The Malleus Maleficarum
by Heinrich Institoris, Jacob Sprenger
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The Malleus Maleficarum, first published in 1486-7, is the standard medieval text on witchcraft and it remained in print throughout the early modern period. Its descriptions of the evil acts of witches and the ways to exterminate them continue to contribute to our knowledge of early modern law, religion and society. Mackay's highly acclaimed translation, based on his extensive research and detailed analysis of the Latin text, is the only complete English version available, and the most show more reliable. Now available in a single volume, this key text is at last accessible to students and scholars of medieval history and literature. With detailed explanatory notes and a guide to further reading, this volume offers a unique insight into the fifteenth-century mind and its sense of sin, punishment and retribution. show lessTags
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This was an experience! Firstly, be warned. This is not the arcane text of rumour, its a complex and boring legal text with very few interesting points. Secondly, its bonkers. Its not just the entire premise is hateful and insane, but also that the philosophy is childlike and irrational. The logic is broken, torturous, or requires giant leaps to make work. It is depressing to think of how many thousands of people were murdered following this logic. So this is a boring and dense legal document whose only real point of interest is that it was a murder manual. Only occasional anecdotes about witches killed or escaped add any colour at all, and even then its depressing colour. What other observations can I make? Well, during the section on show more how witches steal penises (they don't, they just cause the illusion of a missing penis) a story is recounted in evidence that is actually a older joke translated from Spanish to German so that the pun is lost. This is the quality of the evidence that we're talking about.
Curiously, the authors seem to feel a burning sense of justice. They make it very clear that there are going to be people making false claims and that it is the job of inquisitors to have a set of guidelines to ensuring that innocent women are not burned to death. But at the same time, these guidelines make it impossible for most women to escape death. For example, women who confess under torture have confessed and should be burned. But women who don't confess are under the "sorcery of silence" and are guilty. There is a strict hierarchy in place. A women of good reputation accused by one or two people of bad reputation will probably be alright, as long as the two stories are not corroborated by evidence (evidence in this case not being what we might think of as evidence but actually other hearsay), but in almost every other case the accusation or even suggestion that a woman might be a witch is enough to get her burned. The purpose of torture isn't to get evidence, its to get a confession. She is doomed at the moment a man says to the inquisitor "that woman is a witch". Everything else after that is a legal fiction, right up to moment the inquisitor passes the woman to a judge recommending mercy but meaning that the judge is to pronounce the death sentance - after all, a priest shouldn't be having women killled! There are so many catch 22s that there is no way out. Going to church or not going to church, being nice or not being nice, confessing or not confessing. Once you're accused you're dead, and the only question now is are you going to take anyone else with you.
One of the interesting things about religious logic is that it appears to take an opposite form to scientific progress. Science is supposed to take the experiments of the past and improve on them by testing and retesting sing newer technology and better equipment. Here evidence is based on traditional, on appeals to authorities hundreds of years old, or even longer. If it was good enough for a thousand years ago, its good enough for now even if we don't understand it, or worse, have misunderstood it. The authors here cite thousands of pieces of earlier thinking as evidence of truth, even though they often misquote, misunderstand, or misrepresent. Furthermore they reproduce errors that these earlier authorities made. Like naughty students they quote works quoted in those they read and pass the learning off as their own when they clearly haven;t read these original works or they'd know they were making an error. Folly upon folly, nothing new to be learned that the old whoremonger Augustine didn't know!
Other observations: curiously the author is able to recognise that power imbalances exist in social relations (which is more than most liberals today are able to do), but doesn't provide any assistance for the inquisitor in ameliorating these imbalances.
There is no defence. An advocate can only be appointed if they are not going to interfere. The role of the defence is to ensure that the prosecution is done properly, not to defend the accused. The accusation is enough.
If a person is accused of being a witch, they can be defended if they have a good reputation. To have a good reputation you need not have been accused of being a witch.
If a person confesses under torture, they should be required to confess whilst not under torture. This is to prevent people just confessing to stop the torture. If they will not confess whilst not being tortured, and I swear this is true, they should be tortured again.
A person can only be tortured once for each accusation. However gaps between periods of torture within this single torture of any duration are acceptable. The difference between this and multiple tortures is unclear.
People who show signs of pain under torture are witches doing evil witch things. People who don't, they're witches too.
Aside from the great minds of the history of Catholic thought, most of the churchmen of history have been corrupt and or worldly. But the ones we have now are all fine and upstanding. It is noted that this position has been recognised by theologians throughout history, but no-one seems to have noticed the irony.
This really is a work of staggering banality, by one of the finest legal minds the medieval church could come up with. It is pure drivel, the logic is inane and often imbecilic. It is pure evil, the misogynist's Mein Kampf. Really this is only of scholarly interest, I wouldn't bother reading this out of curiosity as I did. The editor's notes on my edition were erudite and wry, and without his guidance I would have given up long before, unable to wrangle any knowledge from the dense legalistic medieval prose. Five stars to him, but minus one star to Henry Institorius and gang. show less
Curiously, the authors seem to feel a burning sense of justice. They make it very clear that there are going to be people making false claims and that it is the job of inquisitors to have a set of guidelines to ensuring that innocent women are not burned to death. But at the same time, these guidelines make it impossible for most women to escape death. For example, women who confess under torture have confessed and should be burned. But women who don't confess are under the "sorcery of silence" and are guilty. There is a strict hierarchy in place. A women of good reputation accused by one or two people of bad reputation will probably be alright, as long as the two stories are not corroborated by evidence (evidence in this case not being what we might think of as evidence but actually other hearsay), but in almost every other case the accusation or even suggestion that a woman might be a witch is enough to get her burned. The purpose of torture isn't to get evidence, its to get a confession. She is doomed at the moment a man says to the inquisitor "that woman is a witch". Everything else after that is a legal fiction, right up to moment the inquisitor passes the woman to a judge recommending mercy but meaning that the judge is to pronounce the death sentance - after all, a priest shouldn't be having women killled! There are so many catch 22s that there is no way out. Going to church or not going to church, being nice or not being nice, confessing or not confessing. Once you're accused you're dead, and the only question now is are you going to take anyone else with you.
One of the interesting things about religious logic is that it appears to take an opposite form to scientific progress. Science is supposed to take the experiments of the past and improve on them by testing and retesting sing newer technology and better equipment. Here evidence is based on traditional, on appeals to authorities hundreds of years old, or even longer. If it was good enough for a thousand years ago, its good enough for now even if we don't understand it, or worse, have misunderstood it. The authors here cite thousands of pieces of earlier thinking as evidence of truth, even though they often misquote, misunderstand, or misrepresent. Furthermore they reproduce errors that these earlier authorities made. Like naughty students they quote works quoted in those they read and pass the learning off as their own when they clearly haven;t read these original works or they'd know they were making an error. Folly upon folly, nothing new to be learned that the old whoremonger Augustine didn't know!
Other observations: curiously the author is able to recognise that power imbalances exist in social relations (which is more than most liberals today are able to do), but doesn't provide any assistance for the inquisitor in ameliorating these imbalances.
There is no defence. An advocate can only be appointed if they are not going to interfere. The role of the defence is to ensure that the prosecution is done properly, not to defend the accused. The accusation is enough.
If a person is accused of being a witch, they can be defended if they have a good reputation. To have a good reputation you need not have been accused of being a witch.
If a person confesses under torture, they should be required to confess whilst not under torture. This is to prevent people just confessing to stop the torture. If they will not confess whilst not being tortured, and I swear this is true, they should be tortured again.
A person can only be tortured once for each accusation. However gaps between periods of torture within this single torture of any duration are acceptable. The difference between this and multiple tortures is unclear.
People who show signs of pain under torture are witches doing evil witch things. People who don't, they're witches too.
Aside from the great minds of the history of Catholic thought, most of the churchmen of history have been corrupt and or worldly. But the ones we have now are all fine and upstanding. It is noted that this position has been recognised by theologians throughout history, but no-one seems to have noticed the irony.
This really is a work of staggering banality, by one of the finest legal minds the medieval church could come up with. It is pure drivel, the logic is inane and often imbecilic. It is pure evil, the misogynist's Mein Kampf. Really this is only of scholarly interest, I wouldn't bother reading this out of curiosity as I did. The editor's notes on my edition were erudite and wry, and without his guidance I would have given up long before, unable to wrangle any knowledge from the dense legalistic medieval prose. Five stars to him, but minus one star to Henry Institorius and gang. show less
An evil book from an evil writer. As the translator states, the Latin is bad, the book is a badly edited mess. So the stars go for the crisp Dutch translation. I would have preferred a hardcover; at 472 pages a paperback stretches the limit.
The deranged fantasies of a deranged man, valuable for all times, including ours.
The deranged fantasies of a deranged man, valuable for all times, including ours.
LMFAO No, but seriously, how the hell does someone come up with such whacked-out ideas and believe them to be reality? I seriously would like to know what drugs they were on when they wrote this. Now I understand some of the dumbest superstitions about witches that we still see pop up in movies and TV today (like how witches can't cry). Good grief.
What really makes me sad, is the fact that this book was used as the textbook for How to Kill Strong Women (especially midwives) 101. The witch hunting trade was BIG business in it's time and people got rich off pointing their fingers to have innocent people tortured and murdered so they could divvy up their possessions. And this stupid book with it's insane ideas helped them all do it. It's a show more low point in history that we see being repeated over and over. So very sad.
Despite hating this book, the authors, it's users and everything this book stood for... I would still recommend anyone interested in the subject to give it a read. It is a piece of our human history and a testament as to just how low we can go. Even though the content of this book is so horrible it's one of the most infamous books in all of history, I feel better now for having actually read it and knowing for myself exactly what's written in it. But it is pretty hard core. READER BEWARE! show less
What really makes me sad, is the fact that this book was used as the textbook for How to Kill Strong Women (especially midwives) 101. The witch hunting trade was BIG business in it's time and people got rich off pointing their fingers to have innocent people tortured and murdered so they could divvy up their possessions. And this stupid book with it's insane ideas helped them all do it. It's a show more low point in history that we see being repeated over and over. So very sad.
Despite hating this book, the authors, it's users and everything this book stood for... I would still recommend anyone interested in the subject to give it a read. It is a piece of our human history and a testament as to just how low we can go. Even though the content of this book is so horrible it's one of the most infamous books in all of history, I feel better now for having actually read it and knowing for myself exactly what's written in it. But it is pretty hard core. READER BEWARE! show less
В общественото съзнание битува убеждението, че Светата Инквизиция е била най-големият преследвач на вещици в средновековието. Всъщност, Инквизицията се е занимавала главно с евреите в Испания и като цяло е имала доста ограничена дейност -както териториално, така и времево. Само хайпа й е голям, дето се вика.
За сметка на това, вещици са горени из останалите части на Европа със завиден ентусиазъм, както от show more самоназначени селски и градски съвети, така и от пътуващи ловци на вещици, които срещу скромна такса намират и изобличават слугите на Лукавия.
Въпросът е, дали всички тия хора наистина са вярвали във вещици или са използвали масовата истерия, за да се разправят с неудобните за тях?
В условията на социални медии и "кенсъл"-истерията, тоя въпрос като че ли сам се отговаря - всъщност и двете. Голямата част от хората не ги интересува особено, стига те да не са изгорените.
Всичко се движи от малка част фанатици, които не точно вярват фанатично в божието си предназначение, а по-скоро фанатично им се иска да са на страната на доброто и да се чувстват могъщи и праведни. Толкова много им се иска, че това подсилва вярата им и ги кара с пяна на уста да клеймят тия, които им се противопоставят.
Ако се върнем сега на Malleus Maleficarum, известният учебник по лов на вещици, въпреки лошата му слава, очевидно някои от тия ловци са се опитвали да вкарат малко здрав разум в цялата работа, да провеждат справедлив съдебен процес и да търсят доказателства (и двете, според критериите на периода, разбира се, тъпо е да ги съдим според сегашните правила). show less
За сметка на това, вещици са горени из останалите части на Европа със завиден ентусиазъм, както от show more самоназначени селски и градски съвети, така и от пътуващи ловци на вещици, които срещу скромна такса намират и изобличават слугите на Лукавия.
Въпросът е, дали всички тия хора наистина са вярвали във вещици или са използвали масовата истерия, за да се разправят с неудобните за тях?
В условията на социални медии и "кенсъл"-истерията, тоя въпрос като че ли сам се отговаря - всъщност и двете. Голямата част от хората не ги интересува особено, стига те да не са изгорените.
Всичко се движи от малка част фанатици, които не точно вярват фанатично в божието си предназначение, а по-скоро фанатично им се иска да са на страната на доброто и да се чувстват могъщи и праведни. Толкова много им се иска, че това подсилва вярата им и ги кара с пяна на уста да клеймят тия, които им се противопоставят.
Ако се върнем сега на Malleus Maleficarum, известният учебник по лов на вещици, въпреки лошата му слава, очевидно някои от тия ловци са се опитвали да вкарат малко здрав разум в цялата работа, да провеждат справедлив съдебен процес и да търсят доказателства (и двете, според критериите на периода, разбира се, тъпо е да ги съдим според сегашните правила). show less
Certainly in the running (in retrospect) as one of the most evil books of all time. The Hammer of the Witches is a VERY serious treatise on the Catholic legal view of witchcraft; what it is, how to identify perpetrators, and how witches should be punished. A legal guide book on procedures, as well a statement as to how serious the crime of witchcraft truly is. For scholars of Europe through the 15th-18th centuries. And useful for those who think our current legal system is terribly flawed; the Malleus is a record of how the law used to be practiced.
What we have here in Kramer and Sprenger is an artifact. And as an artifact it is a splendid example of historical Christian thought. Part I; Question XIV contains a subheading that summarizes the point of this tome: "That Witches Deserve the heaviest Punishment above All the Criminals of the World."
The "Hammer" was written to offer a protocol for trying and adjudicating (read: killing) alleged witches. It is safe to say that Salem and other incidences of spurious witch trials would not have been legitimized but by reference to this 15th century work of folklore. There is no doubt that Kramer and Sprenger were learned canons of the Church and they were attempting to remedy the problem of falsely accused witches being lynched by show more torch-and-pitchfork mobs. What they accomplished instead was bringing witch-hunts under the authority of the Church. The Malleus Maleficarum facilitated the further enmeshment of Church and State by prescribing the manner in which these cases should be adjudicated in the ecclesiastical and civil courts.
If you enjoy studying mythology or Church History (they often overlap)this is a compelling read. More than any other single artifact, this book sheds light on what was plaguing the collective mind of Christendom in the late middle ages. A read well worth the time. show less
The "Hammer" was written to offer a protocol for trying and adjudicating (read: killing) alleged witches. It is safe to say that Salem and other incidences of spurious witch trials would not have been legitimized but by reference to this 15th century work of folklore. There is no doubt that Kramer and Sprenger were learned canons of the Church and they were attempting to remedy the problem of falsely accused witches being lynched by show more torch-and-pitchfork mobs. What they accomplished instead was bringing witch-hunts under the authority of the Church. The Malleus Maleficarum facilitated the further enmeshment of Church and State by prescribing the manner in which these cases should be adjudicated in the ecclesiastical and civil courts.
If you enjoy studying mythology or Church History (they often overlap)this is a compelling read. More than any other single artifact, this book sheds light on what was plaguing the collective mind of Christendom in the late middle ages. A read well worth the time. show less
Approach this book with caution; it is soaked in human blood! Kramer and Sprenger, two Dominican friars, traveled throughout northern Germany, delving into Inquisition records, talking with accused witches, attending Inquisition trials. First published in 1486, the text includes everything known at the time about cults, illicit sex, dealings with the devil, and more.
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Malleus Maleficarum; The Malleus Maleficarum
- Original title
- Malleus Maleficarum
- Alternate titles*
- Der Hexenhammer
- Original publication date
- 1487
- Epigraph*
- Was sich bei der Zauberei zusammenfindet, der Teufel, der Hexer oder die Hexe, die göttliche Zulassung.
- First words
- [These entries refer to the Summers translation, not the Mackay edition and tr5anslation]
Introduction to 1948 Edition
It has been observed that "it is quite impossible to appreciate and understand the true and inner li... (show all)ves of men and women in Elizabethan and Stuart England, in the France of Louis XIII and during the long reign of his son and successor, in Italy of the Renaissance and the Catholic Reaction — to name but three European countries and a few definite periods — unless we have some realization of the part Witchcraft played in those ages amid the affairs of these Kingdoms. All classes were affected and concerned from Pope to peasant, from Queen to cottage girl."
Witchcraft was inextricably mixed with politics.
Introduction to 1928 Edition
It has been recognized even from the very earliest times, during the first gropings towards the essential conveniences of social decency and social order, that witchcraft is an evil thing, an e... (show all)nemy to light, an ally of the powers of darkness, disruption, and decay. Sometimes, no doubt, primitive communities were obliged to tolerate the witch and her works owing to fear; in other words, witchcraft was a kind of blackmail; but directly Cities were able to co-ordiante, and it became possible for Society to protect itself, precautions were taken and safeguards were instituted against this curse, this bane whose object seemed to blight all that was fair, all that was just and good, all that was well-appointed and honourable, in a word, whose aim proved to set up on high the red standard of revolution; to overwhelm religion, existing order, and the comeliness of life in a abyss of anarchy, nihilism, and despair. In his great treatise De Ciuitate Dei S. Augustine set forth the theory, or rather the living fact, of the two Cities, the City of God, and the opposing stronghold of all that is not for God, that is to say, of all that is against Him.
The Bull of Innocent VIII
Innocent, Bishop, Servant of the servants of God, for an eternal remembrance.
Desiring with the most heartfelt anxiety, even as Our Apostleship requires, that the Catholic Faith should especial... (show all)ly in this Our day increase and flourish everywhere, ant that all heretical depravity should be driven far from the frontiers and bournes of the Faithful, We very gladly proclaim and even restate those particular means and methods whereby Our pious desire may obtain its wished effect, since when all errors are uprooted by Our diligent avocations as by the hoe of a provident husbandman, a zeal for, and the regular observance of, Our holy Faith will be all the more strongly impressed upon the hearts of the faithful.
Malleus Maleficarum
The First Part Treating of the Three Necessary Concomitants of Witchcraft, Which are the Devil, a Witch, and the Permission of Almighty God
Part I
Question I
Here beginneth auspicioulsy the ... (show all)first part of this work. Question the First.
Whether the belief that there are such beings as witches is so essential a part of the Catholic faith that obstinately to maintain the opposite opinion manifestly savours of heresy. - Publisher's editor*
- Bäslack, Andreas
- Original language*
- Lateinisch
- Disambiguation notice
- This is for any modern language translation of the "Malleus". Please don't combine with the dead language editions. Do not confuse the Mackay edition and translation with any of the editions of the Montague Summers translatio... (show all)n.
This edition has also been entered separately, by other members, according to its individial volumes (the edition of the Latin text 052181345X), and the translation into English 052185976X). Ideally, this two-volume set shoul... (show all)d be linked to those two, and only secindarily to the other texts and translations, but it is not clear to me how to do so, so I just split this set off from everything else.
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
Classifications
- Genres
- Religion & Spirituality, Nonfiction, History, General Nonfiction
- DDC/MDS
- 133.4 — Philosophy & psychology Parapsychology & occultism Specific topics in parapsychology and occultism Demonology and witchcraft
- LCC
- BF1569 .A2 .I5 — Philosophy, Psychology and Religion Psychology Occult sciences Witchcraft
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