THE HAMMER OF WITCHES The Malleus Maleficarum, first published in 1486, 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 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. is Professor in the Department of History and Classics at the University of Alberta. He is the author of, among many books and articles, Ancient Rome: A Military and Political History (Cambridge University Press, 2005).
THE HAMMER OF WITCHES A Complete Translation of the Malleus Maleficarum CHRISTOPHER S. MACKAY
cambridge university press Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo, Delhi, Dubai, Tokyo Cambridge University Press The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge cb2 8ru, UK Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York Information on this title: /9780521747875 C 2006, 2009 This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published 2009 Reprinted 2010 Printed in the United Kingdom at the University Press, Cambridge A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication data Mackay, Christopher S., 1962 The hammer of witches : a complete translation of the Malleus maleficarum /. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. isbn 978-0-521-74787-5 (pbk.) 1. Institoris, Heinrich, 1430 1505. Malleus maleficarum. 2. Witchcraft Early works to 1800. 3. Demonology Early works to 1800. 4. Criminal procedure (Canon law) Early works to 1800. i. Institoris, Heinrich, 1430 1505. Malleus maleficarum. ii. Title. bf1569.m33 2009 133.4 dc22 2009001093 isbn 978-0-521-74787-5 hardback Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of urls for external or third-party Internet websites referred to in this publication, and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.
Kelliae meae Coniugi atque adiutrici optimae
Contents Maps page viii Introduction 1 Authors 2 Purpose of the work 6 Composition and publication of the work 7 Outline of the work 12 Sources 16 Disputed questions 17 Intellectual context 19 Role of women in sorcery 25 Historical background 27 Overall assessment of the Malleus 31 Suggestions for further reading 39 Notes on the translation 42 (a) Method of making references to the text 42 (b) Sources not from canon law 42 (c) Citations of canon law 52 (d) Outlining of the disputed questions 55 (e) Remarks on certain words in the translation 56 (f) Difficulties with grammatical gender 58 the hammer of witches (malleus maleficarum) 59 vii
N Map 1 Lüttich (Liège) Aachen Cologne HESSE Marburg Rhine Main Moselle Tachov Metz Lausanne Geneva SEE DETAIL Boltigen Berne Lake Constance Einsiedeln Nuremberg Meuse Lendelbrunn Schlettstadt Basel Strasburg Freiburg Rohrbach Wiesenthal Bormio/ Wormserbad Augsburg Freising Landshut Füssen Innsbruck Trent Regensburg Isar Danube Inn Lech Ill Lindau Saône Brixen Simmen SAVOY Como Etsch 0 50 100 150 200 250 km 0 50 100 150 miles Adriatic Sea Rhône 50 N 48 N 46 N 4 E 4 E 86 E E 10 E 12 E 14 E 10 E 12 E 14 E Southern Germany and surrounding areas 50 N 48 N 46 N
Map 2 0 20 40 60 80 100 km 0 20 40 60 miles Nuremberg Rohrbach N Landau Wiesenthal Lendelbrunn Rhine Reichshofen Hagenau Zaberne Strasburg Schlettstadt Kinzheim Rappolsweiler (Ribeauville) Königsheim (Königsburg?) Lech Basel Breisach Freiburg Waldshut Weingarten Ravensburg Lake Constance Augsburg Danube Mindelheim Ill Bühl Gübweiler Thann Eningen S T Oberweiler Rötenbach Fürstenberg Hohenzollern Castle S W A B I A Constance Rhine Lindau Eisenberg B L A C K F O R E 49 N 48 N 9 E 1 0 E 1 1 E Füssen 7 E 9 8 E E 10 E 11 E Southern Germany 49 N 48 N