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ChapterI
TheauthorsofMalleusmalecarumassertedthatallwitchcraftderivedfromcar-
nallust,whichinwomenwasinsatiable.Typicalfemaleoccupations,likecooking,
healingandmidwifery,wereoftenassociatedwithwitchcraft.
Theaverageageofa“witch”wasoverfifty(Levack1991,p.152).Sexual
anxieties,hostilityandaccusationsofwitchcraftfocusedonoldwomen.Aneld-
erlywoman,especiallyawidow,wasautomaticallysuspect,becauseitwasas-
sumedthatbeingfemale,thuslibidinous,andnothavingasexualpartner,she
wasSatan’sidealprey.Also,somepsychologicaldisorderslinkedwitholdage
mayhavebeenperceivedascausedbytherelationshipwiththedevil.Concur-
rently,itwasbelievedthatcongresswiththedevilallowedthewitchestocause
draughts,floodsandothercalamities
Ecclesiasticallawmadeadifferencebetweenthepossessed,whowereun-
willinglycontrolledbyanevilspirit,andthewitchesofeithersex,whosubmit-
tedtothedeviloutoftheirownwill,togainhishelpincommittingcertaindeeds.
Thefirst,perceivedasthehaplessvictimsofsatanicevil,weretreatedwithbe-
nevolence,andsometimesevengrantedameasureofprotection.Thelatter,who
deniedGodbytheirdealingswithSatan,weretreatedwithanincreasinghostil-
ity,andfinallybegantobepersecuted,triedandpunished.
Inapatriarchalsociety,awomannotcontrolledbyafatherorhusbandwas
asourceofanxietyandfear.Itispossiblethatvillagersandburghersaccused
widowsandoldmaidsofwitchcraftmainlybecausetheywereaged,feeble,poor,
andbecausetheirsocio-economicstatuswaslowduetotheirunmarriedstateand
theylackedthesupportofafamily.Theyweredefencelessscapegoatstoblame
forallthesocialevil.Thepercentageofwitchestriedforcommoncrimes,e.g.
theft,wassmall.Usually,thetrialsconcernedsuchaccusationsasnotattending
Mass,violatingSundayrest,utteringprofanities,fornication,prostitution,abor-
tion,adultery,andthemostserious:offencesagainstGod’slaw.Malleus
maleficarumwasthecurseofthousandsunfortunatewomenwhoduringtorture
confessedtohavingcongresswiththedevil.Thefanaticismoftorturersandtheir
hystericalvictimsreachedtheheightsofabsurdityandcruelty,andthevoiceof
compassionwassilenced(Leśniak1998,p.168).
Thewitchhuntstoppedinthe18thcentury.InPoland,aparliamentaryconsti-
tutionof1776abolishedtheuseoftortureandcapitalpunishmentintrialsfor
witchcraft.Yeteveninthe19thcenturysometrialsforwitchcrafttookplace:in
Ceynówin1836,inDziurkówin1872,inCracowaslateas1879(Bilikiewicz,
Gallus1962;Kracik,Rożek,1986).Evenintheyear1926inavillagenearWar-
sawanangrymobwantedtolynchasupposedwitchaccusedofbringingserious
illnessuponherneighbour.Fortunately,thosewerethelastmanifestationsofthis
appallingphenomenon(Baschwitz1963,pp.431-432).