During 1486 the book Malleus Maleficarum, also known as “The Hammer of Witches”, was the second bestselling book, following closely behind the Bible. This text cultivated the belief that women were connected and associated with the devil. Due to the mass influential text, inquisitors would use this as a method to identify, interrogate and prosecute individuals accused of being a witch. The influence of “The Hammer of the Witches” arose from widespread use by authorities, which led to witch trials and executions. This reading highlights misogyny by noting women to be defective, prone to failure, less intelligent and deceitful. It should be recognised that the Malleus Maleficarum mentions “persons of both sexes”, insinuating that females are …show more content…
It was due to this book, “the standard checklist of witch stereotypes” was created which was specifically associated with females and their dealing with the devil. Kümin establishes that women would be unfairly linked with witchcraft due to “perceptions of their susceptibility to sexual temptation, inconsistency, gullibility and deceitfulness”. Kümin explores that prosecutions have been regarded as hate campaigns by an “increasingly misogynistic and patriarchal society”. It is also important to note, Kümin explores the alternative view that women consisted of eighty percent of the accused while males made up the remaining twenty percent and states in differing areas including Normandy and Russia, men were the majority that was accused and executed which shifts the mindset of the witch hunt solely targeting females. It is further explored that it was mainly women who testified and accused other women, altering the popular belief that males were accusing females. In contrast, Thomas A. Brady claims that the Malleus Maleficarum was “notoriously misogynistic” and suggests it was due to this reading that held women primarily responsible for being identified as
The Malleus Maleficarum (Latin for “The Hammer of Witches”, or “Hexenhammer” in German) is one of the most famous medieval treatises on witches. It was written in 1486 by Heinrich Kramer and Jacob Sprenger, and was first published in Germany in 1487. Its main purpose was to challenge all arguments against the existence of witchcraft and to instruct magistrates on how to identify, interrogate and convict witches. The Malleus Maleficarum (Latin for “The Hammer of Witches”, or “Hexenhammer” in German)
The witches hammer or Malleus Maleficarum which translates to The Hammer of Witches is the famous treatise on witches written by Heinrich Krame in germany in 1486 who was a catholic clergymen, and also by Jacob Sprenger who was a professors of theology. Malleus Maleficarum made the argument that witchcraft did not exist. and It also told how to identify, interrogate and convict witches. " Malleus elevates sorcery to the criminal status of heresy and prescribes inquisitorial
there were “witches” running all around Germany, which started The Salem Witch Trials. A lot of people were being mistaken for witches, so the Puritans were arresting many people. How were the Puritans able to tell if there witch suspect truly used witchcraft before they took action and killed the “witch”? The Malleus Maleficarum is one of the main tools used to prove a person was a witch. Used as a helpful tool for the Puritans in The Salem Witch Trials, the Malleus Maleficarum was used often
In the three documents, “Bull Summis desiderantes” written by Innocent VIII, “The Ant Hill ”, written by Johannes Nider and Extracts from “The hammer of witches” written by Malleus Maleficarum, regarding the hunting of witches, the beliefs of witchcraft and the trail process for those accused of witchcraft all show a great deal of evidence that those accused of witchcraft had no chance at a fair trial. In the document, “Bull Summis desiderantes” written by Innocent VIII, sheds light on how the catholic
two Dominican inquisitors Henirich Kramer and Jacob Sprenger wrote the Malleus Maleficarum, in English can be translated to the Hammer of Witches. The Malleus Maleficarum was a one of a kind document, meaning that it was the first document that laid the official groundwork for how to prosecute people who were believed to have used witchcraft. Kramer and Sprenger believed that women were more likely to be prosecuted as witches than men because they believed that women had wicked tendencies. This
that was justified by stereotypes and prejudices against women during the time. Through analysing multiple primary sources including The Witch Persecution at Wurzburg, the Witch Persecution at Trier and Heinrich Kramer and James Sprenger’s Malleus Maleficarum, societal normalities during this time are reinforced, highlighting the popular belief that women were intellectually weaker than
put to death by this same notion. Nevertheless, was it fair? Did they truly have a fair trial or was it used to eliminate innocent people for some kind of gain? Pope Innocent VIII (1484), Johannes Nider (1437), and an excerpt from Malleus Maleficarum (Hammer of the Witches, 1486), elaborates on stories of witchcraft, signs of witchcraft, and punishment for the highest considered form of heresy. These sources will make it very clear that people accused of witchcraft were unfairly prosecuted and endured
dominant idea. This was particularly true of the fifteen and sixteenth centuries, when the doctrines of Luther had permeated all classes of society and were producing their terrible resu... ... middle of paper ... ...s Vol 3: Demons, Spirits and Witches. 1st ed. s.l.: Central European University Press. Pratt, S.A.M., 1915. The Attitude of the Catholic Church towards Witchcraft and the Allied Practices of Sorcery and Magic, Washington D.C.: National Capital Press, Inc. The Bible: contemporary
storyteller best known for novels such as James and The Giant Peach, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, and The BFG, wrote another tale to add to his book shelf: The Witches. This particular story centers around a little nameless orphaned boy who, thanks to his guardian grandmother’s stories about them, stumbles upon a meeting of witches (“real witches”, the kind that absolutely hate children), and must subsequently stop them from completing their evil plan of getting rid of all the children in “Inkland” (Dahl
witch’s second ‘self’,’ acting for her and embodying her power; harming a familiar would injure the witch it served.” The sleep deprivation, along with “general rough handling and psychological pressure, allied to leading questions, helps explain why witches were so prone to confess.” The physiological battering of these women from their communities often led to their eventual “confession”, as a desperate way to just stop the tormenting.
However, while the idea of white magic was customary, the population was extremely terrified of witches and “dark magic”. Dark magic was considered to be hateful, generally causing harm to others in some direct or indirect way. Examples in Stuart England of harm caused by a witch was the damage done to individuals by a “witch’s evil eye,” which was thought that one look from the ‘evil eye’ would constitute a certain death or severe injury. “Another was the harm allegedly caused to individuals by
Since many records were lost, destroyed or never kept, the best estimation of the total deaths is several million (4). The main cause of the witch hunts was the Church inflicting fear upon the common and educated man by lying to them about what witches do and who they are. The Church also directly and indirectly increased the pain that accused women would go through during their torture. The Church made it clear, to all those who would listen, that all women were evil and capable of witchcraft.
History shows that signs of mental illness and abnormal behavior have been documented as far back as the early Greeks however, it was not viewed the same as it is today. The mentally ill were previously referred to as mad, insane, lunatics, or maniacs. W.B. Maher and B.A. Maher (1985) note how many of the terms use had roots in old English words that meant emotionally deranged, hurt, unhealthy, or diseased. Although early explanations were not accurate, the characteristics of the mentally ill have
of Witchcraft on Feminism The witch-hunt that blazed a trail across Europe (and indeed the world) over the 15th to 18th centuries stripped women of much of the power they had historically held. Not 100% of all accused Witches were female but 75% to 90% of accused witches in Europe were in fact women (Levack, 1987, p.124). Prior to the 15th century, rural European women were highly revered and respected pillars of rural community life. Women were not only considered as mothers and wives, but
start, - it was backward looking and conservative.” (Jones Gendercide Watch: European Witch... ... middle of paper ... ... Hutton, Ronald. Counting the Witch Hunt. None: Unpublished, 1650. Print. Institoris, Heinrich, and Jakob Sprenger. Malleus maleficarum. Nuremberg: Anton Koberger, 1494. Print. Jones, Adam . "Gendercide Watch: European Witch-Hunts." Gendercide Watch - main page. Gendercide Watch, n.d. Web. 6 Mar. 2012. . Lewthwaite, Giblert. "South Africans go on witch hunts." Baltimore Sun