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Homicideandaggressioninthehistoryofmankind
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adviceonefficaciousmethodsoftorture,butalsotheideologicalfoundationsfor
witchhunting.
Intheatmosphereofthegeneralcrisisofthefeudalsystem,concurrentwith
adetrimentalclimaticchangeandtheresultingdecreaseofcropyields,fol-
lowedbyanepidemicsofbubonicplagueandseveralbrutalwars,afemale
witchwastheperfectscapegoattobeblamedforallthemisery.Variousargu-
mentswereusedtoexplainwhyblackmagicwasthedomainofwomen.For
instance,theetymologicalevidencewasthatthewordfemina(woman)isde-
rivedfromfe(fides–faith)andminus(asmalleramount),soitindicates
acreatureoflesserfaith.Thisviewpermittedtheprosecutorstoaffirmwith
fullconvictionthataworldfreeoffemaleevil,nottomentionofwomenthem-
selves,wouldbefreefrommanyadanger.ThepracticalsectionofMalleus
maleficarummentionssevensinstypicallycommittedorinstigatedbythedev-
il’saccomplice:fornicationandadultery;causingimpotence;castrationand
sterilization;sodomyandhomosexuality;contraception;abortion;infanticide.
Itisquiteobviousthatalltheserefer,directlyorindirectly,tothesphereof
sexuality,whichwassafeguardedbymanyregulationsofboththesecularand
ecclesiasticlaw.Fromthepointofviewofthecontemporarylegalsystem,
thoseactionsinequalmeasureconstitutedmalaperseandmalaprohibita.
Thus,eradicationoffolkmethodsofbirthcontrolandtransformationofcom-
monattitudestosexualityandprocreationwereobviouslytheoverallaimof
thewholeprocedure.
Awitchwasnotonlyapractitionerofdestructivemagic(ascontraception
andabortionwerereckonedasmaleficium),butalsoapersonwhoconvoked
with,andsoinasenseworshipped,thedevil.Hence,magicalpracticeswerealso
amanifestationofSatanism.Twoissuesofwhichthewitcheswereaccused,
magicandSatanism,wereverycloselyconnected,sinceitwasgenerallybe-
lievedthatawitchgainedherpowerduetoapactwiththedevil.Fromthelast
yearsofthe15thcenturyonward,heresyandapostasyofthewitchesbegantobe
perceivedasanew,particularlydestructiveformofheresy.Thewitches’Satanist
practicesweretreatedmoreseriouslythantheirsupposedinjuriousmagicalprac-
tices.Manylawyersbegantoperceivethepactwiththedevilastheessenceof
witchcraft,whereasmanytheologiansassertedthatdabblinginblackmagicwas
acrimeofexclusivelyspiritualnature.
Theexactidentitiesofpeopletriedforwitchcraftarerarelyknown,butastere-
otypical“witch”–thepersonguiltyofthemostheinouscrimeofthosetimes–was
nearlyalwaysawoman;75-90%ofthosetriedforwitchcraftwerewomen(Levack
1991,p.146).Itwassignificantthatwomenweregenerallyconsideredtobemor-
allyweakerthanmen,andthereforemorewillingtoyieldtoSatan’stemptation.