Episode 41, La Tofania – Serial Killer or Heroine? Part 1
Giulia Tofana ran a very successful poison ring in 17th Century Italy, and her legend is still talked about today. She is called a martyr for abused women and an early feminist. But the folklore that swirls around her memory is full of disinformation and tall tales.
Yes, she really did kill people. Over 600 men, allegedly. But was she a patron saint of the abused? Which parts of her story are real, and which have been exaggerated over time?
Today we dive in to the story of La Tofania, and extract the truth from this whole sordid saga ,that spans three generations of women in the same family. We also discuss the Kylie Lip Kit of 17th Century Rome which was Giulia’s infamous Aqua Tofana. This story is insane, ya’ll. Oh and there’s a special cameo by Messy Boots Mozart, so there’s that.
Sources:
Female Serial Killers by Peter Vronsky
17 Deadly Women by Stephanie Glover
Dark Waters: The True Story of Giulia Tofana by Jennifer L. McKeighan
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giulia_Tofana
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aqua_Tofana
https://aspectsofhistory.com/giulia-tofana-power-poison/
https://dbpedia.org/page/Aqua_Tofana
https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/giulia-tofana-the-italian-serial-poisoner-who-became-a-legend
https://allthatsinteresting.com/giulia-tofana
https://www.ncdv.org.uk/giulia-tofana-serial-killer-or-heroine/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B9780128095546000068
https://allthatsinteresting.com/aqua-tofana
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gironima_Spana
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thofania_d'Adamo
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Marie-Madeleine-Marguerite-dAubray-marquise-de-Brinvilliers
https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/jacana#:~:text=Male jacanas do most of,the eggs under each wing.