Remy reportedly hunted down and put to death 900 people. A much smaller text, the information in this book is drawn from the personal experiences of its author, Nicholas Remy.
Daemonolatreiae libri tres english manual#
The 1595 book Daemonolatreiae libri tres, or simply “Demonalotry” in translation, became the standard manual for witch-hunters after its publication. Over time the Malleus Maleficarum was replaced by a newer tome of witch lore.
Due to the invention of the printing press, the book was able to spread across Europe and incite panic and witch hunting fervor.ĭaemonolatreiae libri tres by Nicolas Remy, published in Cologne, 1596, 03-49062, General Collection, John J.
This inherently sexist approach to the topic of magic is perhaps a major contributing factor of our modern conception of the witch as female and, consequently, the prosecution of countless innocent women. Further, he claims that witches are far more likely to be women than men, as women are far more susceptible to demonic temptations in their weakness, and that these women are responsible for infanticides, cannibalism, and the theft of the genitals of unsuspecting men. He also attempts, by the laying out of this information, to prove to doubters that witches do indeed exist. Within it, its author Heinrich Kramer attempts to lay out his general knowledge of witches, their practices, and how best to combat them. In 1487, the Malleus Maleficarum (which translates to “Hammer of the Witches”), which would soon become a staple reference text for witch hunters, was published. Malleus Maleficarum by Heinrich Kramer, published in Lyon, 1614, BF 1569. Evidence of what may have sparked these witch hunts can be traced through careful examination of some of the books in the Burns Library’s collections. Countless women were put on trial and burned for supposed witchcraft, leading one to wonder what would cause such a phenomenon to occur. In pre-1750 Europe, these witch hunts were formal, structured legal ordeals. Consequently, they were hunted down by the righteous, in order to protect the innocent. Historically, witches have been seen as real forces at work in the world around us.
But these things were not always the light-hearted frivolities that they are today.
Daemonolatreiae libri tres english full#
Skeletons, ghosts, tombstones, and especially witches, are on full display wherever one looks. On the left, Malleus Maleficarum and on the right Daemonolatreiae libri tres.Īs Halloween approaches, all of the typical iconography of the season steadily fills the windows and lawns of individuals across the country. Two of the most influential books for secular witch-hunting courts in 16th – 17th CE Europe are in the Burns Library’s Collections.