Did medieval women who brewed beer inspire the modern iconography of the witch? Pointy hats, black cats, bubbling cauldrons… according to a viral historical theory, the iconic image of the witch actually began with medieval alewives. But is there any truth to this tall and pointy tale?

This week, I am joined by medieval historian Dr Christina Wade to separate fact from folklore, uncover the fascinating history of women in brewing, and debunk this myth that is so believable, even I fell for it!

Grab a pint, witches. We've got some myths to brew apart.

Check out more of Dr Christina Wade's wonderful work:

• Instagram: @braciatrix
• The Devil's in the Draught Lines: 1000 Years of Women in Britain's Beer History (2024)
• Filthy Queens: A History of Beer in Ireland (2025)

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In Girl World, Halloween is the one night a year when a girl can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it... And as it turns out, there’s actual academic research (and a long and kinky history) to back that up!

In this episode of Kinky History, sex historian Dr Esmé Louise James investigates the surprisingly complicated history of Halloween, from the Gaelic festival of Samhain and its supernatural folklore to the Christian calendar, Victorian fancy dress and Hollywood’s glamorous Halloween starlets.

Raise your spirits, put on your best resting witch face, and join me for the horny history of Halloween.

You can find a written transcript of this episode on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/DrEsmeLouiseJames

Instagram: @esme.louisee

TikTok: @dr.esme.louise

YouTube: @dr.esme.louise

Video edited by Connor Fantasia-Serve

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

02:20 Samhain

04:57 Spirits for Spirits

08:45 History is Kinky

12:51 Dress-up and Dating

16:16 How Did We Get Here?

17:42 Having a Ball20:31 Hollywood Gets Spooky

22:11 Putting the Queer into Fear

26:17 Conclusion

Reading list:

• Hutton, Ronald. “The Celtic New Year and Feast of the Dead.” Folklore 135, no. 1 (2024): 69–86.
• Rogers, Nicholas. Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night. Oxford University Press, 2002.
• Lennon, Sharron J., Zhiying Zheng, and Aziz Fatnassi. “Women’s Revealing Halloween Costumes: Other-Objectification and Sexualization.” Fashion and Textiles 3, article 21 (2016).
• National Folklore Collection, University College Dublin. Dúchas: The Schools’ Collection.
• Markale, Jean. The Pagan Mysteries of Halloween: Celebrating the Dark Half of the Year. Rochester, VT: Inner Traditions, 2001.
• Keating, Geoffrey. Foras Feasa ar Éirinn (The History of Ireland). Written in the seventeenth century.
• San Francisco Planning Department. Eureka Valley Historic Context Statement. 2017.

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Did you miss me? Because I’ve certainly missed you. 💋

After ghosting you since 2023 (rude, I know), sex historian Dr Esmé Louise James is BACK with a bigger and decidedly bustier Kinky History.

Welcome back to the podcast where we uncover the dirty secrets they probably left out of your history books. And this time, we’re doing things a little differently...

Introducing the Double D’s: Deep-dives and Debriefs. We’ll be diving headfirst into the horny history you know and love, unpacking contemporary controversies and curious happenings, and welcoming a few Doctors and Deviants along the way: experts and some truly extraordinary characters,

Oh, and we’re now a vodcast! So whether you prefer getting it in your ears or getting an eyeful, you’re in the right place.

I’m so happy to be back. Thank you for being here, for being patient, and for being part of this wonderfully kinky community. I’ve missed you terribly.

Now, let’s get back into bed together. 🖤

🎧 Follow Kinky History on Spotify so you never miss an episode.

💋 Want to know why I disappeared? Find my more detailed explanation over on Patreon.