The malleus maleficarum the witch hammer, first published in 1486, is arguably one of the most infamous books ever written, due primarily to its position and regard during the middle ages. Its appearance did much to spur on and sustain some two centuries of witchhunting hysteria in europe. I read it as background research into peoples viewpoints on heresy back then. The malleus maleficarum is a seminal treatise regarding witchcraft and demons, presented here complete with an authoritative translation to modern english by montague summers. Malleus maleficarum the wiki of the succubi succuwiki.
Translator montague summers consistently uses the malleus maleficarum or simply the malleus in his 1928 and 1948 introductions. Also known as the witch hammer, the malleus maleficarum was a handbook for hunting and punishing witcheswritten by inquisitors heinrich kramer c. The malleus maleficarum latin for the hammer of witches, or hexenhammer in german is one of the most famous medieval treatises on witches. Publication date 1486 topics malleus maleficarum collection opensource language latin. Malleus maleficarum, detailed legal and theological document c. The main purpose of the malleus maleficarum, or the hammer against witches, was to refute all arguments that witchcraft did not exist, refute those who were skeptical about its reality, to prove that witches were. The malleus maleficarum, usually translated as the hammer of witches, is the best known treatise on witchcraft. Covid19 is an emerging, rapidly evolving situation. The malleus maleficarum the witch hammer, first published in 1486, is arguably one of the most infamous books ever written, due primarily to. Malleus maleficarum is one of the most bloodsoaked works in human history, in that its very existence reinforced and validated catholic beliefs which led to the prosecution, torture, and murder, of tens of thousands of innocent people. Malleus maleficarum religion, spiritualism, and occult the first papal bull directly against witchcraft was that of alexander iv, launched in 1258. Written in latin, the malleus was first submitted to the university of cologne on may 9th, 1487. The malleus maleficarum, usually translated as the hammer of witches, is the best known and the most thorough treatise on witchcraft. Malleus maleficarum digital collections national library.
The malleus maleficarum printerfriendly version pdf version. Jan 01, 2005 the malleus maleficarum the hammer of witches. Charged by pope innocent viii to investigate witchcraft, dominican friars heinrich kramer and jacob sprenger traveled throughout germany gathering alpine lore and legend for malleus maleficarum the witches hammer. Malleus maleficarum and its modern reception illustrates gender bias toward constructing men as demons, blaming men for corrupting women, and.
According the da vinci code, the catholic inquisition published the malleus maleficarum instructing the clergy how to locate, torture, and destroy the freethinking women. Pope innocent viii the papal bull the malleus maleficarum an extract from the malleus maleficarum the letter of approbation johann niders formicarius jacob sprenger heinrich kramer stefano infessura montague summers the waldenses the albigenses the hussites. The malleus maleficarum search the malleus introduction to online edition introduction to 1948 edition introduction to 1928 edition a note upon the bibliography the bull of innocent viii letter of approbation downloads adobe pdf version ebook version ms word version write us the malleus maleficarum the witch hammer, first. In sator arepo tenet opera rotas, players must use their cards to move and rotate footbridges and create paths where their monks can move to recover the lost books. Some say his role was minor while others say there is little evidence for this claim in 1484 kramer made one of the first attempts at a systematic persecution of witches in. The malleus maleficarum latin for the hammer of the witches was written by dominican friars henry kramer and jacob sprenger with papal endorsement. The malleus maleficarum latin for the hammer of witches, or hexenhammer in german is the most famous medieval treatise on witches. It describes the operations of witches, remedies against spells, and the judicial proceedings of ecclesiastical and civil courts against witches and heretics. This notorious document was drawn up in 1484 by the church as a handbook for wouldbe inquisitors on how to identify, torture and erradicate paganism from society.
This is a first edition of the malleus maleficarum the witches hammer, the foremost legal and theological handbook on witchcraft and demonology. A witchhunters guidebook, written in 1486 by german dominican monks jakob sprenger and heinrich kramer, and arguably one of the most bloodsoaked and hateful books in history. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Heinrich kramer jacobus sprenger malleus maleficarum. Omnia per carnalem concupiscentiam, quae quia in eis est insatiabilis. Malleus maleficarum first edition montague summers. Mostly a compilation of superstition and folklore, the book was taken very seriously at. Malleus maleficarum, free pdf, ebook, epub global grey. The malleus maleficarum, usually translated as the hammer of witches, is the best known. Malleus maleficarum article about malleus maleficarum by. Translated from latin meaning the hammer of witches this text written in 1486 by heinrich kramer, an inquisitor of the catholic church, is a sort of handbook of the late medieval period defending the. This was not so much for its content but for the fact that, with the advent of printing. Malleus maleficarum was published in 1489, following the issuance of a papal bull by pope innocent viii, summis desiderantes, in 1484. He states that demons can collect semen from one human and transfer it to another.
There is perhaps no historical text more associated in the popular imagination with the horrors of the european witch hunts than the infamous malleus maleficarum, commonly ascribed to the dominicans heinrich kramer institoris and jacob sprenger in fact much evidence points to kramer as the sole author. Malleus maleficarum is an instruction manual for inquisitors of the catholic faith written in 14frozetodeath, in germany. This paperback makes the full translation accessible to the readers as a single volume. Malleus maleficarum, a leading medieval latin work on witches, provides key insights into gender, witches, and punishment. Scholars have debated how much sprenger contributed to the work. The malleus maleficarum heinrich institorisedited by. It was written by two members of the dominican order, johann springer and henrich institoris kraemer. Malleus maleficarum work by kraemer and sprenger britannica. Many more bulls followed by various popes, but none received the attention accorded that of innocent viii in 1484. It endorses extermination of witches and for this purpose develops a detailed legal and theological theory. All witchcraft comes from carnal lust, which is, in women, insatiable. Malleus maleficarum kindle edition by sprenger, james. However, one thing it most certainly has proven to be is controversial.
The malleus maleficarum is a famous theological treatise, written around 1486 and intended to be a kind of handbook for the discovery and destruction of witches in europe. The malleus maleficarum contains a high degree of misogyny, but it presents. Johann sprenger, dean of the university of cologne. At the time this book was published in 1487, the christian church had considered witchcraft a dangerous affront to the faith for many centuries. The malleus maleficarum the witch hammer, first published in 1486, is. This volume offers a unique insight into the fifteenthcentury mind and its sense of sin, punishment, and retribution. Here beginneth auspiciously the first part of this work. It was written in 1486 by heinrich kramer and jacob sprenger, and was first published in germany in 1487 jolly 2002, page 239 it was the culmination of a long medieval tradition of treatises on witchcraft, the most famous being the formicarius. It was written by the discredited catholic clergyman heinrich kramer under his latinized name henricus institoris and first published in the german city of speyer in 1487.
The malleus maleficarum was published in 1487 by heinrich kramer latinized institoris and james sprenger also known as jacob or jakob sprenger. The malleus maleficarum in latin pdf the many printed copies found their way to the libraries of influential ecclesiastical and legal figures who were in the business of policing orthodoxy, for use as part of their work. The following excerpt comes from the most famous manual for witch hunters, the malleus maleficarum hammer of witches written in 1487 by a dominican monk, heinrich kramer 14301505. One of the most hateful and evil books ever written was a diatribe published in 1486 called malleus maleficarum. It was written in 1487 by a dominican inquisitor, heinrich institoris, following his failure to prosecute a number of women for witchcraft, it is in many ways a highly personal document, full of frustration at official complacency in the face of a spiritual threat. Pronunciation of malleus maleficarum with 2 audio pronunciations, 3 meanings, 4 translations, 1 sentence and more for malleus maleficarum. Jan 30, 2010 the malleus maleficarum of kramer and sprenger, orignally published in germany in 1486, has been called many things, from gods own truth, a pack of blatant lies, sexually repressed farce, to an interesting yet ultimately baseless medieval oddity. The malleus maleficarum is one of the bestknown treatises dealing with the problem of what to do with witches. First published around 1486, the bookwith detailed instructions for identifying, trying, torturing and executing witches and. The malleus maleficarum and the witchhunts in early modern europe.
Translation, notes, and two introductions by montague summers. Authorship of the book is credited to two german dominican monks, heinrich kramer and jacob sprenger. Malleus maleficarum, a new version of sator arepo tenet opera rotas, appears seven years after the original game and it contains the new malleus maleficarum expansion. Malleus maleficarum the hammer of witches is the most important witchhunters bible, used by both catholics and protestants. Things really got going in the later medieval period with a fairly comprehensive text called malleus maleficarum. The truth is, although kramer and sprenger were catholic monks, their. Mackay explains the terminology at length sorcerer is used to preserve the relationship of the latin terminology. He even questions whether a witch can be born of such a union. The malleus maleficarum warren county public schools. Whether the belief that there are such beings as witches is so essential a part of the catholic faith that obstinacy to maintain the opposite opinion manifestly savours of. Malleus maleficarum project gutenberg selfpublishing. Whether the belief that there are such beings as witches is so essential a part of. Malleus maleficarum wikipedia, a enciclopedia livre.
When christopher mackay published his twovolume study and bilingual edition of henricus institoris and jacobus sprengers malleus maleficarum in 2006. Then historiography pertaining to gender and witchcraft were analyzed and critiqued. Malleus maleficarum, the medieval witch hunter book. Malleus maleficarum translated by montague summers introduction to the malleus maleficarum introduction to the 1948 version malleus maleficarum part 1 question i. A thesis submitted to the faculty of the university of mississippi in partial fulfillment of. The study which follows examines the problem of the construction of witch craft in fifteenthcentury europe, with particular. It was written by the catholic clergyman heinrich kramer under his latinized name henricus institoris and first published in the german city of speyer in 1486. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading malleus maleficarum. I chose to offer my latex skills to reduce the over 700 page html version down to 431 pages currently. Malleus maleficarum kindle edition by sprenger, james, kramer, heinrich, montague summers. The truth is, although kramer and sprenger were catholic monks, their views were not the views of the church or the. The malleus maleficarum, or witches hammer, has been described as the most sinister book ever written.
First published in 1486, it remained in use for three hundred years and had a tremendous influence in the witch trials in england and on the continent. The malleus maleficarum heinrich kramer, james sprenger. The malleus maleficarum accuses women of sexually consorting with incubi male demons that have sex with sleeping women and the devil a relationship from which children can sometimes result. The malleus maleficarum of kramer and sprenger, orignally published in germany in 1486, has been called many things, from gods own truth, a pack of blatant lies, sexually repressed farce, to an interesting yet ultimately baseless medieval oddity. The malleus maleficarum latin for the hammer of witches, or hexenhammer in german is one of. Malleus maleficarum 1486 part 1 translated by montague summers 1928 this is the best known i. The malleus is a historical document therefore reflects the views of some people at a specific time. As the completion of the translation comes to its culmination, so to will this pdf version. The malleus maleficarum by heinrich kramer goodreads. A plan of the layout of a home where a corrupt archfiend has installed a hightech security system. The pope appointed kramer an inquisitor in 1484, with the mission to eliminate heresy in southern germany. Pronunciation of malleus maleficarum with 1 audio pronunciation, 1 meaning, 4 translations and more for malleus maleficarum.
The malleus maleficarum, first published in 14861487, is the standard medieval text on witchcraft. The malleus maleficarum quotes showing 115 of 15 besides, since impotency in this act is sometimes due to coldness of nature, or some natural defect, it is asked how it is possible to distinguish whether it is due to witchcraft of not. It was written in 1486 by heinrich kramer and jacob sprenger, and was first published in germany in 1487 jolly 2002, page 239. The malleus maleficarum latin for the hammer of witches, or hexenhammer in german is one of the most famous medieval treatises on witches written in 1486 by heinrich kramer and jacob sprenger, and published in germany in 1487 it challenges all arguments against the existence of witchcraft and instructs on identity. Was the malleus maleficarum an accurate reflection of early modern european authorities worldview, or did this treatise represent an extremist view even for the. It is, in effect, a book of instructions for witch hunters and judges on how to recognize witchcraft, how to test a witch, what tortures may and should be applied, what questions to ask, and what answers should be obtained after the torture. The malleus maleficarum and the construction of witchcraft. The malleus maleficarum witch hunters handbook historic.
The malleus maleficarum, a latin book written in 1486 and 1487, is also known as the hammer of witches. The malleus maleficarum of heinrich kramer and james sprenger unabridged online republication of the 1928 edition. Proclaimed to be the great witchhunting manual of the latemedieval and early. Malleus maleficarum the art and popular culture encyclopedia. Kramer moved ruthlessly to do away with witches, who. It served as a guidebook for inquisitors during the inquisition, and was designed to aid them in the identification, prosecution, and dispatching of witches.