Episode 5: What’s the origin of witches perceived as riding broomsticks through the night sky? Don’t worry, you will not be burned at the stake for buying a sex toy.

Source Material:

• ​A&E Television Networks. (2025, October 27). Why do witches ride brooms? the history behind the legend. History.com. https://www.history.com/articles/why-witches-fly-on-brooms

• ​Alisha Palmer PhD Candidate in English Literature. (2025, December 15). A brief history of abortion – from ancient Egyptian herbs to fighting stigma today. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/a-brief-history-of-abortion-from-ancient-egyptian-herbs-to-fighting-stigma-today-213033

• ​Beckmann, L. (2023, September 21). 17 signs that you’d qualify as a witch in 1692. Mental Floss. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/55276/17-signs-youd-qualify-witch-1692

• ​Jelks, S. (n.d.). Who was Elena/Eleno de Céspedes?. TheCollector. https://www.thecollector.com/who-was-elena-de-cespedes/

• ​LGBTQ history: Walter Hungerford and the Buggery Act. English Heritage. (n.d.). https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/learn/histories/lgbtq-history/walter-hungerford-and-the-buggery-act/

• Sandwich, W. by: Reality. (2025, October 27). Witch, please: Broomsticks are psychedelic. Reality Sandwich. https://realitysandwich.com/witch-please-broomsticks-are-psychedelic/ 

• ​Queer Majority. (2026, January 24). The kindred spirits of queer witchcraft. https://www.queermajority.com/essays-all/the-kindred-spirits-of-queer-witchcraft