The Hammer of Witches: A Complete Translation of the Malleus Maleficarum

by Heinrich Kramer, Jacob Sprenger, Christopher S. Mackay (Translator)

The Malleus Maleficarum, first published in 1486–7, 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.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Religion, Witches, Classics, Occult, Horror

664 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1485

About the author

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.

He died in Bohemia in 1505.

Reviews

[Nate · Rating 2 out of 5]

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!!!!

[David]

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.

[Edward Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Malleus Maleficarum by Henricus Institoris is a deeply involved historical read about the hunting of witches, demons, and those who have made dark pacts with creatures that live on the outside of the bowers of mankind's land. When reading it, you can almost feel the animosity and seething hatred that people had (or still have) for all things that they don't understand and want to believe that this is a fantasy story but alas it is a religious textbook used to slaughter, steal, and raze the life and livelihood of thousands of people over the centuries.

The book meanders around what the author believes are the correct rites and scripts to bless, drive out, and censure witches and other undesirables but mostly serves as a tool to lean on when your faith is put into question. "Does she look like a witch? No, kill her anyway as you may be under her spell..." Sadly, I am not kidding.

Yes, it belongs on my horror shelf if I am to be 100% honest.

[Gordon]

Insanity and hysteria are what come to mind as one reads this historical document on witchcraft written by two friars, Heinrich Kramer and Jacob Sprenger (though his contribution is questionable), in the 1400s. The basic premise is that witches are real, witchcraft is real and demons are real. People who do not believe that those concepts actually exist are heretical or support witchcraft. Anyone convicted of witchcraft (usually females) can be tortured in order to gain admittance of crimes and the victims are often times put to death. In and among this nonsense is more nonsense: witches can change into animals (p. 100), sacrifice unbaptized babies (p.120) and mate with incubi. Mind you, I'm barely into the text itself as Christopher S. Mackay provides a very thorough and enlightening introduction. This fictional conspiracy reminds me a lot of Alex Jones, whose world view I can't even begin to comprehend and his own imagination scares himself. Unfortunately, Kramer and Sprenger's imagination ended the lives of about 60,000 people (https://www.nationalgeographic.com.au...). Lastly, almost a hundred years after this was published, King James came out with his own book on witchcraft: The Demonology of King James I: Includes the Original Text of Daemonologie and News from Scotland.

[ouliana · Rating 2 out of 5]

couldn't stop giggling at how narrow-minded men are

[Sarah (ninjanudel) · Rating 5 out of 5]

best real medieval source you can read in autumn

[Eitan]

Read about half (most of parts 1 and 2)

[Radu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although about two thirds of the book is just judicial procedure for inquisitors dealing with people accused of heresy and witchcraft, as well as the secular authorities under whose jurisdiction they were permitted to operate under, the rest of the book deals specifically with how to identify witches and separate them from people (typically women) with a bad reputation, for one reason or another.

The one thing I found particularly interesting, more than anything else, is a part in the book which explains the reasoning at the time why so many women were accused of witchcraft. Simply put, women never do anything in half measures. The greatest of saints and the worst of sinners are women, according to this particular segment, which is both in line with traditional Catholic teaching and is surprisingly complimentary at the same time.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of those texts that's difficult to rate. You're probably not going to pick this up looking for a fun, enjoyable read. You're more likely going to look at this for school, for research, or because you're a history nerd like me who just likes to get really in depth into random topics. So if you want to read a historical text about the history of witchcraft/witch trials then this could be very interesting to you. Though for myself it was a slightly repetitive and very slow read.

I did have a slight qualm about the introduction, however. MacKay seems to pose the question on whether or not the Malleus Maleficarum can be classified as a misogynistic text. And let me just answer that for him super quickly and with as few words as possible: Yes it fucking is.

[Andreas Risager · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christopher Mackays edition, translation and framework for Malleus Maleficarum is the ideal way to read and experience this book - both for academics and people wanting to get into the historical sources for witchhunting.

Of course, what this book is arguing for is totaly beyond accepting or discussing, but it still serves as a window into the middel ages witchcraze.

Beware that you'll need more than just this book to understand how witchhunts worked and where excecuted. MM where also criticized during it's original printet, both by layman and the chruch, so remeber to be critical of the infomation while reading.

[Peter Ivey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Regardless of what one believes about witches or the pursuit of the supernatural, this book fascinates just by the fact that it exists as a historical precis on a controversial subject from its time in history. While the peculiarities formed by a meeting of an analytical mind and a puritanical system of belief are sometimes hard to understand, it is very detailed. It is a fantastic resource for anyone writing about that period in our history, and would be a good primer for anyone wanting to find a starting place for fiction concerning witches.

[Belladonna Fotheringham · Rating 5 out of 5]

The horrifying true account and 'torture manual' of the inquisition during the Western European witch craze.

[Hayley · Rating 4 out of 5]

The interesting but disturbing historical book on witches during the witch hunt craze. It is a manual on how to identify witches and torture methods to get them to 'confess'.

[Nikki Brownson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing. Well written. Found facts throughout the book unbelievably disturbing at times. Will read again.

[Hallee]

Read for university history course

[5uccubi · Rating 3 out of 5]

dude hated women so much he made fanfiction about demons and witches just so he had reason to kill them 🤡

[monke · Rating 1 out of 5]

lame virgin loser

[Liam · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't know how to rate it because it's very interesting from an historical point of view but gosh...Men would blame women for every little they do (or don't) .