There be witches here.

well, not really , but there are pictures and descriptions of some rather nasty torture devices in this post, which you may not like to see, Dear Reader.  Also, there are some descriptions of said medieval torture that you may not like, so proceed with caution!

Folks, it goes without saying that kids should not read this.  Thanks!

Whether the Belief that there are such Beings as Witches is so Essential a Part of the Catholic Faith that Obstinacy to maintain the Opposite Opinion manifestly savours of Heresy.

Chapter 1 Malleus Malicarum,  https://www.sacred-texts.com/pag/m

In order to understand the medieval belief (absolute), one has to read or at least be familiar with the “Malleus Maleficarum,” or the “Witches Hammer.”  Written in the fourteenth century, by a couple of German monks, it is to quote Tom Hanks in the movie, possibly the most blood soaked book in human history. 

This book not only outlines the medieval obsession with religion, it underscores the belief of these people in the unseen world. Consider, if you will, a world in which there is no question as to the existence of good and evil, where God is almost a living force, interacting with humans on a daily basis.  Rational inquiry is limited to the questions surrounding faith. Now think of a place where evil exists on a similar plane—a mirror of the other—through the looking glass, where all is backward and upside down. 

We live in a world of pragmatists, not spiritualists. Unlike the ancient Romans, we don’t think an eagle flying signifies the fate of the empire. We rather rely on the seen. On the tangible. Our world has three dimensions, and nothing else. We today don’t believe in the fae—or do we?  😉

But in the medieval era, things were different. The natural world had a language, and the power to instill both fear and joy. People believed this was the world created by one God, for one purpose:  for mankind to use. Emphasis on the word USE, dear reader. Evil was also real. People then defined the universe as caught in an eternal struggle between the forces and good and evil—and women were considered to be the most susceptible to the malevolent forces and manipulations of that bitter struggle. 

But in the middle ages, life was defined by such a stark struggle. So it was within this context that witches and demons and fairies suddenly became real. Because women were viewed as the weaker and therefore more susceptible species, women were more likely than men to be accused of witchcraft. However Men women children dogs cats cows goats we’re all accused of demonic possession at one point. Women were not the only victims here. I know that some historians have tried to make this into a feminist crusade, but it simply isn’t the case whole families were wiped out in these medieval witch hunts. 

Having said that, we begin to understand that this was a human tragedy. People were accused of being witches mostly for being different, therefore not conforming to the accepted standard of…whatever. 

OK, so you’re accused of witchcraft what happens next well you go to jail church jail not civil jail. And while you’re there you are subjected to a number of wild torture sessions. Torture in the middle ages was chiefly meant to demean demoralize and destroy a human being. And it was extremely successful at doing so. I’m going to show you some of the torture devices now so that you can appreciate how dreadful, and I do mean dreadful these devices were in terms of what they could do to the to a human body.

May I present to you the breast ripper:

...and the Judas Cradle:

Owie.  He won't need any Ex-Lax, that's for sure....

Water was also used:

With questioning methods like these, who needs the internet?  

As you might imagine, when questioned, the victims (accused) would talk and talk, saying anything to make the pain stop--they would say anything about anyone in order to stop the torture of authorities working for the Catholic Church.  Imagine being put into a Judas Cradle, and someone is asking you to name anyone else as a witch.  I mean, what would you do?  

You'd name anyone you could think of--hell, you'd name Mickey Mouse rather than sit in that uncomfortable chair.

And yet, this is how the church authorities got the names of others, which in time, led to a so-called "witch hunt."  This pattern was repeated countless times during the medieval period, reaching its' height during the high middle ages, and again during the Reformation, where Protestants persecuted as many suspected witches as the Inquisition.  Perhaps even more.  Unfortunately, we will never know exact numbers.  It is true, however, that women numbered among the highest category of victims,  Although, as I've already stated,  whole families were destroyed. 

Hell, whole villages were almost wiped out. The accusers could be anyone, even children. Check this out:

In the next post, we’ll discuss Salem.  I trust that subject needs no introduction!!