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List of prostitutes and courtesans

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This list of prostitutes and courtesans includes famous persons who have engaged in prostitution, pimping and courtesan work.

Historical

Nell Gwyn, ca 1675
Madame du Barry

Ancient world

Early Modern era

19th century

20th century

Fictional

In literature

Vasantasena from the Sanskrit play Mṛcchakatika

Film, television, and musical theater

Symbolic or allegorical prostitutes

Myth and legend

  • Agatha - English prostitute, mother of Mother Shipton
  • Basileia (Ancient Greece) - in Pandemos, this goddess was mainly a goddess for prostitutes or courtesans[5]
  • Bebhinn (Celts of the British Isles) - the goddess of pleasure
  • Belili (Sumer, Babylon, Assyria, Philistines, & Canaanites) - her worship required sacred prostitution
  • Gomer, a prostitute whom God commanded Hosea to marry in the biblical Book of Hosea
  • Mary Magdalene was supposed to have been a prostitute by those who identified her with the sinful woman in Luke 7:36–50, an identification now generally abandoned[6]
  • Naamah (Hebrews) - an angel of prostitution, one of the succubus mates of the demon Samael in Zoharistic Qabalah
  • Rahab, Biblical prostitute who assisted the Hebrews in capturing Jericho (Joshua 2:1–7)
  • Shamhat (Sumer/Babylon)[7]
  • Xochiquetzal (Aztecs) - the goddess of prostitutes, pregnant women, & dancing
  • Alexandra Dé Broussehan (Irish Celts) - a woman turned spirit of prostitution, caused a war between the Callahan and Lawlor Clans, and often associated with Korrigan whose worship involved sacred prostitution[8]

References

  1. ^ Commire, Anne, ed. (2002). Women in World History: A biographical encyclopedia. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. ^ Suzy Favor Hamilton
  3. ^ Welcome to the World of Scarlot Harlot, her own web site, accessed 28 August 2006; Carol Leigh, Unrepentant Whore: Collected Works Of Scarlot Harlot, Last Gasp, 2004.
  4. ^ O'Dowd, John. "Hollywood Bad Girl Barbara Payton".
  5. ^ McNeill, Maggie (23 December 2010). "Whore Goddesses". The Honest Courtesan. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  6. ^ Filteau, Jerry "Scholars seek to correct Christian tradition on Mary Magdalene," Catholic News Service May 1, 2006. [1]
  7. ^ Ditmore, Melissa Hope (ed), Encyclopedia of Prostitution and Sex Work, Volume 1, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006, pp.34-5.
  8. ^ Charles Squire Celtic Myth and Legend

Bibliography

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