Are you interested in angels, demons, spirits, ghosts, and monsters? Are you curious about their origins, tales, and influence upon history and on the present day? If so, sit back, relax, and welcome to Seven Demon Knowledge, the podcast that explores all of this and more.
You may not realize it unless you pay attention to the little episode numbers in whatever podcast app or website you use to listen to Southern Demonology. But what you are listening to right this moment is a historical one for me, as this episode is number 5-0. I started Southern Demonology back in 2017, and it was more out of curiosity than anything else. I had zero background in audio, and I most certainly do not have a voice for radio. Yet it was that latter fact that has propelled me to seek out public speaking engagements ever since middle school.
So it does make a kind of sense in that way. But this show has evolved in the past 50 episodes in ways I did not expect. And the listening audience keeps expanding as well. Since migrating over to ACAST as my podcast distributor in early March, we received over 5,400 listens. And that just blows me away. So I wanted to thank everyone who has listened. Whether it's been from the very beginning or this is the first time hearing my voice. And apologies in advance if that's true.
From those who have written emails, joined our Discord server, become a Patreon subscriber, or prefer to participate just by listening. Thank you. I am indebted to all of you, and I appreciate you more than you will ever know. One last bit of housekeeping. Don't forget to join the giveaway where two lucky winners will win a t-shirt of one of my designs from the merch store. Details are in the description or on the website Southerndemonology.com. When I went away to college, I wasn't thinking about a future job, although in hindsight, that probably was a fantastic idea to keep in mind.
Rather, I hungered for knowledge. I participated in philosophical debate in high school called Lincoln Douglas debate, and I gobbled up every bit of philosophy that I could get a hold of, from social contract theory, utilitarianism in all of its forms, morality, you name it. And I wanted more, and boy did I ever find it. But along the way, I learned of something that I wanted more than just knowledge during my higher education. I saw how it could transform someone for the better.
Yes, we have all had bad or ineffective teachers or professors who could barely teach their way out of a paper bag. Hell, I had one philosophy professor who thought that it was a really good idea to put his hand over his mouth in a thinking pose, turn his back to the class, and then mumble the deep seated thoughts in his head. I know for a fact that he was a brilliant man, no sarcasm involved, but I also know that I learned zero from his classes, as I could never make out what in the heck he was talking about.
Or professors who delighted in being such a stickler for the rules that it got in the way of actually teaching. One philosophy professor delighted in crafting exceedingly long rules for writing essays, any violation of which would earn you a failing grade, and who also never gave an extension, no matter what, and would gleefully regale any who would listen to him about failing students by the score. I abhorred his methodology so much that I simply refused to take a class from him, and I was the only philosophy major to get away with such a feat.
Boy did that piss him off, in which I in turn would gleefully regale any who would listen to me. But that's not the point. There are those professors who were absolute masters of their craft, who were such amazing scholars that they could translate passages in multiple ways on the spot, dissect arguments with absolute precision, and give presentations that would keep the audience spellbound. Yes, talent obviously plays a part in all that. But what I'm getting at is that I came to believe, and in my heart of hearts I still do, is that absorbing knowledge is not nearly enough. Anyone can study.
Anyone can get a degree. But if one truly gives oneself over to the process of learning, then it will reshape your mind into something more something better. Welcome back to Southern Demonology. As always, I'm your host, JJ. Students, when they enter into college or grad school, can be like a shotgun, spraying out ideas in rapid fashion. I was like that, and so were the vast majority of my friends. But in quick order, you find out that the ocean of knowledge is vast and that you are expected to specialize in order to not only find your niche, but to also be successful.
And so you start by picking a major or two, and then attract within that major. And if you continue onward, then your master's degree will narrow that band even further. And if you go on to get a doctorate, then your worldview will become your dissertation. And that winnowing down also sharpens your brain and gives you the tools to think and analyze in much more sophisticated ways. This is, at least to me, the right way to approach higher levels of education. But there will be those that will always choose to walk in the shadows.
If you listen to episode 48, the first of two episodes where I interview the practicing demonologist Will, then you might recall at the very end he states that the best weapon we have against the enemy is books and knowledge. He even references an episode of Doctor Who when making that point, which just tickled my heart to death. And that is very true. But I must warn you, not all books are equal. And not all books are written to provide knowledge.
And putting your faith in an author just because he or she might have written something that is of interest or happen to have a degree does not mean that they know what in the hell they are talking about. As Immanuel Kant so elegantly said, Sapore Audu, or to use a very colorful and not quite accurate translation stare to know. Do not blindly trust, and I extend that to my own content. And boy howdy, do I have a case in point for that today? Yes, dear listeners, believe it or not, I am finally getting to the point of today's episode.
There is a book entitled Evil Archaeology by Heather Lynn, and if there was ever a book that commits every fallacy that it can get its hands on for the sake of earning its author a spot on Crackpot Talk Radio, then this is it. So let's start with the premise of the book. It purports that archaeological sites have unearthed cursed items and that it's going to examine them. And if that is what the book did, then that could be a nice tight thesis that could be examined in depth. However, from the very intro, one can see the wheels coming off the train straight away.
The author launches into a pretty skewed view of Pazuzu, a Mesopotamian protector demon famous for being the quote unquote face for the Exorcist movie. That would be bad enough on its own. But she then switched to the modern day to a serial killer and a group of accomplices who supposedly committed their atrocities in the name of the same being. Ooh, could they be connected? Could the ancient Pazuzu be raising from his ancestral origins and possessing people in the current day? Extraordinary claims demand extraordinary proof. And does this so called book provide that? No.
All it does is leave the most tenuous connections and hope that the reader is suckered into drawing the conclusions that she obviously is attempting to claim. The worst part about this, and please keep in mind that this is just the introduction, is that the author never bothers to explain the role that Mesopotamian demons played. She just gleefully assumes that our modern day conceptions draw supply to the ancient and leaves it at that. Let me clarify. Demons in Mesopotamia were feared for a few reasons Calamity, death, destruction, death, illness, curses.
Demons and ghosts were considered real dangers as they were responsible for everything, from headaches to natural disasters. In fact, the tradition of using magic to protect against any number of baby killing demons are still alive and well in many religious traditions. In fact, I have translated quite a few scrolls from Deptera or Ethiopic Orthodox priests that are seeking to protect mothers from the Sholtali, which are a race of baby killing demons. Now I could go on to describe every fault and mistake this book makes. Yet if I did so, I would need to create an entirely new podcast.
And I'm not talking about another episode, mind you be, but an entire podcast. But I would rather sum it up by describing what this book is and tries to do. Have you ever heard of the term spreading? And no, please get your mind out of the gutter. I don't mean it like that. You have to forgive me for bringing debate up again, but it's the term that describes the strategy of inundating your opponent with so many points to argue against that it becomes impossible.
And it's a highly effective strategy in cross-examination debate, a format that focuses on evidence and speaking as fast as humanly possible. You see, in debate, there is an operative phrase silence means consent. Or, to put it bluntly, not countering an argument means that you agree with it. And leaving an argument.
If I was being charitable, I would describe this entire book to be an exercise in spreading. However, after listening to this dreck for so long, the last thing I am is being charitable. So I will call the book for what it is. It is nothing but a stream of consciousness effort to fill pages. There is no structure, no effective argumentation, it's rather a parade of time periods, concepts, and hideously bad prose that has as its basis demons or pagan gods in the hope that the reader will be able to trace a central theme.
For example, after the introduction, the author jumps to the ancient practice of trepaning, or the act of cutting a hole in the skull. This is quickly followed by skull shaping. She then launches into cognitive archaeology by introducing a truly batshit crazy theory put forth by another that ancient people used to literally hear gods and demons in their heads, and then that suddenly stopped. No defense for this ludicrous idea or supportive arguments one way or the other.
She simply drops this argument in place while even acknowledging how it's controversial and then leaves it there, as if it alone can account for major historical shifts in human behavior. She then keeps going, bringing in everything from Egypt to Mesopotamia to Greece to Shakespeare or fire cult to Solomon. I eventually had to stop at chapter six where she argues that the Freemasons summoned demons. Look, in case y'all did not know, I am a Mason and I can tell you for a friggin' fact that there are no rights that summon demons.
Masonry, because it is a secret society, leaves itself open to tons of attacks simply because it is secret. But seriously, summoning demons? This book could have been written by a first year college student who sees connections in every little thing and does not have the patience nor wisdom to create cogent, intelligent arguments that support their nonsensical premise.
They rather take the shotgun approach and blast out quotations, ideas, and ancient practices in the vain hope that a few of them put together can fool the reader into actually following their rapidly switching points rather than even take a brief step off the path and look at all the shadows that lurk behind their so-called logic. And sadly, in this day and age, one must question why someone would write a book on this particular topic. Academics do so in order to share their painstaking research and to put forth cogent argumentation that can help shape the field in which one is in.
This book is not that. So that the author has items to talk about on crackpot media, such as our dear old friends on Coast to Coast AM, where she has served as a guest in the past. And please note that when I'm talking about Coast to Coast AM, I am not talking about Art Bell back in the day. I am talking about the new incarnation that after Art Bell left, they decided to differentiate themselves by cracking the crazy meter up to 20.
In this day and age, where information can be broadcasted in a flash and everyone can claim to be an expert or have a platform, diligence is needed more than ever. We as humans tend to be trusting. If someone sounds authoritative, then it's easy to believe them, no? If someone has a degree, then they must know what they're speaking about, right? And if someone wrote a book, then there must be a good reason to have done so and and the contents thereof well researched.
This book and its author is the perfect example of why these questions cannot be automatically answered, yes, but must be researched. Let me give you one last case in point. And to me it perfectly showcases the lack of care and research this book represents. There's a section where Heather Lynn writes about Ezekiel. In fact, it was one of the passages that I referenced in my Visages of Angels episode. And she states that it is referring to Lucifer, the light bearer. That is 100% incorrect.
I happen to be watching Evil, the CBS show that used to be on Netflix but has now been moved to Paramount Plus the other night. And I have to say I really enjoy it. It's usually very well researched and written. But there was a scene in season two where an exorcist is teaching a class and happens to say that all religions had an adversary an enemy and that too is 100% incorrect. Why? Well if you had listened to my name of the devil series then you will know that ancient Judaism did not start off with dualism.
God controlled everything and it wasn't until much later that the idea of an enemy was needed. Now some claim this was due to internal theologies meeting external realities others that the influence of Zoroastrianism during the exile caused it. But once that need was established multiple figures were nominated for the role Azazel, Baal Zebub, Belial, etc Lucifer became the Christian answer, aka the devil, but that was only much, much later than Ezekiel.
Now yes, Christians in their ever present quest to harmonize the Hebrew Bible with the New Testament often interpret that passage in that fashion. But to suggest that is the way of things without delving into any of the logic or reasoning behind it, that typifies the sheer carelessness of this book. However, I simply cannot bash and run. If you are seeking a true academic work that examines the ancient world and how the Hebrew Bible carries forth those views, then I highly recommend Psalm 91 and Demonic Menace written by Garrett Vrugdenhill and published by Brill.
Now in fairness I have not finished this book I have only gotten through chapter two as it is published by Brill and is fantastically expensive $170 US as a result. Brill is infamous for charging outrageous prices for its books. Then again it is one of the best academic publishers around so it can get away with that. I will point out that I am a little biased in this regard as one of the major papers I wrote in grad school was on Psalm 91 in what each of the alluded to references of demonic entities actually referred to I am desperate to read the rest of this book.
Just in the opening chapter, the book showcases protection scrolls, water bowls which you may recall from my interview with Christie and amulets in addition to providing excellent research into the concept of demons from various time periods and the rigorous criteria it will utilize in examining the topic. The fact that nearly every page is taken up by footnotes alone goes into how well documented it is.
Quote in order to answer the question of whether Psalm 91 in its original setting had to do with the fear of demons it is necessary to set out what role spirits and demons were assigned in the ancient Near Eastern worldview. End quote in that above sentence the word it is ambiguous because it does not refer to anything.
For example, if I said quote it's widely known that you should rate and subscribe to Southern demonology end quote in that sentence what is the it's it's widely known it doesn't refer to anything and as a grammarian I am pained to read such for the ambiguous it is one of the laziest ways of writing however if that's the worst sin that this book has then I will surely put up with it. So yes my friends knowledge is power but incorrect knowledge is not just wrong. When dealing with this particular subject matter it is actively dangerous and highly irresponsible.
Just like in most things be careful in whom you place your trust and just because they have the letters PhD after their name does not mean that they actually know a bloody thing. If you have a question about a particular book or you want any other reviews then please feel free to contact me. I have a form on the website where you can ask questions or you can join our Discord server and actually a brand new avenue to ask things is Reddit.
At the encouragement of one user I have created the subreddit r slash Southern demonology you can find that link in the get all access to our links down below. I am also in the process of setting up a Goodreads bookshelf so that anyone can find books that I recommend. There will be an official Southern demonology one that will cover all of the official subjects that I deal with on the podcast but then there will also be a link to my personal bookshelf that lists primarily epic fantasy and horror books.
And lastly I do want to thank our Patreon subscribers as well we have added two this month and I feel beyond blessed for that thank you for listening to Southern Demonology find us online at Southerndemonology.com where you can find all of our social and podcasting links. Also if you have a moment please feel free to rate this podcast and leave any encouraging feedbacks that you may have as always I am JJ and it has been a pleasure getting to talk to you today ProFootball is back and so are the predictions.
Trade years on Cal sheet America's number one prediction market platform indie takes on Kansas City with Indy currently trading at 28% to win a $100 trade pays out $336 if they win. Download KalShi use code Audio25 to get $55 when you trade $25. K-A-L-S-H-I. Calci trade what's next? $18 plus only restrictions and eligibility requirements apply. Event contract trading involves risk and may not be suitable for all investors. Kelche products are not available in all jurisdictions.
Prices, values and available markets may differ from those mentioned for more information see Kelchi.com slash regulatory Saturday September 26th combat support dangerous fair luck fair lucky for the four first here's a tip for you there's a podcast out there with fans waiting to be your next customer they tune in every week they trust the host and that host wants to talk about brands like yours in their own words to their audience.
Problem is you just haven't been introduced yet. We're ACAST where that introduction happens as the world's largest podcast marketplace we let you browse shows, see who's listening and book host credit sponsorships or run your own ads all from one platform transparent pricing, real time data complete control. Start advertising on podcasts by visiting acast.comslash advertising