Sex, Sin, and Supernatural Seduction: Succubi, Incubi , and the History of Demonic Desire

Hey, Keek and Cardi are back.

This episode is a journey through the dark intersections of theology, repression, and some very judgmental medieval paperwork. From Lilith and Lilu to 15th-century demon semen logistics, we’re unpacking how sexual fear became spiritual warfare—and why sleep paralysis demons still get blamed for everything from forbidden desire to full-on witch trials.

We explore:

• Ancient Mesopotamian sex spirits (hi Lilitu 👋)

• Church doctrine that turned nocturnal emissions into evidence of possession

• The Malleus Maleficarum’s unhinged obsession with demonic erotica

• The tragic case of Johannes Junius, who died under torture for a “demon mistress” he never had

• 17th-century theologian Ludovico Maria Sinistrari, who basically invented the demonological field guide with his treatise De Daemonialitate

• And a little peek into pop culture’s glow-up of the sex demon—from Bayonetta to Buffy to Lilith in Diablo

Because it turns out… nothing haunts society like a woman who enjoys herself.

👻 Research Links & Sources:

🖋️ Johannes Junius’ letter from prison (1628)
https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/mod/17c-junius.asp

📜 Dante’s Inferno (on demon lust in the Second Circle)
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/8800

📚 De Daemonialitate et Incubis et Succubis (Sinistrari, Latin & English)
https://sacred-texts.com/evil/dde/index.htm

📖 Malleus Maleficarum (1487) – Heinrich Kramer and Jacob Sprenger
👩‍🔬 Academic commentary on Lilith & demon folklore: JSTOR, Zohar, Alphabet of Ben Sira

🎵 Music Credit:
“Scary Spooky Creepy Horror Ambient Dark Piano Cinematic” by SoundGalleryByDmitryTaras — from Pixabay
Licensed under the Pixabay License (free for commercial use, no attribution required—but we’re doing it anyway, because the music is just that awesome).
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