraemer, Malleus Maleficarum, English translation by Rev. Montague Summers (1928).

Reginald Scot, The Discoverie of Witchcraft (1584), republished by Dover Publications, 1972.

—

Arran Birks, “The ‘Hammer of Witches’: An Earthquake in the Early Witch Craze,” The Historian (January 24, 2020).

Hans Peter Broedel, “The Malleus Maleficarum and the Construction of Witchcraft: Theology and Popular Belief,” in Witchcraft in Early Modern Europe, edited by Merry E. Wiesner (2007).

Joni Creed, “King James VI and I: Witch-Hunter and Protector of the Realm,” MA Thesis (2020).

Maral Deyrmenjian, “Pope Innocent VIII (1484-1492) and the Summis desiderantes affectibus” (2020).

Vera Hoorens, Hans Renders, “Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa and Witchcraft: A Reappraisal,” The Sixteenth Century Journal, Vol. 43, No. 1 (Spring 2012): 3-18.

Lois Martin, A Brief History of Witchcraft (Running Press, 2010).

Written and recorded by: Kenyon Payne

Theme music: "Southern Gothic" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Outro music: “D´vil,” anrocomposer

Additional featured music:

By Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com):

"SCP-x1x"

"Satiate Percussion"

"Metaphysik"

"Crowd Hammer"

"Danse of Questionable Tuning"

"Heavy Heart"

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Of Love and Witches: the Tragic Story of Agnes Bernauer

Sun, 09 Nov 2025 15:00:00 GMT

This episode explores a familiar, oft-repeated tale of the ill-fated love shared between the lowly Agnes Bernaur and noble Albrecht, the future Duke of Bavaria. In a story that has come to shape the history and lore of the German city of Augsburg, we will see how a love shared between people from different worlds is ripped apart as Albrecht’s father took extreme measures to keep the two apart by accusing Agnes of being a witch.

Sources:

Anna Bond, “A Study of Agnes Bernauer,” Master’s Thesis, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (1906).

Henry Garland and Mary Garland, eds., The Oxford Companion to German Literature, third edition (Oxford University Press, 1997).

P.G. Maxwell-Stuart, Witch Beliefs and Witch Trials in the Middle Ages: Documents and Readings (2011).

Ritchie Robertson, “Hebbel: Agnes Bernaur (1852),” German Political Tragedy (2024).

Lyndal Roper, The Witch in the Western Imagination, University of Virginia Press (2012).

Written and recorded by: Kenyon Payne

Theme music: "Southern Gothic" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Outro music: “D´vil,” anrocomposer

Additional featured music:

“Virtutes Instrumenti,” “Mourning Song,” and “Night Vigil” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

“Space Ambient SiFi,” Lexin_Music

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The First “Witch”: The Trial and Death of Petronilla de Meath

Sun, 26 Oct 2025 14:00:00 GMT

In this episode, we are covering the tragic story of Petronilla de Meath, a widower, a single mother, and working class woman who is largely remembered for being the first "witch" to be burned at the stake in Europe. In unpacking this story, we see how a power struggle that broke out between the rich and powerful in a medieval Irish town led to one woman taking the fall and suffering a horrific fate.

Sources:

Service of remembrance for Petronilla of Meath held at St. Canice’s Cathedral, Kilkenny (November 3, 2024). Speech delivered by Andrew McGuinnes, Mayor of Kilkenny. Shared by the Kilkenny Archaeological Society on December 7, 2024.

L.S. Davidson and J.O. Ward, eds., The Sorcery and Trial of Alice Kyteler (Center for Medieval and Early Renaissance Studies, 1993).

Nalina Eggert, “The Irish Woman Executed for Witchcraft 700 Years Ago,” BBC News (October 30, 2024).

Lois Martin, A Brief History of Witchcraft (Running Press, 2010).

Bernadette Williams, “The Sorcery and Trial of Alice Kyteler,” History Ireland Vol 2., No. 4 (Winter, 1994): 20-24.

Written and recorded by: Kenyon Payne

Theme music: "Southern Gothic" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Outro music: “D´vil,” anrocomposer

Additional featured music:

“Long Note Three,” and “Virtutes Instrumenti,” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Toil and Trouble

Mon, 13 Oct 2025 02:00:00 GMT

The history of witchcraft is a sordid tale that plagued and brought pure torment to a countless number of lives. With thousands upon thousands losing their lives to this belief in sinister, supernatural powers - usually wielded by malevolent women - this history includes an untold number of stories involving one of the great outcasts of the past. In this inaugural episode of season two (!), we explore the origins of magic, how spellwork became tied to Satanic pacts, and why women, in particular, were the falls to be suspected of being a witch.

Sources:

Owen Davies, ed. The Oxford History of Witchcraft and Magic (2023).

Written and recorded by: Kenyon Payne

Theme music: "Southern Gothic" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Outro music: “D´vil,” anrocomposer

Additional music by Kevin MacLeod:

Special Harvest

The Pyre

Malicious

Intrepid

(incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Season 2 Trailer: The Season of the Witch

Tue, 30 Sep 2025 14:00:00 GMT

The trailer for season two of Outcasts of the Earth: The Season of the Witch, debuting October 12! Check back for new episodes releasing every other week.

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Last Call: Season Conclusions

Mon, 29 Sep 2025 14:00:00 GMT

In this final episode of season one, I take a look back on the history of alcohol, touching on some of the key topics and takeaways from antiquity to Prohibition. What can we glean from this history of drinking, and more importantly, the so-called 'drunkard'? Where does this issue stand now, and how do those suffering from alcohol use disorder today compare to those who struggled with drinking centuries ago? Tune in to listen to this concluding discussion, which includes my own thoughts on the season, as well as my notes of thanks to all who helped me make this show. A massive thanks goes out to all who have listened, too! Listen through to the end of the episode for a trailer for season two: The Season of the Witch, premiering October 12!

Sources:

Bourdon, J. L., et al, “Characterization of service use for alcohol problems across generations and sex in adults with alcohol use disorder,” Alcoholism Clinical and Experimental Research, 44(3), 746-757.

“Global Alcoholic Beverages Market Size, Share, and COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Type…” Spherical Insights (2023).

Written and recorded by: Kenyon Payne

Theme music: "Southern Gothic" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Outro music: “D´vil,” anrocomposer

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“Stay Away from Jazz and Liquor!”

Tue, 16 Sep 2025 02:39:39 GMT

From 1920 to 1933, the United States seemed to achieve the impossible: the federal government amended the Constitution to turn the US "dry." The so-called 'Noble Experiment,' better known as Prohibition, did little to dampen the spirit of the Roaring 20s... It also did little to stop people from drinking. For this raucous thirteen-year period, the US was overtaken by illicit liquor, expanding criminal organizations, and an unprecedented growth of federal power. Whiskey prescriptions, infamous gangsters, a federal poisoning program, and the St. Valentine's Day Massacre are all covered this week - tune in and let's raise a glass to this unforgettable era in alcohol history.

Primary Sources:

“Jurors Go on Trial, Drank Up Evidence; Los Angeles Judge Summons Nine for Discharge from Service,” New York Times (January 7, 1928).

“Moe Smith, Revenue A gent, Dies; Scourge of Prohibition Violators; Worked With Partner, as Izzy and Moe, to Arrest 4,000u Exploits Amused Many,” New York Times (Dec. 16, 1960).

Charles Norris, “Our Essay in Extermination,” The North American Review (1928).

"I've Got the Prohibition Blues," by Carl Zerse (1919), performed by Fred Field and James Pitt-Payne.

Secondary Sources:

Daniel A. Laliberte, “The Real McCoy,” Naval History (February 2020).

Michael Lerner, Dry Manhattan: Prohibition in New York City (2008).

Lisa McGirr, The War on Alcohol: Prohibition and the Rise of the American State (2015).

Daniel Okrent, Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition (2011).

W. J. Rorabaugh, Prohibition : A Concise History, Oxford University Press, 2018.

Christine Sismondo, America Walks into a Bar: a Spirited History of Taverns and Saloons, Speakeasies, and Grog Shops (2011).

Karen Taborn, Walking Harlem: the Ultimate Guide to the Cultural Capital of Black America (2018).

Mark Thornton, “Cato Institute Policy Analysis No. 157: Alcohol Prohibition was a Failure” Cato Institute (July 17, 1991).

Prohibition: An Interactive History, an online exhibit by The Mob Museum (further information and online exhibits are available at themobmuseum.org)

Written and recorded by: Kenyon Payne

Theme music: "Southern Gothic" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Outro music: “D´vil,” anrocomposer

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Spirits of Temperance

Tue, 02 Sep 2025 00:53:55 GMT

By the turn of the twentieth century, the US was moving ever closer to adopting a nationwide prohibition against all intoxicating drinks - but how did we get here? How did the US go from being known for having a robust drinking culture to supporting a constitutional amendment against alcohol? This episode explores the strategies used by the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) and the Anti-Saloon League (ASL), breaking down how the temperance movement managed to achieve its ultimate goal. Smashed saloons, unhinged temperance hymns, and men in drag abound! Let's see how the US ended up going 'dry' in 1920.

Primary Sources:

T.S. Arthur, Ten Nights in a Bar-Room, and What I Saw There (1854).

Grace Clifford Howard, “The Woman's Crusade: Forerunner of the WCTU,” (excerpt) 1891. Digital Public Library of America. Courtesy of University of Washington.

Frederick Marryat, A Diary in America: With Remarks on its Institutions, Part 2, Volume 1 (1839).

Carry A. Nation, The Use and Need of the Life of Carry A. Nation (1909).

Secondary Sources:

Holly Berkley Fletcher, Gender and the American Temperance Movement of the Nineteenth Century (Taylor & Francis, 2007).

Michael Lewis and Richard Hamm, eds., Prohibition’s Greatest Myths: The Distilled Truth about America’s Anti-Alcohol Crusade (Louisiana State University Press, 2020).

Annemarie McAllister, Writing for Social Change in Temperance Periodicals: Conviction and Career (Routledge, 2023).

Alfred W. McCoy, Beer of Broadway Fame: The Piel Family and their Brooklyn Brewery (State University of New York Press, 2016).

Louise Slavicek, The Prohibition Era: Temperance in the United States (Chelsea House, 2009).

Richard Worth, Teetotalers and Saloon Smashers: The Temperance Movement and Prohibition (Enslow Publishers, 2009).

Digital collection: Westerville Public Library’s collection on the Anti-Saloon League, including thousands of documents, images, stories, and songs about the ASL. You can access the collection here.

Written and recorded by: Kenyon Payne

Theme music: "Southern Gothic" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Outro music: “D´vil,” anrocomposer

Additional featured music:

“Elven Language,” Atmani_Art

“Dramatic Background Orchestra,” White_Records

“In the Saloon,” Piano_Music

“Requiem to Mozart,” DirectToDreams

“Marching Music On Parade,” John Philip Sousa (Nesrality)

“Lively Big Band Swing,” nickpanek

“Wild West Saloon,” Table Top Audio

“Lips that Touch Liquor,” sung by the Women's Choir at Concordia College, courtesy of the Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County

“Father’s a Drunkard, and Mother is Dead,” (1866), sung by E. A. Parkhurst

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Drunkard's Progress

Tue, 19 Aug 2025 01:03:58 GMT

In this episode, we discuss how the reactions to the ever-rising drinking rates in the US and Great Britain culminated into organized movements that demanded greater temperance. We are only scratching the surface here, as there is a whole lot of history to tackle. This episode covers some early influential figures, such as Dr. Benjamin Rush, Lyman Beecher, and Joseph Livesey. It also touches on the temperance movement in France, which primarily focused on one spirit in particular: absinthe. Will absinthe really cause you to hallucinate? Tune in to find out!

Primary Sources:

Samuel Couling, History of the temperance movement in Great Britain and Ireland : from the earliest date to the present time (London: 1862).

Nathaniel Currier, The Drunkard’s Progress: From the First Glass to the Grave (1846).

Benjamin Franklin, The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, second edition, edited by Leonard W. Labaree, Ralph L. Ketcham, Helen C. Boatfield, and Helene H. Fineman (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1964), 198.

Bernhard Gillam, Between Two Evils, print, Puck (April 19, 1882).

Leonard W. Labaree, ed. “Treaty of Carlisle, 1 November 1753,” The Papers of Benjamin Franklin, vol. 5, July 1, 1753, through March 31, 1755 (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1962), 84–107. Founders Online, National Archives.

Secondary Sources:

Elena Abbott et al., “Religion and Reform,” Emily Conroy-Krutz, ed., in The American Yawp, eds. Joseph Locke and Ben Wright (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2018).

Chelsea Bishop, “What to Know About Absinthe,” WebMD (October 21, 2024).

James Nicholls, The Politics of Alcohol: A History of the Drink Question in England (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2011).

Anthony S. Parent, Flocks of Birds: Virginia Colonialism into Native Country, 1670-1776 (University of South Carolina Press, 2025).

Rod Phillips, Alcohol: A History (University of North Carolina Press, 2014).

P.E. Prestwich, “French Workers and the Temperance Movement,” Cambridge University Press online, 2008.

Written and recorded by: Kenyon Payne

Theme music: "Southern Gothic" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Outro music: “D´vil,” anrocomposer

Additional featured music:

“One Story Ingrid,” White_Records

“Wise Old Traveling Cowboy,” UniqueCreativeAudio

“Classical Trumpet Concerto,” Luis_Humanoide

“Violin Type Beat 2,” iamPawsMusic

“Tavern Celebration,” Table Top Audio

“It is Well with My Soul,” Music_For_Videos

“Legacy of Chopin. Nocturne No. 20 Hip-Hop version,” White_Records

“Paris Love,” LP-Studio-music

“Queen of the Ghosts,” Diamond_Tunes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Whiskey: An American Delirium

Mon, 04 Aug 2025 22:20:50 GMT

In this episode, we are finally covering the history of my favorite spirit: whiskey! This uniquely American tale touches on whisky's backstory involving the migration of the Scots-Irish, as well as exactly how farmers felt when one (sing it with me) Alex-an-der Ham-il-ton tried to levy taxes on their beloved corn liquor. We also cover the ways the rise of the Industrial Revolution changed the drinking culture in the young United States, such as the very real problems that developed when the US population hit an unprecedented peak of alcohol consumption. One such problem involved recognition of a new disease called delirium tremens that could cause terrifying hallucinations. Was this a possible cause of the great author Edgar Allan Poe's death? So many topics, and so much whiskey - dive on in, and I hope you enjoy.

Primary Sources:

Jesse Carter, “Observations on Mania a Potu” The American Journal of Medical Sciences (Aug. 1, 1830)

Nils-Gerrit Wunsch, “Per capita consumption of corn products in the U.S. 2000-2019,” Statista (June 1, 2022).

Secondary Sources:

Michael Brander, Brander’s Guide to Scotch Whiskey, fifth edition (New York: Lyons Press, 1996).

Bruce L. Bustard, Spirited Republic: Alcohol’s Evolving Role in U.S. History, Prologue, the US National Archives, Winter 2014.

Cleveland Clinic, “Delirium Tremens,” June 5, 2023.

Joe Dabney, Mountain Spirits: A Chronicle of Corn Whiskey from King James' Ulster Plantation to America's Appalachians and the Moonshine Life (Bright Mountain Books, 1984).

Patrick Griffin, The People With No Name: Ireland's Ulster Scots, America's Scots Irish, and the Creation of a British Atlantic World, 1689-1764 (Princeton University Press, 2001).

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), “Delirium or Psychosis? The Strange Death of Edgar Allan Poe,” November 16, 2021.

James Nicholls, The Politics of Alcohol: A History of the Drink Question in England (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2011).

Andrew J. O’Shaughnessy, An Empire Divided: the American Revolution and the British Caribbean (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2000).

Matthew Warner Osborn, Rum Maniacs: Alcoholic Insanity in the Early American Republic (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2014).

W.J. Rorabaugh, The Alcoholic Republic: An American Tradition (Oxford University Press, 1979).

Written and recorded by: Kenyon Payne

Theme music: "Southern Gothic" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Outro music: “D´vil,” anrocomposer

Additional featured music:

“Industrial Decay,” stephane_varloteaux

“Rustic Vocal Phrases,” DesiFreeMusic

“Celtic Folk Song,” Caffeine_Creek_Band

“Pirate Bay,” Ebunny

“Appalachian Folk Instrumental,” alanajordan

“Dark Fear,” AUDIOREZOUT

“Dramatic Mystery Investigation,” ShadowsAndEchoes

“Below the Surface,” Anon (Pixabay)

“Separation,” HarumachiMusic

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gin Crazed, pt. 2: Mother's Ruin

Mon, 21 Jul 2025 19:43:54 GMT

Part two of the story of the Gin Craze, a roughly fifty-year drinking binge that took hold of early modern London. Check out part one if you have not yet listened to it! This episode covers dives into the ways women became uniquely connected to the juniper spirit, in addition to the specific problems gin drinking caused, such as theft, violence, and acts of murder. Also, what does drinking gin have to do with spontaneous combustion?! Tune in to find out.

Primary Sources:

Old Bailey Proceedings Online (www.oldbaileyonline.org, version 9.0) February 1734. Trial of Judith Defour (t17340227-32).

Old Bailey Proceedings Online (www.oldbaileyonline.org, version 9.0) Ordinary of Newgate's Account March 1734 (OA17340308).

Stephen Buck, Geneva: A Poem in Blank Verse (London: 1734).

Henry Fielding, An Enquiry into the Causes of the late Increase of Robbers (London: 1751).

William Hogarth, Gin Lane and Beer Street (London: 1751).

Secondary Sources:

Richard Barnett, The Book of Gin (New York: Grove Press, 2011).

Simon Difford, “History of gin (1728-1794) - London’s gin craze,” Difford’s Guide.

James Nicholls, The Politics of Alcohol: A History of the Drink Question in England (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2011).

Katelyn Stieva, “‘Drunk for a Penny, Dead Drunk for Two Pence’: Drink and Culture in London’s Eighteenth Century Gin Craze,” The Mirror 36, 1 (March 1, 2016).

Jessica Warner, Craze: Gin and Debauchery in an Age of Reason (New York: Random House, 2003).

Written and recorded by: Kenyon Payne

Theme music: "Southern Gothic" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Outro music: “D´vil,” anrocomposer

Additional featured music:

“Tensity,” SergeQuadrado

“Separation,” HarumachiMusic

“Through [the] Horizon,” Tuan1368

“Dark Lullaby,” ShadowsAndEchoes

“Around Every Corner,” Dream-Protocol

“Wanderers of the Night,” IndianBit

“History of Perseus,” White_Records

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gin Crazed, pt. 1

Tue, 15 Jul 2025 00:10:47 GMT

In this season's first two-part episode, we digging into the fascinating and disturbing history of the Gin Craze. Spanning roughly half a century, gin drinking seemed to hold London's poorer residents in an unrelenting grip. This decades long drinking binge did not happen by accident, however; this occurred as the result of legislation passed by members of Parliament who directly benefitted from the increase in domestic distillation.

For part one, we cover the origins and initial responses to the Gin Craze, including a series of laws passed by Parliament in an effort to correct the mess that they had made. Attempts to take gin away from the laboring poor only succeed in increasing open mockery of the government, subtle means of subverting the law, and even acts of violence directed toward government-funded informants. We cover all of this, as well as what the heck a "puss and mew" is and what it has to do with gin this week - check it out!

Primary Sources:

John Clayton, Friendly Advice to the Poor (Manchester: 1755).

Isaac Maddox, Sermon (London: 1750).

Thomas Wilson, Distilled Spirituous Liquors the Bane of the Nation (London: 1736).

Secondary Sources:

Richard Barnett, The Book of Gin (New York: Grove Press, 2011).

Simon Difford, “History of gin (1728-1794) - London’s gin craze,” Difford’s Guide.

Elizabeth Gilboy, Wages in Eighteenth Century England (Harvard University Press, 1934).

Andrew A. Hanham, “The Gin Acts, 1729-51,” The History of Parliament.

Alice Loxton, “What was the Gin Craze?” History Hit (January 18, 2021).

James Nicholls, The Politics of Alcohol: A History of the Drink Question in England (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2011).

Katelyn Stieva, “‘Drunk for a Penny, Dead Drunk for Two Pence’: Drink and Culture in London’s Eighteenth Century Gin Craze,” The Mirror 36, 1 (March 1, 2016).

Jessica Warner, Craze: Gin and Debauchery in an Age of Reason (New York: Random House, 2003).

Jessica Warner and Frank Ivis, “‘Damn You, You Informing Bitch.’ Vox Populi and the Unmaking of the Gin Act of 1736,” Journal of Social History 33, 2 (Winter, 1999): 299-330.

UK National Archives Currency Converter (1270-2017).

Written and recorded by: Kenyon Payne

Theme music: "Southern Gothic" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Outro music: “D´vil,” anrocomposer

Additional featured music:

“The Silence,” Tunetank

“Victorian London,” Table Top Audio

“Baroque Classical Meets Underground Hip Hop Fusion,” nickpanek620

“Legacy of Passacaglia,” White_Records

“Dark Fear,” AUDIOREZOUT

“Clockwork Adventure (Steampunk),” Luis_Humanoide

“One Thousand Years Ago,” JoelFazhari

“Chance Meeting,” White_Records

“Cinematic Dramatic Tense,” Lexin_Music

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A Flood of Rum

Tue, 01 Jul 2025 05:56:54 GMT

Where did rum come from? What what is originally called? When do we talk about pirates?!

In this episode, we are traveling to the Caribbean to discuss the origins of a new, potent liquor that forever changed the way people lived with and consumed alcohol.

Primary Sources:

Sir Henry Colt, “The Voyage of Sr Henrye Colt...” in Harlow, ed. Colonising expeditions to the West Indies and Guiana (London: Hakluyt Society, 1925).

Cotton Mather, Sober Considerations (Boston: 1708).

Increase Mather, A sermon occasioned by the execution of a man, second edition (Boston: 1687).

Increase Mather, Wo to Drunkards: Two Sermons Testifying against the Sin of Drunkenness, second edition (Boston: 1712).

Richard Ligon, A True & Exact History of the Island of Barbados (London: 1657).

Benjamin Wadsworth, An Essay to do Good (Boston: 1710).

Secondary Sources:

David W. Conroy, In Public Houses: Drink & the Revolution of Authority in Colonial Massachusetts (Williamsburg, VA: The University of North Carolina Press, 1995).

Wayne Curtis, And a Bottle of Rum: A History of the New World in Ten Cocktails (New York: Three Rivers Press, 2007).

Richard Foss, Rum: A Global History (London: Reaktion Books, 2012).

James E. McWilliams, A Revolution in Eating: How the Quest for Food Shaped America (New York: Columbia University Press, 2005).

Frederick H. Smith, Caribbean Rum: A Social and Economic History (Gainesville, FL: University Press of Florida, 2005).

Frederick H. Smith, “European Impressions of the Island Carib’s Use of Alcohol in the Early Colonial Period” Ethnohistory, 53, 3 (Summer 2006).

W.J. Rorabaugh The Alcoholic Republic: An American Tradition (New York: Oxford University Press, 1979.

Sharon V. Salinger, Taverns and Drinking in Early America (Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2004).

Ian Williams, Rum: A Social and Sociable History (New York: Nation Books, 2005).

David Wondrich, Punch: The Delights and Dangers of the Flowing Bowl (New York: Penguin Books, 2010).

Written and recorded by: Kenyon Payne

Theme music: "Southern Gothic" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Outro music: “D´vil,” anrocomposer

Additional featured music:

“Drunken Sailor,” performed by the Midshipmen Glee Club (1977)

“Educational Presentation,” lkoliks

“Deal,” AudioCoffee

“Into the Darkness” (cello version), Onetent

“Bay Rum Riddim,” u_98673jp944

“Lid,” anrocomposer

“Quirky Whimsical Play,” Sonican

“Trireme,” Table Top Audio

“Distilled Tropical,” Table Top Audio

“Down By the Sea,” Table Top Audio

“Pirates,” Table Top Audio

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Drunkard and the Devil

Tue, 17 Jun 2025 04:10:48 GMT

Today, depictions of the proverbial drunkard are shaped by well-known images of a stumbling, bumbling, red-faced drinker. Appearing as a popular trope in cartoons, films, or in other mediums, we can often spot the 'drunkard' with ease. But how did such an image come into being? In this episode, we discuss some of the stories that left an enduring mark on the way people came to perceive who the drunkard actually was. This episode also digs into the history of alewives, or brewsters - the women responsible for brewing un-hopped ales, but instead came to face increasing vilification in literary tales. Through a study of literature and religious tracts, we can see the increasing association between the drunkard and the devil, and the ways the drunkard steadily turned into an unwanted outcast.

Sources:

An Act for repressinge the odious and loathsome synne of Drunckennes,” 1606. HL/PO/PU 1. The Statues of the Realm, 1586 to 1624, 1142. The Parliamentary Archives, London, United Kingdom.

Edward Buckler, The sin and folly of drunkenness considered (London: 1682).

Edward Bury, England’s Bane, or The Deadly Danger of Drunkenness (London: 1677).

Samuel Clarke and Samuel Ward, A Warning-piece to All Drunkards and Health-Drinkers (London: 1682).

Thomas Heywood, Philocothomista, or the Drunkard, Opened, Dissected and Atomized (London: 1635

William Langland, The Book Concerning Piers the Plowman, edited and translated by Donaled and Rachel Attwater (New York: E.P. Dutton & Co. Inc., 1957).

R.M Lumiansky and David Mills, eds, The Chester Mystery Cycle, Vol. I. (New York: Oxford University Press, 1974).

Samuel Sewall, Diary of Samuel Sewall: 1674-1729, Volume 6 (Massachusetts Historical Society, 1879).

John Skelton, John Skelton Selected Poems, edited by Gerald Hammond (Manchester: Fyfield Books, 1980).

Voltaire, The Works of Voltaire: A philosophical dictionary, edited by Tobias George Smollett, John Morley, William F. Fleming, Oliver Herbrand, George Leigh (E.R. Du Mont, 1901).

Judith Bennett, Ale, Beer, and Brewsters in England (New York: Oxford University Press, 1995).

John Bickerdyke, The Curiosities of Ale and Beer: an Entertaining History (London: Spring Books, 1965).

Peter Clark, The English Alehouse: a Social History, 1200-1830 (New York: Longman, 1983).

James Nicholls, The Politics of Alcohol: A History of the Drink Question in England (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2011).

Richard W. Unger, Beer in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2004).

Written and recorded by: Kenyon Payne

Theme music: "Southern Gothic" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Outro music: “D´vil,” anrocomposer

Additional featured music:

“Church Choir,” NNChannel

“Baroque Pop,” alanajordan

“Legacy Begins,” DayFox

“Medieval Dance,” Ebunny

“The Tavern,” Ehved

“Into the Darkness, Cello Version,” Onetent

“Steampunk Victorian Orchestra,” Luis_Humanoide

“Danse Macabre,” Saint Saens (version by Abydos_Music)

“Tavern Celebration,” Table Top Audio

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Drunk as a Monk

Mon, 02 Jun 2025 22:11:05 GMT

Viking mead, drinking horns, and fighting monks - oh my! In this episode, we are venturing into the tumultuous years that followed the end of Roman rule in the west. Moving into the medieval era, we will touch on some of the favorite drinks of those infamous raiders known as the Vikings, as well as what it really meant to be drunk as a monk.

The episode opens with a brief note about some audio issues that came through during the recording and editing process. Apologies for the quality, but here's to better recording days in the future.

Sources:

Information pulled from priory records and ledger books was accessed through British History Online (www.british-history.ac.uk).

St. Benedict’s Rule for Monks, provided online by the Abbey of Regina Laudis.

Mia Ball, The Worshipful Company of Brewers: A Short History (Hutchinson Benham, 1977).

Judith M. Bennett, Ale, Beer, and Brewsters in England: Women’s Work in a Changing World, 1300-1600 (Oxford University Press, 1996).

Mark Cartwright, “The Daily Life of Medieval Monks,” World History Encyclopedia (December 13, 2018).

Marianne Hem Eriksen and Brian Costello, “Bodies of Intoxication: Psychoactives in Viking Ritual Practice,” Ritual Performance in the Viking Age (2022).

Robin Fleming, “Monastic Lands and England’s Defence in the Viking Age,” The English Historical Review Vol. 100, NO. 395 (April 1985): 247-265.

Bernadette Giacomazzo, “The Fascinating History of the Drinking Horn, the Thirst-Quenching Vessel of Viking Legend,” edited by John Kuroski, ATI (July 21, 2022).

Barbara Harvey, Living and Dying in England, 110-1540: The Monastic Experience (Clarendon Press, 1993).

Anne Hofmann, “Drinking Horns in Old Norse Culture: A Tradition Under Examination,” Analecta Archaeologica Ressoviensia: Rituals in the Past, Vol. 10 (2015): 241-258.

H.A. Monckton, A History of English Ale and Beer (Bodley Head, 1966).

Philip Parker, “A Brief History of the Vikings,” History Extra (April 20, 2020).

Lyonel Perabo, “Drinking Customs of the Vikings,” Bivrost (February 9, 2015).

Rod Phillips, Alcohol: A History (University of North Carolina Press, 2014).

Lorna Price, The Plan of St. Gall in Brief (University of California Press, 1982).

Charles Riskeley, “Ceremonial Drinking in the Viking Age,” Master’s Thesis, (University of Oslo, 2014).

Richard W. Unger, Beer in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2004).

Jereme Zimmerman, “Make Mead Like a Viking,” Fermentology (April 19, 2022).

Written and recorded by: Kenyon Payne

Theme music: "Southern Gothic" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Additional featured music:

“D´vil,” anrocomposer

“Gregorian Chant - Regina Caeli Prayer,” nickpanek620

“Cathedral,” TableTop Audio

“Vikings,” TableTop Audio

“The Hearth Inn,” TableTop Audio

“Cutpurse Pursuit,” TableTop Audio

“Viking Tavern,” TableTop Audio

“The Maddening Crowd,” TableTop Audio

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sacred Intoxication

Mon, 19 May 2025 15:01:18 GMT

In this episode we will see how the drunkard became a sinner as we touch on the ways prominent monotheistic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam came to view alcohol and the sin of drunkenness, and how these perceptions proved immensely influential to the broader history of alcohol.

Sources:

“Drunkenness,” Jewish Virtual Library, Encyclopaedia Judaica (2007).

Ammianus Macellinus, The Roman History, “Roman Antiquities” (Book XXXI), c. 390 CE (Loeb Classical Library edition, 1930).

Priscus, “Dinner with Attila,” Reading in European History, translated by J.H. Robinson (1905).

Teresa Morgan, Popular Morality in the Early Roman Empire (Cambridge University Press, 2007).

Charles Cosgrove, “Banquet Ceremonies Involving Wine in the Greco-Roman World and Early Christianity,” The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, Vol. 79, No. 2 (April 2017).

Edward Gibbon, History Of The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire, Vol. 3 (1782, revised edition, 1845).

N.S. Gill, “The Etymology of the Word Pagan,” ThoughtCo (June 25, 2024).

N.S. Gill, “How Did Attila the Hun Die?” ThoughtCo (October 29, 2019).

S.E. Hakenbeck, U. Büntgen, “The Role of Drought during the Hunnic Incursions into Central-East Europe in the 4th and 5th Centuries CE,” Journal of Roman Archaeology (2022).

Rod Phillips, Alcohol: A History (University of North Carolina Press, 2014).

W.J. Rorabaugh, The Alcoholic Republic: An American Tradition (Oxford University Press, 1979).

Benjamin Sledge, “The Curious Case of Christians and Alcohol,” Medium (November 30, 2016).

Joe Thorn, “A Theology of Wine,” Doctrine and Devotion (February 14, 2017).

Written and recorded by: Kenyon Payne

Theme music: "Southern Gothic" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Additional featured music:

D´vil, anrocomposer

Godhaven, TableTop Audio

Arabesque, TableTop Audio

Abandoned Chapel, TableTop Audio

Oasis City, TableTop Audio

The Wild Hunt, TableTop Audio

The Steppes, TableTop Audio

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Drink as the Romans Do

Mon, 05 May 2025 14:00:00 GMT

In this episode, we will see how the Romans took the Greeks’ drinking culture and remade it as their own. Unlike their Hellenistic counterparts, however, the Romans proved to be a bit more rambunctious when it came to their love of wine. And as we will see, some Romans even built (and destroyed) their reputations by it. Tune in to hear a little bit about Roman drinking games, just how much wine the average Roman drank in the past, and how the infamous Mark Antony became one of ancient Rome's most famous drunkards.

Sources:

Plutarch, The Parallel Lives, Loeb Classical Library edition (1920).

Michael Beer, “The de sua ebrietate of Marcus Antonius: an attempt to please everyone?” Paper draft accessed via Academia.edu.

Mark Humphries, “The Lexicon of Abuse: Drunkenness and Political Illegitimacy in the Late Roman World,” in Humour, History and Politics in Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages, edited by Guy Halsall (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002).

Karen Lyon, “The Four Humors: Eating in the Renaissance,” Folger Shakespeare Library (December 4, 2015).

Damien Martin, “When to Say When: Wine and Drunkenness in Roman Society,” Master’s Thesis, University of Missouri (May 2010).

Daniel E. Mortensen, “Wine, Drunkenness, and the Rhetoric of Crisis in Ancient Rome,” doctoral thesis, University of Wisconsin-Madison (1999).

Tom Stevenson and Marcus Wilson, eds., Cicero’s Philippics: History, Rhetoric, Ideology (2008).

Steve Thompson, “‘Daimon Drink’: Ancient Greek and Roman Explanations for Drunkenness,” (January, 2010).

Written and recorded by: Kenyon Payne

Theme music: "Southern Gothic" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Additional featured music:

“In Horto,” theromancrow

“Italian Traditional Music,” BackgroundMusicforVideos

“Tarentelle,” jumpingbunny

“MMM - Ominous,” Nion_Official

“Italianized,” Andreas-Woll-Music

“tempete en mer,” Jean-Paul-V

“gladiateurs vers la fin du combat,” Jean-Paul-V

“Quirky Fun Comedy,” NikitaKondrashev

“The Roman Army,” TheFealdoProject

“Utululu,” 33nano

“Lid,” anrocomposer

“Pyramids Theme Background Song,” SHERIF-KASSEM

“The It Middle Eastern Dance,” 9JackJack8

“Dark Ambient Emotions Music,” DeusLower

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pour One Out for the God of Wine

Mon, 21 Apr 2025 14:00:00 GMT

In this episode, we are raising a glass to drinking in the Mediterranean world. From Athenian drinking parties, to the god of wine himself, let’s explore what it was like getting drunk on wine in ancient Greece.

Written and recorded by: Kenyon Payne

Theme music: "Southern Gothic" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Additional featured music:

“Traditional Greek Music,” ckotty3

“Ancient Legend,” SergePavkinMusic

“The Delphic Oracle,” VictoryOlympiaDay

“The Hermit,” HarumachiMusic

“Labyrinth,” VictoryOlympiaDay

“Historical Battle,” Oleksii_Kalyna

“pilgrimage -ancient, mediaeval harp,” HarumachiMusic

“The Duke of Steamtown,” UniqueCreativeAudio

“Halloween Thunder,” Abydos_Music

“Dramatic Hip-Hop,” White_Records

“Bloodlust,” Nightcast

D´vil, anrocomposer

Sources:

Nicholas R. Baima, “On the Value of Drunkenness in the Laws” History of Philosophy & Logical Analysis 20 (1), 2017.

Elizabeth Belfiore, “Wint and Catharsis of the Emotions in Plato’s Laws,” The Classical Quarterly, Vol. 36, No. 2 (December 1986): 421-437.

Simon Denison, “Was Alexander a Great Alcoholic?” Independent (August 2, 1992).

N.S. Gill, “The Story of Semele, as Told by Nemesis” ThoughtCo, February 6, 2019.

Ross S. Kraemer, “Ecstacy and Possession: The Attraction of Women to the Cult of Dionysus” The Harvard Theological Review 72, No. ½ (Jan.-April 1979): pp. 55-80.

J.A. Liappas, J. Lascaratos, S. Fafouti, and G.N. Christodoulou, “Alexander the Great’s Relationship with Alcohol” Society for the Study of Addiction to Alcohol and Other Drugs, Addiction, 98 (5), May 2003.

Jessica Mellenthin and Susan O. Shapiro, Mythology Unbound: An Online Textbook for Classical Mythology, UEN Digital Press, open educational resource.

Max Nelson, “Regulation of Alcohol in Greco-Roman Antiquity,” The Social History of Alcohol and Drugs (2024).

C.D.C. Reeve, “Agalmata, Deontology, and the Erotics of Emptiness in the Symposium” Consecutio Rerum (October 31, 2017).

Tom Standage, A History of the World in Six Glasses (New York: Walker Publishing, 2005).

Transcripts available upon request. You can get in touch with the show at: ootepod@gmail.com.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Messy-potamia

Thu, 10 Apr 2025 16:24:18 GMT

Enjoy a bonus second episode this week to celebrate the launch of this show! Look for a new episode to drop every two weeks going forward.

Traveling to the Middle East, in the ancient region of Mesopotamia, we find the first emerging civilizations, as well as the first appearance of alcohol in writing. To the ancient Sumerians, beer was a magical, healthful drink delivered to them by the gods. Associated with prosperity, serenity, and most of the good things in life, there is one thing we can say for certain about this foundational civilization: they loved to drink beer.

In this episode we will raise a glass to the history of Sumerian beer and learn about the ancient beer gods, as well as what it meant to drink like an Egyptian.

Written and recorded by: Kenyon Payne

Theme music: "Southern Gothic" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Additional featured music:

“Cinematic Soundtrack - Ancient Egypt,” AntipodeanWriter

“Waves,” freesound_community

“ancient rhythm,” SamuelFJohanns

“Ukulele,” ArturAravidiMusic

“Quirky Fun Comedy,” leberchmus

“Ancient Life,” wildsound159

Sources:

Peter Damerow, “Sumerian Beer: The Origins of Brewing Technology in Ancient Mesopotamia,” Cuneiform Digital Library Journal, 2012.

Nora McGreevy, “Ancient People May Have Sipped Beer Through These 5,500-Year-Old Drinking Straws,” Smithsonian Magazine, January 21, 2022.

Joshua J. Mark, “Beer in Ancient Egypt,” World History Encyclopedia (March 16, 2017).

Tara Nurin, A Woman’s Place is in the Brewhouse (Chicago Review Press, 2021).

Tate Paulette, “Inebriation and the Early State: Beer and the Politics of Affect in Mesopotamia” Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, Vol. 63, September 2021.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Prologue: Drunken Monkeys

Tue, 08 Apr 2025 01:36:55 GMT

In this opening season of this show, Kenyon introduces the show, why it exists, as well as the main topic for season one: drinking and drunkenness. Drinking is something that many people are likely familiar with in the practical sense, but the history of alcohol and drinking has ancient roots. This episode provides a very brief overview of the 'pre-history' of drinking and the theories around why humans took up this intoxicating practice.

Written and recorded by: Kenyon Payne

Theme music: "Southern Gothic" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Additional featured music:

Everest 2, ArturAravidiMusic

D´vil, anrocomposer

Disclaimer:

Before getting into this topic, it is necessary for me to acknowledge the very real and ongoing problems that alcohol creates in individual homes, as well as broader communities, across the globe. Addiction is a serious problem, and the organizations and programs designed to help people seeking to control their addictions often receive too little support, financial and otherwise. Even with the growing development of medical insight into drug and alcohol addiction, approaches to treatment are not always clear. Much of this is due to policy decisions that opt for punishment over rehabilitation. Such policies, as we will see, have their own long history.

Nevertheless, compulsive drinking was and remains a matter of considerable importance. This show is not intended nor designed to make light of this issue. Rather, I wanted to create this show to explore the topic collectively with anyone who tunes in, so we might gain new insights into the extensive history of humanity's affinity for drinking, and how the individuals who did develop such dependencies navigated their lives, often in settings that became increasingly hostile towards them.

I also want to acknowledge that, while I am a historian, and someone who teaches the occasional course on the history of drugs and alcohol, I am not a medical professional, nor have I worked directly within the field of addiction treatment. My experience rests solely in studying the past and trying to make sense of how and why people sought to alter their state of consciousness. Ultimately, I want to try and understand how people partaking in one of the world’s most popular drugs could find themselves living outside of the confines of “normal” society.

Sources:

Patrick E. McGovern, Juzhong Zhang, Jigen Tang, Zhiqing Zhang, Gretchen R. Hall, Robert A. Moreau, Alberto Nunez, Eric D. Butrym, Michael P. Richards, Chen-shan Wang, Guangsheng Cheng, Zhijun Zhao, and Changsui Wang, “Fermented beverages of pre- and proto-historic China,” PNAS Early Edition, 2004.

Tawanda Proceed Makopa, “The marula and elephant intoxication myth: assessing the biodiversity of fermenting yeasts associated with marula fruits (Sclerocarya birrea),” FEMS Microbes, 2023.

Dustin Stephens and Robert Dudley, “The Drunken Monkey Hypothesis” Natural History (December 2004/January 2005).

“Alcoholic Vervet Monkeys!” Weird Nature, BBC Earth, 2009.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Trailer: Outcasts of the Earth (Season One)

Tue, 08 Apr 2025 00:43:57 GMT

Check out the trailer to the first season of this new show, the Outcasts of the Earth.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.