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For the Love of History - world history, women’s history, weird history

For the Love of History - world history, women’s history, weird history

Tehya N.

I'm TK, your guide to the past as we uncover the people, events, and little-known facts hidden in the shadows of your old history textbooks. From empress baddies like Hatshepsut and Wu Zetianto, activist profiles, Egyptian and Japanese gods and goddesses, and the history of the toothbrush, tattoos, Pompeii peepees, and everything in between, you can find it all here. No event is too small and no topic too big, because this is For The Love of History. ----------------------- For over 100 archived episodes and bonus content you can head over to Patreon!

240 - What the Egyptian Book of the Dead Really Says
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  • 240 - What the Egyptian Book of the Dead Really Says

    The Egyptian Book of the Dead wasn't a book, and it wasn't cursed. It was a cheat sheet for surviving the afterlife exam from hell. Fail, and your heart gets eaten by a monster. This week, we open the real Book of the Dead, find out what The Mummy (1999) got wrong, and learn what Joseph Smith has to do with any of it. Ancient Egyptians believed that after death, you'd face a gauntlet of fire-breathing snakes, demon gatekeepers, and a final judgment in which your heart was weighed against a feather. To help them pass, they were buried with up to 192 spells: the text modern scholars call the Book of the Dead. In this episode: - What the Book of the Dead actually was (and why it wasn't a single book) - The spells against eating poop and drinking pee in the underworld (yes, really) - Ra's solar boat, the gates of the underworld, and the demons - The weighing of the heart and Ammit the Devourer - Spell 30, aka "Heart, please don't snitch on me" - The barnyard chorus of the blessed dead - Shabti figurines: 401 tiny servants for the afterlife - The Book of Breathing, and the breathing permit that ended up in Ohio - Joseph Smith, the Book of Abraham, and a very consequential mistranslation This episode was researched and written by our resident archaeologist, Hannah Herrick. If you enjoyed it, send her some love! Join us on Patreon for early episodes, behind-the-scenes content, travel vlogs, bonus episodes, and this week's Mummy (1999) watch-along with Hannah Want to help the show grow for free? Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and share the episode with a fellow history nerd. It makes a huge difference. For The Love Of History is a podcast about world history, women's history, and weird history, hosted by TK (Tehya Nakamura). New episodes every week. Website (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠📕 Find resources here!!📕 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Merch Store⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Fri, 02 Oct 2026
  • 239 - Ainu Tattoos: Sacred Protection, Then a Crime

    Everyone knows Japan has a complicated relationship with tattoos — but most people blame the wrong group. Long before the Yakuza gave tattoos their modern stigma, Japan's indigenous Ainu people were being punished, shamed, and legally banned from practicing a tattoo tradition thousands of years old. In this episode: The origin story and animist religion behind Ainu tattoos How Ainu tattoos were actually done (tools, ink, and technique) The meaning behind Ainu women's mouth and arm tattoos Why and how the Japanese government banned Ainu tattooing How Ainu women preserved their traditions in secret Where the Ainu tattoo revival stands today We also cover the darker chapter of this history: how Japan's push toward Westernization and Meiji-era "civilization" campaigns led to Ainu tattoos being outlawed, practitioners being publicly shamed in newspapers, and generations of forced assimilation — and how Ainu women kept the tradition alive in secret until Japan finally recognized the Ainu as an indigenous people in 2019. Support Ainu artists: The Mirai Project Learn more about the Ainu: https://www.global.hokudai.ac.jp/catchup/21123/ https://www.biratori-ainu-culture.com/en/trip/nibutani-museum/ https://www.ainu-assn.or.jp/english/begin.html The Nibutani Ainu Museum / Upopoy Referenced in this episode: Experimental tattoo archaeologist Website (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠📕 Find resources here!!📕 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Merch Store⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Fri, 18 Sep 2026
  • 238 - Pirate Queen Zheng Yi Sao | The Worlds Greatest Pirate

    As a teenager, she worked on floating brothels. By her 30s, she commanded a pirate fleet larger than the Spanish Armada and forced three national governments to negotiate on her terms. This is the true story of Zheng Yi Sao, also known as Ching Shih, the most successful pirate in history, male or female. What you'll learn in this episode: Who Zheng Yi Sao (Ching Shih) was and how she rose from poverty to power How Qing Dynasty floating brothels and the tanka people shaped her early life How a marriage alliance turned her into an equal partner in a pirate empire How she built and ran a 1,200-ship, 70,000-pirate fleet — and the pirate banking system that funded it The strict pirate code she enforced, including rules that protected captured women How she out-maneuvered the combined navies of China, Portugal, and Britain How she negotiated her own pardon and retired in peace and wealth If you love women's history, world history, and stories about the real people behind legendary reputations, this episode is for you!! Website (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠📕 Find resources here!!📕 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Merch Store⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Fri, 11 Sep 2026
  • 237 - The Truth About Samurai Women | Tomoe Gozen

    She led 1,000 cavalry into battle, survived facing down 6,000 enemy warriors, and 800 years later, historians still can't agree on whether she was real. Meet Tomoe Gozen — the legendary female samurai commander at the center of Japan's most famous war. The British Museum's new Samurai Women exhibition has the internet arguing, some calling it revisionist and others calling it long overdue. So we're pulling this fan-favorite episode out of the archives to set the record straight: women didn't just witness samurai history; they fought it. In this episode: 🗡️ How the samurai class actually formed, starting with a scandal-prone emperor and 40+ kids ⚔️ The real Bushido code, and why the "way of the warrior" myth is mostly a modern invention 🐎 Onna-musha and onna-bugeisha: the real female warriors of feudal Japan 📜 The Genpei War, the Battle of Awazu, and the legend of Tomoe Gozen 🥋 The truth about the naginata — and why it was never "just a woman's weapon" 👑 What actually happened to Tomoe Gozen after her final battle (there are four competing legends — you decide which one you believe) Grab your snack, hop in the time machine, and let's get into it. Website (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠📕 Find resources here!!📕 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Merch Store⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Fri, 04 Sep 2026
  • 236 - Yokai Women | Evil Monsters or Victims?

    What happens when women become the monsters of Japanese folklore? In this episode of For the Love of History, we dive into the terrifying world of Japanese yokai women, exploring the myths, legends, religion, and sexism behind some of Japan's most fascinating female monsters. From the Jorōgumo spider woman who lures men into her deadly web, to Hino-enma, the seductive demon associated with female sexuality and Buddhist morality, and the iconic Hannya demon mask, these stories reveal a complicated history of women, power, jealousy, sexuality, and revenge in Japanese folklore. We’ll explore Japanese yokai, Japanese mythology, Japanese ghost stories, Shinto, Buddhism, Buddhist hell, Edo-period folklore, Noh theater, and the history behind Japan's most famous female supernatural creatures. 👹 In this episode:• What exactly is a Japanese yokai?• The difference between yokai, ghosts, demons, and mononoke• Jorōgumo — the deadly spider woman of Japanese folklore• Why Jorōgumo are always portrayed as female• Hino-enma and the demonization of female beauty and sexuality• How Buddhism and Shinto shaped Japanese folklore• Hannya — the woman behind Japan's famous horned demon mask• Why female yokai so often become monsters through betrayal, suffering, and revenge If you love Japanese folklore, Japanese mythology, yokai, ghost stories, mythology, women's history, weird history, or the darker side of Japanese culture, this episode is for you. 📚 BOOK RECOMMENDATION:Where the Wild Ladies Are by Aoko Matsuda, translated by Polly Barton — a feminist retelling of Japanese yokai stories with a modern twist. Website (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠📕 Find resources here!!📕 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Merch Store⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Fri, 28 Aug 2026
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