Malleus Maleficarum

Hammer of Witches

The Hammer of Witches, known as the Malleus Maleficarum in Latin, is perhaps the most important (and infamous) treatise on witchcraft in the history of the Catholic Church. Penned in 1486, the Malleus Maleficarum challenges those who would deny the existence of witchcraft and offers authorities, both civil and religious, the tools necessary to expose, condemn, and ultimately defeat it.

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The most unbelievable perspective

It took a while to settle in, and certainly I debated at times to put the book down entirely, but once I accepted this merely was the law of the land at the time of the book's writing, the evil power the church wielded to burn heretics, apostates and of course witches became understandable, which surprised me. The sexism, dehumanizing demonization and lack of understanding in this book is wildly beyond anything that could be written and published today.

However, if you romanticize the history of the church and seek esoteric knowledge thereof, this is a must read. The entire western folklore of witches was basically invented in this book, through the lense of inquisitors. Rest in peace, the many who were burned in the inquisition and witch trials.