Share

cover art for Interview: Dr. Justin Sledge

Cicatrix: Scars of Parchment

Interview: Dr. Justin Sledge

Season 2 is coming soon...


In the meantime, I'm very happy to present an interview I conducted with Dr. Justin Sledge, shortly after recording the last season.


Dr. Sledge is an expert in the history of western esotericism - i.e. the belief in and practice of magic, alchemy, hermeticism and kabbalah in Europe, North Africa and Western Asia. Along with his academic work, he produces the YouTube channel Esoterica (https://www.youtube.com/@TheEsotericaChannel), which I thoroughly recommend to anyone interested in these topics.


He approaches esoteric texts and concepts with philosophical and historical rigour, taking them seriously on their own terms, and situating them within the history of philosophy, without making value judgements (either positive of negative) about them. In doing so, he elucidates an often disregarded field of study, and dispells a fair few myths about the development of western philosophy along the way.


Scars of Parchment is entirely a work of fiction, but I do my best to anchor it in the attitudes and beliefs of the Early Modern world. As such, Dr. Sledge's work has been an invaluable resource for fact checking and inspiration, and I am extremely grateful to him for taking the time to speak to me.


This interview covers the topics of witchcraft, alchemy and necromancy in Early Modern Europe, with particular reference to the works of Marsilio Ficino, Pico della Mirandola, Cornelius Agrippa and Paracelsus, as well as later thinkers such as Rene Descartes, Margaret Cavendish and Anne Conway. We also discuss Mediaeval grimoire magic, the concept of "cunning folk," and the atrocities of the witch-hunts and inquisitions.


Finally, I'd like to give a shout out to the YouTube channel Atun-Shei for the following OP recording of James VI's treatise on witchcraft Daemonologie (1597):


Atun-Shei Films, D E M O N O L O G Y

https://youtu.be/TXVQCss9yyo?si=30Vpwn0OkSHMXUFh


I hope you all find this interesting, and see you in season 2,


Sasha

More episodes

View all episodes

  • Cicatrix Trailer

    02:11|
    Sebastian, a history student, finds a rare book containing bizarre testimonies from the early 1600s. As he reads through them and investigates the circumstances under which they were published, he uncovers a disturbing series of events spanning centuries, and comes to realise that the next piece of the puzzle may be none other than himself.Music by Tabletop Audio - https://tabletopaudio.com/Cicatrix © 2024 by Crooked Lantern is licensed under Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
  • Cicatrix Preview

    03:05|
    Sebastian's flatmate, Steve, receives a phone call.Music by Tabletop Audio - https://tabletopaudio.com/Cicatrix © 2024 by Crooked Lantern is licensed under Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
  • 1. The Letter in the Book

    19:45||Season 1, Ep. 1
    Sebastian takes a look at his new book and finds a strange letter folded up inside.Music by Tabletop Audio - https://tabletopaudio.com/Cicatrix © 2024 by Crooked Lantern is licensed under Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
  • 2. The Preface

    24:43||Season 1, Ep. 2
    Sebastian reads the preface and finds the landlady of the Crosskeys Inn's testimony regarding Lord Dalcowan's death. Steve offers to take him for a drink.Music by Tabletop Audio - https://tabletopaudio.com/Cicatrix © 2024 by Crooked Lantern is licensed under Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
  • 3. The King's Missive

    22:18||Season 1, Ep. 3
    Sebastian reveals how he came across the Dalcowan Collection, and reads the letter attributed to James VI, detailing a strange masque performance at the house of Lord Fairly of Sotherham.Music by Tabletop Audio - https://tabletopaudio.com/Cicatrix © 2024 by Crooked Lantern is licensed under Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
  • 4. The Inquisition of Jenny Shiel

    23:42||Season 1, Ep. 4
    Sebastian reads a document related to the trial of Jenny Shiel, "the Witch of Norneuk." Within he finds something quite different from the usual witchcraft narrative.Music by Tabletop Audio - https://tabletopaudio.com/Cicatrix © 2024 by Crooked Lantern is licensed under Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
  • 5. A Letter of Dr de Groot

    29:28||Season 1, Ep. 5
    Steve tells Sebastian the story of a strange encounter his uncle had while making a documentary for Hunan TV. Sebastian stays up to read a letter attributed to the mysterious Dr de Groot.Music by Tabletop Audio - https://tabletopaudio.com/Cicatrix © 2024 by Crooked Lantern is licensed under Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
  • Feed Drop: The Armitage Account

    19:46|
    Scope Networks|9/13/2023Hello. I do want to thank whoever gave me the tip about the Miskatonic University Library, but I am not going to lie, I am questioning it. Since the listener count is small right now I'm sure I'm talking to my "mystery fan" directly. What did you mean by this? How does this help me get closer to Henry Armitage? Contact me here: info@armitageaccount.comThanks again, everyone.Experience more at: https://www.armitageaccount.com/Content Warnings (Spoilers):Pet in PerilChild in PerilPatrons get episodes a week early and exclusive content: https://patreon.com/ScopeProductionsOur discord provides a space for listeners to interact with each other:https://discord.gg/frxe8zBycnWatch all of our other podcasts and videos on our YouTube: www.youtube.com/scopeproductionsThe Armitage Account is a narrative audio drama inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft and is set in the fictitious city of Arkham, Massachusetts. Isaac Andrews, plagued with guilt over the events of the last year, begins to search for a connection to his supposed great-grandfather, and the long-deceased head librarian of Miskatonic University, Henry Armitage.​ If you enjoy this experience, please give us a 5-star rating on your preferred podcasting platform and consider joining our Patreon. As independent creators, we rely on the support of our audience to keep us going. Telling a friend is, above all else, the best thing that you can do to help us succeed.​We hope that you enjoy the Armitage Account. Thank you.Episode CreditsBenjamin Collins...............................Creator/Writer/Sound Engineer/Sound Design/Issac AndrewsAbrham Bogale................................Executive Producer/DirectorNathan Winter.....................................................................Story EditorSylvie Raeburn.....................................................................Copy EditorJose Quintana..................................................... Audio Technician@jawnsaur.............................................................Logo and Cover Art DesignDoctor Pumpkins....................................................Character & Environment ArtistDylan Deimler............................................................Theme Song PerformerAudio Attributesgreat-dark-caverns-of-machinery_futuristic_by_OnlyTheGhosts.oggVinyl » vinyl_record_needle_static_01.wav joedeshon https://freesound.org/people/joedeshon/sounds/140295/room-tone 2013 » RoomTone EmptyClassRoom 01 SHORT 130626_02.wav klankbeeldThis Broadcast is under a Creative Commons 4.0 attribution non-commercial share alike license and is produced and distributed by Scope Productions. Get bonus content on PatreonHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
  • 6. The Siege of s'Hertogenbosch

    25:35||Season 1, Ep. 6
    Sebastian awakes to find a text he seems to have fallen asleep while reading.Music by Tabletop Audio - https://tabletopaudio.com/Cicatrix © 2024 by Crooked Lantern is licensed under Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/