How to Spot a Witch: The Origin of Witches, Witch Hunts, and…Demon Sex?
Join Kendyl and Delaney as they explore the origins of witches and witch hunts across early modern Europe when bad weather, curdled milk, or a cranky neighbor could get you accused of serving the devil. We unpack what actually made someone a “witch,” who decided that, and how it all ties back to the social and religious stressors of the time. Plus: Kendyl buys a spell off Etsy (for science) and learns that modern witchcraft… may not come with a money-back guarantee. Sources: Primary / FoundationalThe Bible: Exodus 22:18; Deuteronomy 18:10–12; Leviticus 20:27; 1 Samuel 28 (Witch of Endor). Kramer (Institoris), Heinrich, and Jacob Sprenger. Malleus Maleficarum (1486). Boguet, Henri. Discours des sorciers (Lyon, 1610). Alice Kyteler case (Ireland, 1324) — as summarized in the packet. “Confession of Béatrice” — heretical/diabolic confession excerpts summarized in the packet. Suzanne Gaudry (France, 1652) — trial narrative summarized in the packet. Rebecca Lemp (Germany, 1590s) — coerced confession example summarized in the packet. Secondary / Scholarship & ReferenceBailey, Michael D. “The Meanings of Magic.” In Magic: The Basics, pp. 8–23. Abingdon & New York: Routledge, 2018. Behringer, Wolfgang. “Weather, Hunger and Fear: Origins of the European Witch-Hunts in Climate, Society and Mentality.” German History 13, no. 1 (1995): 1–27. Cole, Lucinda. “Rats, Witches, Miasma, and Early Modern Theories of Contagion.” In Imperfect Creatures: Vermin, Literature, and the Sciences of Life, 1600–1740, 24–48. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2016. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt1gk0873.5 Larsen, Aaron John Henry. “Darkest Forests and Highest Mountains: The Witches’ Sabbath and Landscapes of Fear in Early Modern Demonologies.” European Review of History 31, no. 1 (2023): 157–174. https://doi.org/10.1080/13507486.2023.2230591 Moore, R. I. The Formation of a Persecuting Society: Authority and Deviance in Western Europe, 950–1250. 2nd ed. Oxford: Blackwell. (esp. pp. 94–116 as flagged in notes) Oster, Emily. “Witchcraft, Weather and Economic Growth in Renaissance Europe.” Journal of Economic Perspectives 18, no. 1 (2004): 215–228. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3216882 Winkler, Albert. “Judicial Murder: The Witch-Craze in Germany and Switzerland.” Swiss American Historical Society Review 59, no. 1 (2023). (BYU ScholarsArchive) Berkeley Law — Robbins Collection. Witch Trials in Early Modern Europe and New England (exhibit/overview; legal developments & diabolical witchcraft framing).