Malleus Maleficarum, or The Hammer of Witches, is the most famous manual on witch-hunts. First published in Speyer in 1486, it was widely used in both Protestant and Catholic regions during the witch trials from the late 15th to 18th centuries. Contrary to popular belief, mass witch hunts began only in the Renaissance and Early Modern Period, not the Middle Ages, with the Malleus playing a key role in their rise.

At its peak, the Malleus was Europe's second-best-selling book after the Bible. It was the first major work to consolidate various theories on witches into a single framework and to disseminate it widely. The book synthesizes theological ideas, presents contemporary examples of witchcraft, and outlines methods for dealing with witches. Though not entirely original -- Johannes Nider's Formicarius contained similar ideas -- the Malleus was the most influential synthesis of folklore and Catholic doctrine. Although the Malleus rapid dissemination was probably aided by the newly invented printing press, its rapid spread is also testament to the fear and hate witches inspired across different social strata in Renaissance society.

The book is divided into three main parts:

The first part attempts to prove the existence of witches by drawing on the Bible, Church Fathers, ancient scholars, and folk beliefs.

The second part provides an overview of witchcraft based on the author's observations and accounts from "reputable sources." Unlike Formicarius, it introduces the concept of the witches' sabbath in conjunction with the diabolical pact, themes that would soon after become the cornerstones of European witch trials.
The third and most controversial part details how to identify and prosecute witches. The Malleus insisted that witches were a dire threat to society and that secular authorities therefore needed to fully commit to their eradication. The text also advocated for torture and harsh methods of interrogation. In the view of the Malleus, witches were not merely human but vessels of the devil. Note, however, that Kramer and Sprenger did not invent the idea of the diabolical witch out of thin air: Certainly, their book describes the theological foundations for their beliefs in witches, but it also -- a fact often overlooked -- traces the contours of a terrifying folkloric witch that the common folk of their time truly feared.

The main section of this new edition of the Malleus Maleficarum is a reprint of Montague Summers' famous 1928 translation. The book also includes a new introductory foreword and an updated list of references by anthropologist Nikolas Arhem. The new expansive introductory foreword helps contextualize the Malleus Maleficarum in light of more recent witchcraft and witch-hunt research. This volume is illustrated with woodcut illustrations from the 15th-18th century, notably a number of woodcut images from Olaus Magnus' Historia de Gentibus Septentrionalibus.

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• History

• Publication Date: January 27, 2026
• Text-to-Speech: Disabled
• Lending: Disabled
• Print Length: 821 Pages
• File Size: 60 KB