·E208

A History of Terrifying Women: Author Eleanor Johnson on Her New Book, Monstrous Bitch

September 21

56 mins

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Episode Description

Monstrous Bitch: 4,000 Years of Demonizing Women, From Lamashtu to Modern Horror

Medievalist and Columbia professor Dr. Eleanor Johnson joins us to trace the 4,000-year lineage behind her new book, Monstrous Bitch, connecting ancient Mesopotamian demon Lamashtu to Greek and Roman lamiae, medieval and early modern witch persecutions, and modern horror cinema. We follow how patriarchal cultures repeatedly weaponized a recurring “triptych” of accusations—women’s voices, sexuality or predation, and reproductive autonomy—turning mythic monstrosity into the idea that any woman could be a witch, and later reshaping the figure into the vampire. We also confront the terror of heritable witchcraft accusations, including Salem’s Sarah Good and Dorothy Good, and discuss the devil-contract conspiracy framework in Christian witch ideology, alongside historical opponents who challenged it. Johnson highlights recent films that reinterpret the “monstrous bitch” as feminist resistance, and shares release details for Monstrous Bitch (Oct. 6) and her Eleanor’s Horrors Substack.

Chapters

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro

01:27 Dr Johnson Background

02:53 Why Monstrous Bitch

03:59 Lamashtu Origins

08:56 From Lamia to Witches

12:54 Witch Hunts Fallout

14:40 Vampiress Turn

16:22 Feminist Horror Reclaim

20:44 Devil Pact Conspiracy

27:10 Pushback and Salem Link

30:40 Salem Cases Setup