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.

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/

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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.

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

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.

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.

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

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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.