Kramer had been thrown out of the Tyrol region in 1484 and dismissed by the local bishop as a "senile old man", for attempting to systematically persecute people who he believed were witches. Soon, however, the malevolent fellow received full papal approval for such Inquisitions to proceed "correcting, imprisoning, punishing and chastising" those accused of witchcraft and heresy.
The Existence of Witches
Church approval for the existence of witches was a strange about-face, as previously, the church had associated belief in witches with pagan superstition. However, with the publication of Malleus Maleficarum, persecution of so-called witches was officially sanctioned and recognised as a real threat.
Section 1. of the book rants on about how the devil exists and how loose women had sex with the devil and so became witches. Section 2. of this licensed twaddle spoke of how these insatiable nympho witches would find young and pure maidens to introduce to the devil. The third part of this book of buffoonery laid out a guide for conducting a witch trial (including torture) and ways to recognise witches. Women who did not cry during their trial were automatically believed to be witches. (thoughts of the trial of Lindy Chamberlain come to mind).
This witch-hunting manual was a work of inspired misogyny (most witches were women). Female witches were also accused of having the power to steal penises, cause harm with their evil eyes and perform diabolical carnal acts with incubus and succubus demons.
Mass Panic
Midwife witches would kill unborn children in the womb, drink the blood of others and present some to the 'ole devil himself. Women who had been abandoned by their men, however, routinely sought out the devil, not only in pursuit of revenge but to indulge in carnal pleasures. Once a woman had the devil's favour, then she had the ability to fly about the place, perform magic and appear in animal form.
The result of this church supported nonsense, was hysteria, mass panic and the death of millions of innocent people (mostly women).
One popular way of testing a witch was to throw the suspected witch into water with her left hand or thumb tied to her right foot, and her right hand tied to her left foot. The guilty would float, the innocent would sink. You couldn't win.
"Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live" (Exodus 22:18)
Malleus Maleficarum
Books To read
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