Like Hitler’s “Mein Kampf,” Kramer and Sprenger’s “Malleus Maleficarum” is a book that is read for historical importance rather than enjoyment. As such it should form a part of every thinking person's library as a warning beacon, if for no other reason that it is a seminal textbook on the inhumanity of humanity. First written in 1484 (and reprinted endlessly), “Malleus Maleficarum” was immediately given the imprimatur of the Holy See as the most important work on witchcraft, to date. And so it remains—a compendium of fifteenth century paranoia, all the more frightening for its totalitarian modernity. ("Anything that is done for the benefit of the State is Good.") In form, it is a "how to" guide on recognizing, capturing, torturing, and executing witches. In substance, it is a diatribe against women, heretics, independent thinkers, romantic lovers, the sensitive passions, human sexuality, and compassion. In writing the Malleus, Kramer and Sprenger claimed to be doing "God's work" These men, and those who followed them worshiped only their own arrogance. Read it and be afraid! Forming a portion of every working law library for 300 years, there is no estimate of how many women and men were put to death through the mechanism of this book. Some historians estimate that the numbers may run into the millions. The text is rife with "case law" examples of witchcraft, some of which are clearly delusional and some downright silly, or would be, if they hadn't ended in gruesome deaths for the accused. Take the case of the poor woman who was burned for offering the opinion that "it might rain today" shortly before it did. Of note are Kramer and Spenger's assertions that prosecutors are (conveniently) "immune" to witchcraft, and their instructions to Judges to tell the truth to the witch that there will be mercy shown (with the mental reservation that death is a mercy to those prisoner to the devil). Such twisted logic is the cornerstone of the Malleus. The translator, Rev. Montague Summers, waxes rhapsodic on the "learning" and "wisdom" of the authors of the Malleus. He was apparently of a mind with Kramer and Spenger, and wrote two embarrassingly effusive and bigoted introductions (in 1928 and 1946), praising the "brillance" of this work and its importance in this "feministic" era. Summers' commentary is as frightening as anything Kramer and Sprenger wrote in the text proper, the more so for being 20th century, and particularly post-World War Two. Like the Papal Bull of VIII which is now considered integral with the Malleus, future commentators will make much of the statements of Summers, a "modern" man. As a license to kill, the “Malleus Maleficarum” was used too often and far too freely. Kramer and Sprenger’s madness did not die with them—though millions have died because of the madness presented in this book.
Heinrich Kramer also known under the Latinized name Henricus Institoris, was a German churchman and inquisitor. Born in Sélestat, Alsace, he joined the Dominican Order at an early age and while still a young man was appointed Prior of the Dominican house of his native town.
At some date before 1474 he was appointed Inquisitor for the Tyrol, Salzburg, Bohemia and Moravia. His eloquence in the pulpit and tireless activity received recognition at Rome and he was the right-hand man of the Archbishop of Salzburg. By the time of the Bull Summis desiderantes of Pope Innocent VIII in 1484 he was already associated with Jacob Sprenger to make an inquisition for witches and sorcerers. In 1485 he drew up a treatise on witchcraft which was incorporated in the Malleus Maleficarum (literally "The Hammer of Witches").
Kramer failed in his attempt to obtain endorsement for this work from the top theologians of the Inquisition at the Faculty of Cologne, and they condemned the book as recommending unethical and illegal procedures, as well as being inconsistent with Catholic doctrines of demonology.
In 1495 he was summoned to Venice to give public lectures, which were very popular. In 1500 he was empowered to proceed against the Waldensians and Picards.
I’ve cobbled together some thoughts on the Malleus Maleficarum – literally the Hammerer of the Witches - , one of the most infamous texts ever written on the subject of witchcraft. What follows is entirely impressionistic rather than a detailed exposition or a review as such; so please do bear that in mind. Besides, I’m not quite sure that a review of a primary text like this is in any way meaningful.
I’m assuming, though, that most of the people who glance at this article have never actually read this notorious book. So, if there is anything that is not clear, or if you would like to know any more, I will do my best to tackle any questions that you might have.
The book, of course, was originally published in Latin, translated twice into English; first by Montague Summers in 1928, and more recently - and accurately - by P. G. Maxwell-Stuart. The text I am referring to here is the latter, published in paperback by Manchester University Press in 2007.
Anyway, the Malleus first appeared in 1487 under the name of two Dominican inquisitors: Heinrich Kramer, usually known by his Latin name of Institoris, and Jacob Sprenger, though it is generally thought that Kramer was the sole author.
Those of you who know little of the nature of the great European Witch Hunt may be surprised to learn that the Catholic Church was originally highly sceptical about the whole phenomenon of witchcraft, a position reflected in canon law. The Malleus was composed specifically because Kramer had been frustrated by the failure of the prosecution of a group of alleged witches in Innsbruck, a process in which he had been personally involved. The task of his manual - that is how it is best conceived - was both to provide a scholarly defence of the heresy of witchcraft - it is important to understand that is how Kramer conceived the practice - and to provide guidance for inquisitors and legal professionals in the pursuit and prosecution of witches.
I would like to say that the book stands in relation to the Witch Holocaust as The Protocols of the Elders of Zion does to that of the Jews. Yes, I would like to say it but I know, contrary to a more general prejudice, that this is a gross exaggeration; for it was only one of a number of similar texts, and by no means the most popular. It did, however, have a percolating effect, steadily influencing a large section of scholarly opinion on the matter, both before and after the Reformation.
So far as Kramer was concerned witchcraft was a huge diabolic conspiracy against Christendom, a terrorist threat, if you will, with Satan in the role of Osama Bin Laden and the witches as his agents. Witches were not ignorant of the faith, like Muslims. Rather they had chosen the deliberate path of apostasy and heresy, all the more dangerous for this. The diffuse nature of the practice - also like contemporary terrorism - made it a particular and pervasive threat.
The Malleus itself is by no means an original work, rather bringing together in one place a whole series of past opinions and judgements on the nature of malificiendum or harmful magic. Kramer’s unique contribution was to identify this principally with women, for the simple reason that witchcraft for him was a crime founded on carnal lust, and women, in his view, were more susceptible to this than men. For Kramer the most powerful class of witches, whose crimes included the killing and eating of their own children, all practiced “copulation with devils.”
It would be wrong to assume, as often is, that the work is specifically misogynist; it does little more than reflect many of the prejudices of the day. Rather it was the carnal susceptibilities of women, their weakness in the face of temptation, which made them the Achilles Heel of the Faith. Kramer even argues, on the basis of a bogus etymology, that ‘femina’ comes from the root ‘fe’ and ‘minus’, meaning less of faith. It was this that made many females, those who chose the perverse path, to be liable to demonic seduction. In short it was the infidelity of women that could and did, in his mind, lead to perfidia, a betrayal of the Faith. This was not inevitable, but women needed all the help they could get to keep the dangers posed by their carnality under control.
The ideas presented in the Malleus gradually seeped downwards, linking witchcraft with diabolism in the popular mind, thus divorcing the practice from an older and less malign root. In this in made an important contribution to the forms of hysteria that formed such an important part of the psychology of the Burning Times.
So, this is what I would like you to hold in mind: that for Kramer and many of his contemporaries, witchcraft, linked with the Devil, was a malevolent form of supernatural terrorism. This was the essential fuel of the witch-hunt, then and in all subsequent times.
Any rating here, like a rating of a work like Mein Kampf, also seems gratuitously unnecessary, serving almost like a papal imprimatur! I can assure you that I do not approve of the contents of this book. But I will rate it at four stars simply because it’s a work that really should be consulted by those who have any interest at all in witchcraft, past prejudice and a darkly important phase in European history. My rating, however, is more a reflection of the package offered by Maxwell-Stuart. Not only is it a vast improvement on past translations but it comes with a superb introductory essay. I think it only fair to add that if you are looking for something, lurid, dark and racy the Malleus is bound to disappoint. It is crushingly dull! Or is that just witchy prejudice? :-)
مراجعة كتاب (مطرقة الساحرات) لهينريتش كريمر ويعقوب سبرنجر، وترجمة أحمد خالد مصطفى. ------------------------------------------------------------ قبل التطرق للحديث عن ما جاء في كتاب مطرقة الساحرات، هناك بعض النقاط والحقائق التي وددت ذكرها في البداية لربط الأحداث التاريخية ببعضها.
في أوائل القرن الثالث عشر تم تأسيس محاكم من قبل الكنيسة الكاثوليكية لمحاربة الهرطقة واكتشاف مخالفي الكنيسة ومعاقبتهم وذلك في كل أنحاء العالم المسيحي، وتُعرف هذه المحاكم بمحاكم التفتيش، وحينها تم تكليف رجال الدين المسيحي بملاحقة المشتبه بهم.
وفي أواخر القرن الخامس عشر الميلادي تحديدًا عام 1487م، وبموافقة ومباركة الكنيسة الكاثوليكية، تم إصدار كتاب (مطرقة الساحرات) لهينريتش كريمر ويعقوب سبرنجر وهما من رجال الدين الكاثوليك الألمان، معللين سبب صدور الكتاب بمحاربة الهرطقة وأعمال السحر. وبعد صدور كتاب مطرقة الساحرات نشطت محاكم التفتيش في جميع أنحاء أوروبا،حيث أصبح كتاب مطرقة الساحرات بمثابة وثيقة يُعمل بها في كل محاكم أوروبا، وتم استخدامه لملاحقة من يمارسوا أعمال السحر والهرطقة وهذا هو السبب المعلن .. لكن هناك أسباب آخرى وراء صدور هذا الكتاب الشيطاني وهو استخدامه كأداة لقمع وقتل كل من يخالف الكنيسة الكاثوليكية في الرأي، ومن هم على دين آخر غير الدين المسيحي، وخصومهم السياسيين، وكل من يأتي باختراع أو اكتشاف جديد ولم توافق عليه الكنيسة الكاثوليكية .. ومن ثم اقناع الشعوب الأوروبية حينها بأن هؤلاء جميعًا يحاكموا بتهمة السحر والهرطقة كما جاء في هذا الكتاب وليس لأي سبب آخر، فينالوا تعاطف هذه الشعوب وتأيدهم لهذه القرارات والمحاكمات.
وبهذا تم استخدم هذا الكتاب كأداة وذريعة بمحاكم التفتيش لحصد أرواح الآلاف من الأبرياء.
نذكر منها ما حدث عقب سقوط الأندلس عام 1492م، حيث بدأت محاكم التفتيش في التعذيب والقتل، وبدأت معها معاناة أهل الأندلس من المسلمين، فكانت محاكم التفتيش تجبرهم على التنصير وتفرض عليهم ترك الإسلام، ومن يخالف ذلك كان يُحرق حيًا بعد أن يُعذب أشد العذاب .. كما تم أيضًا طرد اليهود من أهل الأندلس الذين رفضوا أن يتحولوا إلى المسيحية، واستمرت هذه المحاكم حتى تم إلغائها سنة 1834م.
وهناك أيضًا ما حدث من محاكمات لبعض العلماء المعاصرين لتلك الفترة، ويكفي أن نذكر منها محاكمة جاليليو لأن نظريته كانت تخالفهم في الرأي حينها.
وغير هؤلاء من الكثيرين الذين قتلوا ظلمًا في هذه المحاكم اللعينة. ----------------------------------------- وبعد أن عرفنا ما السبب الحقيقي لإصدار هذا الكتاب الشيطاني، سننتقل هنا للتعرف أكثر عن الكتاب وبعض ما جاء فيه، وكيف تم استخدامه في تضليل الشعوب الأوروبية ليصدقوا ما جاءوا به. يتكون كتاب مطرقة الساحرات من ثلاثة أجزاء:
- الجزء الأول: عبارة عن أسئلة وأجوبة، لإثبات وجود السحر، وخطورة السحر والسحرة، وأن أغلبية السحرة من النساء، وتحدث أيضًا على قدرات الشيطان، وعن العلاقة بين الساحرات والشيطان .. وأنه من الواجب قتل الساحرات بسبب أعمالهن الخبيثة، كما حث أيضًا المسيحيين المتدينين على مطاردة الساحرات وقتلهم.
- الجزء الثاني: يتنتاول قصص الساحرات وأعمالهن الخبيثة، كعبادة الشيطان وبيع أنفسهن له، وإعاقة القدرة على الإنجاب، والتسبب في قتل الأجنة في الأرحام وقتل الأطفال الصغار، وإثارة العواصف والزوابع، واتلاف المحاصيل الزراعية، والكثير من الجرائم والقدرات الخارقة التي نُسبت إليهن. وكل هذه القصص المسرودة وراءها هدف واحد وهو اقناع عامة الشعب بتفشي السحر والسحرات في البلاد ومن ثم يجب مطاردتهن وقتلهن. كما تناول هذا الجزء أيضًا الحديث عن بعض طرق علاج المسحورين.
- الجزء الثالث(هو الأبشع) : يتناول الإجراءات القانونية التي يجب أن تتخذ ضد الساحرات، بداية من الاشتباه بها، والتبليغ عنها ثم القبض عليها بتهمة ممارسة السحر، ثم عرضها على المحكمة، والبحث في جسدها عن علامات تكشف اتصالها بالشيطان وقيامها بالسحر مثل وحمة أو وشم أو أي علامة أخرى في جسدها. كما يتناول طرق وأساليب التعذيب البشعة التي يجب اتباعها حتى تعترف الساحرة بممارستها للسحر، مثل تقطيع الأطراف وسحق العظام وقطع اللسان و استخدام الكرسي الحديدي المثبت فيه المسامير، والكثير من وسائل وطرق التعذيب البشعة التي ذُكرت في الكتاب مما يندى لها الجبين. كما تحدث أيضًا عن الاختبار الذي يُجرى على المرأة المشتبه بها ليثبت به احدى الأمرين إما ممارستها السحر أو برائتها من التهمة الموجه لها. حيث تأتي وهي مكبله بالأغلال، ثم يتم ربط أثقال بجسدها ثم القائها في النهر، فإن طفت فهي ساحرة وتتعاون مع الشيطان وهو الذي انقذها، وفي هذه الحالة يجب حرقها، وإن غرقت فهي بريئة، و هذا يعني أنها في تلك الحالتين ستموت ولا عجب. كما تحدث هذا الجزء عن الاجراءات التي تتم عند حرق الساحرة، حيث أنهم يقوموا بإشعال النار في حطب مبلل بعض الشيء حتى يكون الاحتراق بطيئًا، ومن ثم ينتظروا حتى يتم احتراق جسد الساحرة بالكامل، حتى تخرج منها الروح الشيطانية التي تسكنها كما يدعون، ثم تترك يومين مصلوبة لتصبح عبرة لمن يعتبر، ثم يتم دفنها بدون مراسيم كنسية. ---------------------------------------- بعد الانتهاء من الحديث عن بعض ما جاء في هذا الكتاب الشيطاني وعن ضحاياه الذين عُذبوا وقُتلوا بأبشع الطرق، تبقى لي الحديث عن ترجمة الكتاب إلى اللغة العربية بعد أكثر من خمس قرون من تاريخ صدوره أول مرة، وهو حقًا عمل شاق جدًا يستحق الشكر والتقدير.
Desde que inicié el libro me pregunto varias cosas. Una de ellas es de qué manera corresponde calificar este libro. ¿Qué califico? ¿La "calidad" del libro? ¿La mentalidad necia de un pueblo ingenuo y crédulo? Por otro lado, ¿lo tomo como ficción, o no ficción? El mismo es contenido histórico porque documenta un suceso muy importante, que es la Inquisición. Pero no se hace desde un punto de vista objetivo, apuntando acontecimientos concretos. Es, en resumidas cuentas, lo que los autores creían que pasaba cuando su pueblo estaba bajo el poder de la brujería.
Y sigo sin tener mucha idea de cómo evaluar el libro, así que supongo que no tendrá una calificación concreta, puesto que no me siento cómoda puntuando cinco estrellas las tremendas atrocidades que son relatadas con naturalidad, cuando lo único que denotan es el nivel de ignorancia que predominaba en las mentes de Kramer, Sprenger y su gente. Aún así, creo que es una fuente primordial para entender qué pasaba en aquél entonces, cuáles fueron las justificaciones con las que se respaldaba la muerte de tantos inocentes. Creo que por ese lado el libro es muy útil, y, aunque cruel, interesante, especialmente para todos los que deseen conocer mejor el mundo de la brujería y el ocultismo.
Desde luego, más allá de tanto salvajismo, también es un libro pesado de momentos. Creo que si bien es una temática atractiva, el hecho de que sea un texto del año 1487 explica un poco que resulte dificultoso leer unas diez páginas y ya empezar a sentir un ligero dolor de cabeza. Pero me alegra haberlo leído, ya que es un tema que capta mi atención siempre.
والله أنا متفهمة أن الكتاب يعتبر وثيقة تاريخية كتبها رجل مريض يعبر فيها عن أفكاره المتطرفة وقدر بسببها يقتل ويعذب كتير من الأبرياء باسم الدين، واستغل الجهل المتفشي في الشعوب الأوروبية وقتها وخوفهم من كل ما هو مختلف وعرفه بالسحر، فأي حد مش عاجبه شخص ما فيلا نقول عليه ساحر أو ساحرة.
أنا بس عاتبة على كل من اعتمد على نصوص وقوانين الكتاب في تنفيذ المحاكمات على السحرة، يابيه لو الكتاب بلغته الأصلية بهذا الملل اقرأه على المتهم وهو هيموت من الزهق قسما بالله.😂
نيجي بقى للأستاذ الدكتور المترجم اللي كتب مقدمة شكر فيها نفسه وقدرته العظيمة على ترجمة الشر الفظيع المريع دا وضحى بنفسه في مقاومة الشر عشان يقدم لنا العمل دا، وكمان خاف على نفسه من الفتنة أننا ننسب العمل الأدبي له - يا سلام على التواضع - وقارن نفسه بالمنفلوطي - أي والله - 😃، أي نعم بدأ المقدمة بعبارة " معظم مقدمات المترجمين سمجة " بس مكنش يعرف أنه هينضم لهم.
هو نسي بس حاجة مهمة أنه يراعي في ترجمته الناس أصحاب العقلية البسيطة زيي كده، ناس كانت منتظرة تتعرف أكتر على الكتاب اللي قابلوا اسمه كتير في كتابات العراب رحمة الله عليه.
This was a very interesting read in my opinion. The Malleus Maleficarum (translated to The Hammer of the Witches) was written by the German Catholic clergyman Heinrich Kramer in 1486. This particular edition was a reprint from the first English translation printed in 1928 by Montague Summers. This became the official manual for witchfinding and dealing with witchcraft in Europe after its original publication. The book is divided into three sections.
Section I discussed the reality of witchcraft from a theological standpoint, the reality of the Devil, and witches making pacts with the devil.
Section II discussed the evils, spells, and how to intervene in witchcraft.
Section III is the official proceedings on trials, torture, obtaining confession, and execution of a witch.
Overall this was a fascinating book but was dense. It wasn't difficult but was redundant and repetitive I felt. From the start I could see the antiquated style and translation throughout the whole text. It took me a little to adjust to the style. I would recommend this to anyone seeing how the witch hunt and Inquisition of Europe took off. Thanks!
The Malleus is often advertized as a "witch hunter's handbook", but it really isn't. It's not about hunting anything. It's not even really about what to do with witches after they're caught. It's really all about the tedious little details of the trial process.
First of all, the introduction is much crazier than the actual book. The translator was a raving lunatic. The first chapters of the actual text make Kramer seem quite a smart fellow, you know, just a victim of the ignorance of his times.
The sensational modern view of the witch hunts is that the inquisitors were some kind of a roaming menace, traveling from village to village molesting and murdering sexy hot teenage girls. The problem with this idea is that almost everyone else believed in witches, too. The burning of witches is a pagan tradition, and the christian church was slow, and reluctant, to take it on. So the inquisition is not the source of the problem, it's a reaction to it.
When Kramer talks about torture, he pretty much just says do it in whatever way you usually do it. He is not the instigator of medieval cruelty, he is just in the middle of it.
As a book, most of the Malleus is very boring legal text and pseudo-philosophical religious ramblings. There are some strikingly disgusting moments of misogyny here and there, but overall, Kramer is pretty logical in his thoughts. Too bad his whole frame of reference is way off. The somewhat decent logic is useless when the premises are based on silly superstitions. I thought it was funny how strongly he believes is astrology. Isn't that a no-no for today's religious?
بصراحة...هذا كتاب ممل ! قد يمتلك هذا الكتاب الغريب قيمة تاريخية, وذلك بسبب كونه ركيزة اساسية تسببت في مقتل الاف السيدات و الرجال بداعي الاشتباه في كونهم سحرة ! هذا كتاب معجون بدماء الاف القتلي, وربما كان منهم الابرياء و المذنبين, ولكن اذا خرجنا بنتيجة نهائية من ذلك الكتاب, فسنجدها = لا شئ .. الكتاب يعتبر وثيقة جيدة لتسجيل و توثيق الافكار المتطرفة دينيا واجتماعياً في فترة كتابته علي يد رجل مجنون, تسبب في نشر تلك الافكار الخرافية بين عامة شعوب اوروبا بأكملها, لتبدأ المحاكم العجيبة و الاتهامات الباطلة بين الناس.. اعيب علي المترجم "احمد خالد مصطفي" عدم توفيقه في اجزاء عديدة من الكتاب, فالترجمة لم تتم صياغتها بأي شكل يساعد القارئ علي الشعور بالراحة اثناء القراءة, بل بالعكس, جاءت اغلب التراكيب معقدة او متناقضة في محتواها اللغوي, بغض النظر عن تناقضها في محتواها الادبي الاصلي من الاساس... .. هذا كتاب لم اسعد بقرائته, ولكني سعدت بكونه لم يعد مجهولاً بالنسبة لي, وهي تجربة سعادتي الاكبر فيها انها انتهت اخيراً بعد ان استنفدت مني فترات قراءة متقطعة يومياً استمرت عبر 12 يوماً بأكملهم ..
This is the most evil text ever written, a title I had previously reserved for Mien Kampf. It's entire inception was evil, everything in the book itself was evil and may the authors of it be punished for all eternity
This book is wild. If you piss off a witch, she will straight up steal your dick!
I was curious about this book after reading yuval Noah Harari’s new book Nexus, which references it and its creation as an example of misinformation in print and the harm it can cause. As you’d expect from a book like this there’s an incredible amount of wild speculation, circular reasoning and great leaps of logic. It cites as proof of witchcraft: cherry picked bits of biblical, canonical and even Ancient Greek writings. Further proof is little more than the testimony or “credible witness” and of course “confessions”
The book goes to great pains to explain the workings of demons, witchcraft and the difference between these and acts performed by magicians. It’s very repetitive,continually bringing up arguments against itself and then refuting them, citing the aforementioned horse shit as evidence. The authors clam to know exactly how the devil thinks and functions, which seems a bit presumptuous. They even go so far as to question why God allows witchcraft to exist if it harms people. If he is omnipotent and allows it, then he is evil, and if he is unable to stop it, then he is not omnipotent. They conclude that it’s neither; god allows witchcraft because he’s given us free will and he enjoys punishing those who are easily lead astray.
As I read through this I developed a theory that may already seem obvious to most readers but I wonder if all the repetition, double talk and logical errors are intentional. Making a book overly long and incomprehensible makes it difficult to refute, much more so in an era when very few were even literate. The way it constantly circles back to the sexual powers female witches hold over men seems like a great way to excuse infidelity or erectile dysfunction. Over and over the book drives home the way that a witch can make a man impotent so he can’t have sex with his wife, then they’ll bewitch him with only a look so he is compelled to have sex with them or a semen stealing succubus. Or in some cases a male witch or demon would take the form of a bishop or man of high importance and seduce a woman. This wasn’t the bishop of course, but a clever demon forgery.
And remember kids: denying the existence of witchcraft as fantasy is heresy and refusing to confess is only further proof of witchery!!!!
وصلت لصفحة ٢٢٢ ومش قادرة أكمل أكتر من كده عمرى ما فتحت كتاب إلا وانهيته مهما كان ممل أو سئ دائما بعاند نفسى فى إنى أوصل النهاية لكن الكتاب ده تحديدا مقدرتش أعاند أكتر من كده فى إنى أستمر فى قراءته
Although I can say the Malleus Maleficarum is an interesting book, I cannot say it is a highly entertaining one. In it, Heinrich Institoris defends the existence of witches, which was subject of debate at the end of the 15th century, when this was published, and also details how they work, how they can be found, and how they can be interrogated, tortured and tried. In this sense, it is mostly a very procedural book, and quite dull.
It does however provide an interesting look at the mind of a religious fanatic from the end of the German Middle Ages. Institoris, which, let's face it, was a probably a raving lunatic, portrayed witches as members of an insidious conspiration to destroy Christian faith, whose very survival was affected by their enduring work. If you look over the fact that this document actively promotes the burning of innocents under pretenses of "protecting the Church", it's wild claims can be quite hilarious. The best parts of the work are the copious examples Institoris provides of the works of witches, such as the nun that was possessed by a lettuce, the many men who had their penis vanish (there's entire chapters dedicated to these "poor souls"), or the man who, after seeing his penis gone, was instructed by a witch to climb up a tree and retrieve a new one from a nest full of penises*.
The influence that is attributed to this treatise is much discussed - some say its influence is wildly exaggerated. But regardless of whether or not Institoris has as much blood on his hands as some would believe, this horrid little book interests because it provides a little peek into the worst parts of human nature: the ones that would make you believe that persecution, torture, and murder are in fact justifiable and necessary acts in defense of a better world.
* He was, according to Institoris, not allowed to choose the largest one, as apparently that was the parishioner's penis. I- I don't even know anymore.
Such a quotable book tbh. So glad this was preserved for posterity. It's essentially some priest nattering on about how women like cats and sex too much, and how they steal men's dicks and pride and dignity and how to deal with them in court. It's very funny.
"There is no doubt that certain witches can do marvellous things with regard to male organs" (I'm sure they can. *Wiggles eyebrows suggestively*)
A priest, talking about how a man's ex-girlfriend stole his penis: "I saw nothing on the young man's removing his clothes and showing the place. Then, using the wisest counsel I could, I asked whether he suspected anyone of having so bewitched him. And the young man said that he did suspect someone, but that she was absent and living in Worms. Then I said: ‘I advise you to go to her as soon as possible and try your utmost to soften her with gentle words and promises’; and he did so. For he came back after a few days and thanked me, saying that he was whole and had recovered everything. And I believed his words, but again proved them by the evidence of my eyes.”
(I don't think he actually needed to strip him the second time; I'm sure the guy knew when he got his dick back. Catholic priests, man.)
"All witchcraft comes from carnal lust, which is in women insatiable."
"But the devils cannot interfere with the stars." (This sounds like something that would get tossed around Tumblr and Facebook. Some mashup of "Don't let the bastards grind you down" and "We're all in the gutter looking up at the stars")
"When the member is in no way stirred, and can never perform the act of coition, this is a sign of frigidity of nature; but when it is stirred and becomes erect, but yet cannot perform, it is a sign of witchcraft.” (Viagra?)
Anyway, that was a weird read. Dry at parts, but worth it for the chuckles in between.
В общественото съзнание битува убеждението, че Светата Инквизиция е била най-големият преследвач на вещици в средновековието. Всъщност, Инквизицията се е занимавала главно с евреите в Испания и като цяло е имала доста ограничена дейност -както териториално, така и времево. Само хайпа й е голям, дето се вика.
За сметка на това, вещици са горени из останалите части на Европа със завиден ентусиазъм, както от самоназначени селски и градски съвети, така и от пътуващи ловци на вещици, които срещу скромна такса намират и изобличават слугите на Лукавия.
Въпросът е, дали всички тия хора наистина са вярвали във вещици или са използвали масовата истерия, за да се разправят с неудобните за тях?
В условията на социални медии и "кенсъл"-истерията, тоя въпрос като че ли сам се отговаря - всъщност и двете. Голямата част от хората не ги интересува особено, стига те да не са изгорените.
Всичко се движи от малка част фанатици, които не точно вярват фанатично в божието си предназначение, а по-скоро фанатично им се иска да са на страната на доброто и да се чувстват могъщи и праведни. Толкова много им се иска, че това подсилва вярата им и ги кара с пяна на уста да клеймят тия, които им се противопоставят.
Ако се върнем сега на Malleus Maleficarum, известният учебник по лов на вещици, въпреки лошата му слава, очевидно някои от тия ловци са се опитвали да вкарат малко здрав разум в цялата работа, да провеждат справедлив съдебен процес и да търсят доказателства (и двете, според критериите на периода, разбира се, тъпо е да ги съдим според сегашните правила).
Uff if there is a book about superstitions, brutality and misogyny is the Malleus Malleficarum. The authors were master minds of persecution, torture and murders. Innocent women and men perished by thousands in hands of fanatics and bloody ruthless leaders of the Catholic Church in Europe and America in the past centuries.
Its 335 pages are full of hate, darkness and sectarianism which is very characteristic of the Church.
The victims have fallen one by one like my Ancestors in the most brutal and terrorist genocide in the Andean world in hands of Spanish and Vatican empires. Ignorance and dogmatism is mother of several human atrocities.
5* for it's historical significance. Definitely the most misoginystic and ludicrous text I've ever read. According to a 15th century guide to detecting witchcraft, witches were capable of making penises vanish—and some even kept them in nests and fed them oats.:-D They were also killing new born babies and using their body fat so they can fly on broomsticks.
I don't know should I laugh or should I cry knowing that a thousands of innocents were tortured and killed because of this damn book! - and amazingly,in it's day,it was second most popular after the Bible. A must read for everyone,not only history lovers. And women especially.
كتاب مطرقة الساحرات للكاتب هنريتش كريمر ،وترجمة د احمد خالد مصطفى الكتاب 391 صفحة
في البداية ينفي المترجم عن نفسه شبهة تأليف هذا الكتاب وأكد على أنه فقط المترجم، لما في الكتاب من ممارسات بشعة ضد ما يطلق عليهم بالساحرات. ويعد الكتاب هي المحاولة الأولى عربيا لترجمة هذا الكتاب الذي ترجم بالفعل للعديد من اللغات، الكاتب الأصلي قسيس ألماني الجنسية ( لست أدري لما عندما يذكر التعذيب ،يذكر الألمان)؟ صدر الكتاب في أواخر القرن الخامس عشر ،ومن الواضح أن تلك الفترة كانت مليئة بالسحر والشعوذة، مما استدعى كتابة مثل هذا الكتاب. يقول المترجم أن سبب كتابة هذا الكتاب سيدة اعترضت هنريتش في إحدى خطبه ووقفت في وجهه ،فنعتها بالساحرة وقام بالإبلاغ عنها، ولكنه لم يستطع اثبات إدعاءه عليها، مما أسفر عن خروجها من السجن، فانعكف على كتابة هذا الكتاب الذي بسببه ،أريقت دماء سيدات ورجال باسم السحر وباسم الكنيسة. ولكن من الملاحظ أن التركيز في الكتاب كان على النساء، باعتبار أن الشق الأعظم من السحرة كانوا نساء، لماذا النساء ؟! (هذا ما سنعرفه من خلال وجهة نظر الكاتب في الإقتباسات المرفقة) وقدأصبح هذا الكتاب حجة لمحاكم التفتيش فى هذه الحقبة وما بعدها وأصبح الذريعة التي بها يمكن لأي شخص التخلص من أعداؤه بحجة السحر والهرطقة ، لقد كان السحر وقتها تهمة من لا تهمة له. لقد تم استغلال الكتاب وما كتب به أبشع استغلال، وباسم الكنيسة والدين وبالإستشهاد ببعض الآيات من الكتب السماوية والإنجيل ، أُصدر قرار الإعدام على الآلاف آن ذاك.
مقسم الكتاب إلى ثلاث فصول يتحدث الفصل الأول:
باستفاضة عن تعريف ما هو السحر والقائمين به وما هم قادرين عليه من التفريق والإيذاء البدني وتحالفهم م الشيطان وأخذ العهود بينهم . وأيضا شرح مستفيض عن لماذا النساء هم الأكثر بين القائمين بالسحر!
والفصل الثاني: يحدثنا فيه الكاتب عن الطرق التي يلجأ إليها الساحرات ،أثناء اتفاقهم مع الشيطان لاكتساب قدراتهم، مثل قتل الأطفال حديثي الولادة وطحن عظامهم وما يشبهها من طقوس، ويتحدث ايضا عن بعض الحكايات التي قام بالتحقيق فيها أو سمعها من إحدى القرى أو المقاطعات، التي تظهر فيها قوة السحر والسحرة. مثل حالات التلبس أو القدرة على الإيهام، أو السحر بالمنع من الإنجاب،وهكذا....
أما الفصل لثالث: يعد الأبشع لأنه يصف طرقةالتعذيب الواجب اتباعها في حال لم تعترف الساحرة بجرمها ،من استخدام الحديد الساخن ووضع أطرافها فيه،. طرق الأخذ بالشهادة ،والطرق والأساليب المتبعة لإجبارهم على الاعتراف حتى تنتهي بالحرق.
** لقد سمعت عن هذا الكتاب كثيرا، ولكني حقا أصبت بالإحباط عند قراءته، ربما لأن الزمن تغير ولم يعد الكتاب يعطي نفس التأثير عن وقت صدوره؟! أم لأن أغلب الإستشهادات المذكورة با��كتاب من الأناجيل وحكايات القديسين،مبهمة وغير معروفة لي؟ اعترف اني قرأته كأني استمع إلى حكايات جدتي، بل وأجدني متلبسة بالإبتسام عن قراءة الحكايات المتعلقة بالسحر ،كأني مع إحدي حكايا المكتبة الخضراء، مع علمي أن السحر والسحرة موجودين . كل الأمور التي أغلق عليهم فهمها فسروها بالسحر؟ المرأة التي تجهض، هي إمرأة مسحورة! الرجل الذي لا يستطيع الانجاب مسحور ولكم أن تتخيلوا ......
تحامل الكاتب على السحرة والنساء ينضح في كل سطر؟! كأن هناك ثأرا ً قديما يينهما ؟! حتى وإن كانوا كذلك ،هل يستحق الأمر الحرق؟
ولكن هذا لا يمنع شعوري بالألم عندما اتذكر كم الدماء الذي أريقت بسبب هذا الكتاب، وعلي يد من؟! رجال الدين!
في النهاية سعيدة بإضافة ذلك الكتاب لمكتبتي. الإقتباسات: على لسان المترجم: * لقد ترجمت هذا الكتاب لأنني أريد أن أبين كيف تُغسل عقول البشر..وكيف تُشَنع خصومك السياسين وتجعل الشعب كله يكرههم ويصفق لك عندما تقتلهم وتسجنهم...ولكل عصر أدواته التي تُغسل بها عقول أصحابه.
إقتباسات من الكتاب :
* ماهي المرأة غير أنها عدو للصداقة، وعقاب لا مهرب منه، وشر ضروري، وإغواء طبيعي، ومصيبةمرغوبة، وخطرمُحَلّى، وضرر لذيذ، شريرة في طبيعتها، ملونة بألوان زاهية.
* ويحب أن نلاحظ أن هناك خللا في تكوين المرأة الأولى، حيث أنه تم خلقها من ضلع أعوج ،الذي هو ضلع من الصدر، وهو معوج وكأنه في إتجاه معاكس للرجل،وحيث أن هذا الخلل موجود فيها، فهي حيوان غير مكتمل؟!!!.
* بشعة هي جرائم الساحرات حتى أنها تتجاوز خطايا ملائكة الشر الساقطة.
* وهكذا يسحب السحر الواحد، عدداً لا يعد ولا يحصى من الأسحار في قطاره.
* اذا كان بإمكاني أن أحصل على غفران لخطاياي
* إن صرامة القانون تكون تبعا لمزاج ممثليه.
* على القاضي أن يستعين بمساعدة الصالحين الذين لديهم حماس لإقناعها بالإعتراف بالحقيقة طوعا، وإذا لم تفعل فيجب أن يأمر الجنود بأن يربطوها بحبال ويضعونها على أجهزة التعذيب،ويجب أن يطيعوا على الفور ولكن ليس بفرح! ،بل يظهروا لها أنهم ليسوا سعداء بمهمتهم.
* ويمكن للقاضي أن يعدها بأن تعيش إذا اعترفت،ولكن يعفي نفسه بعدها من مهمة تنفيذ الحكم ،ويأتي بقاض آخر مكانه يحكم عليها بالموت؟!
الحمد لله إني ما اشترتش الكتاب ده اصلي او مضروب كنت كسبته هدية من عصير الكتب وإلا كان زماني بلطم بقباقيب خشب من الملل ما استحملتش بدلته من بياع كتب عالرصيف ودفعت فرق وجبت رواية لذيذة بحبها والحمد لله صفقة معتبرة
An immensely disturbing read for more reasons that I can't explain in a remotely brief sense. (It is a litany of horror blaming women for basically everything wrong in society since the "first ancestors," Adam and Eve; Eve, of course, also being the origin of the first sin and fall). Mackay's translation is excellent, and the extensive footnotes explaining context, content, and source materials were invaluable in trying to make sense of this text.
This is a history the church has been struggling with well before this book's initial publication in the late 15th century: the Church's mysogynistic view of women and their general 'naughtiness' in the church's sight as the originators of the first sin, their 'conniving natures,' 'means of inflaming and inciting passions of one against another,' 'wickedness and gossip,' and generally ever manner of wickedness in society; meticulously documented from the great thinkers of the early church like Thomas Aquinas, St. Augustine, St. Jerome, a variety of popes, and innumerable citations from the Bible. The modern church may like to view the 'nastier' history of the church, like biblical slavery, biblical genocide, the crusades, the inquisition, and witch hunts as a relatively brief period of poor judgement, but in reality, the kind of thinking that allowed this book to be written and promulgated for four hundred years well over 14 centuries of patriarchy and misogyny to back it up.
This (the treatment/condition of women) is something the church has yet to come to grips with. Most laity are either unaware or unopposed, and most people of the cloth are content with the current system of patriarchy and to let sleeping dogs lie.
The Malleus is a historical document and therefore reflects the views of some people at a specific time.
According to The Da Vinci Code, The Catholic Inquisition published "The Malleus Maleficarum" instructing the clergy how to locate, torture, and destroy ‘the freethinking women'. The truth is, although Kramer and Sprenger were Catholic monks, their views were not the views of the Church or the University. However, there is evidence that Kramer was expelled by the local Bishop during a witch trial in 1485 for his unprofessional conduct and this rejection was the reason for writing the Malleus, to try to gain recognition from Rome for his crazy theories.
Kramer and Sprenger's ideas were not widely accepted even during their time. They just somehow triumphed in feeding on the beliefs and fears of the medieval people, twisting and turning them into believing what Kramer and Sprenger believed.
Here’s one of the most ludicrous things I found here: According to the Malleus, men could lose their penises through magical attacks by witches. There are stories here of men claiming that their genitals had disappeared. Witches were said to store the removed genitals in birds' nests or in boxes, where "the penises move like living members and eat oats and corn".