Speak of the Devil - Reverend Campbell discusses Piercings with Satanist Cameron John. Cameron is a professional piercing and tattoo artist who owns his own shop, Black Bird Tattoo & Piercing in Clearfield, Utah.

We are going to discuss the history of piercing, modern trends in piercing and the extreme end of the art.

Show Notes

History

* Piercing: A Cultural History Of Holeshttps://allthatsinteresting.com/history-of-piercinghttps://www.kolopiercing.com/blog/a-historical-look-at-body-piercings/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_piercing* earliest known evidence of body piercing is a stone relief from Nimrud, Iraq that depicts a man with a pierced ear. This is around the 9th century BC.* Ear Piercings* 5,300 years ago, Ötzi — the oldest mummy ever found – was discovered by two tourists in 1991 on the border between Austria and Italy; pierced ears, the holes gauged 7-11mm in diameter* King Tut, the trend was still going strong, with the boy king (whose reign lasted from 1332-1323BC) also displaying evidence of wearing earrings, alongside many other Ancient Egyptians.* Julius Caesar himself bringing ear piercings into fashion during his reign from 49-44BC.* during the Elizabethan era of late 16th century Britain, any man of nobility had at least one ear piercing to show off his wealth.* the practice began in primitive tribes for superstitious reasons* People believed that demons could enter the body through the ears, but that they were repelled by metal: Thus, earrings were a protection against possession* Nose Piercings* The first recorded mention of nose rings is in Genesis 24:22. When Abraham decides to find a wife for his son Isaac, he chooses Rebekah, and gives her a gold nose ring to seal the deal.* Mughal emperors brought the practice to India in the 16th century. A stud or ring is often worn in the left nostril by women, as the left side is associated with female reproductive organs. The piercing is supposed to lessen the pain of birth and menstruation.* 1960s and 1970s, when hippies started traveling to India, and were taken up by the punk movement in the ‘70s as a sign of nonconformity.* Septum Piercings* among tribal peoples, often used to make warrior men look fierce.* Asmat tribe in Irian Jaya, Indonesia will stretch these piercings to as much as 25mm in diameter* The Aztecs, Mayans, and Incas pierced their septums with gold and jade to symbolize the water and sun gods* In India, Nepal, and Tibet, an amulet called a bulak is attached to the piercing. It is believed that piercing the nose prevents infection, though the bulak itself seems to be purely ornamental — and the bigger, the better.* Aborigines in Australia, the piercing is used to flatten the nose and therefore make it more “beautiful.”* Tongue Piercings* 14th and 16th centuries, tongue piercings originated as a ritual among the Aztecs and Mayans as a form of blood sacrifice. * Priests and shamans in these cultures would also pierce their own tongues to create an altered state of consciousness so they could communicate with the gods.* 20th century carnies learned about tongue piercings from religious ascetics, and would perform them as a sideshow attraction. 1980s, with the opening of Gauntlet in LA, the first professional piercing shop in the US. Elayne Angel, who founded Gauntlet, is often credited with promoting the piercing, both for shock value and for the enhancement of oral sex.* Lip Piercings* most common in tribal cultures, though only two tribes in Africa (the Dogon and Nuba) use rings. Most use labrets (bars with balls attached at either end) or plates.