In 1485, a woman named Helena Scheuberin stood trial accused of witchcraft in the city of Innsbruck. She found herself in the middle of a witch hunt led by Heinrich Kramer, a 15th-Centrury inquisitor.
Heinrich Kramer was a Catholic clergyman on a mission to investigate witchcraft and bring witches to justice. Pope Innocent VIII released a papal bull that recognized the existence of witches which had previously been debated. This granted Kramer the authority to persecute witches where he had once been denied in Germany. Kramer had an obsession with witchcraft, especially amongst women.
Scheuberin likely was not a witch, but she was an outspoken woman who publicly challenged Kramer's authority and beliefs. She refused to attend his sermons, encouraged others to do so as well. She swore at him publicly, saying, "Fie on you, you bad monk, may the falling evil take you" and even accused him of heresy for his excessive focus on witchcraft. Her confrontations enraged Kramer. These events lead to her arrest, along with thirteen others.
The charges against her included witchcraft, murder, and disrupting Kramer's authority. Her trial was a high-profile event and overseen by Georg Golser, the Bishop of Brixen. Heinrich Kramer led the prosecution as the Inquisitor and fixated on Scheuberin’s perceived immorality. He focused his interrogation on her sexuality, perhaps as a way to discredit her and build his case. Some believe he also may have used her trial to promote his theories about the dangers of women and witchcraft.
The Bishop was uncomfortable with Kramer’s line of questioning and eventually the trial was suspended. In letters that were exchanged between the Bishop and Kramer, there was a growing tension between the two of them. This lead to Kramer's expulsion for his obsession with Scheuberin and questionable methods. The trials in Innsbruck were suspended, and Kramer eventually complied with the Bishops orders to leave Innsbruck.
Enraged and humiliated, Kramer retreated to Cologne where he wrote the Malleus Maleficarum, a treatise for witchcraft and witch hunts that would disproportionately impact women leading to accusations, trials, and executions.

The Malleus is usually translated as the Hammer of Witches. It was a guide published in 1487 that outlined in detail the nature of witches and how to identify them. Kramer is said to have wrote the book with his co-author Jacob Sprenger, though Sprenger's involvement is debated. Kramer gave the impression that the Malleus had official backing of the Catholic Church, but it was never endorsed and drew heavily from popular beliefs and folklore about witchcraft, particularly those that focused on the supposed evil nature of women.
The Malleus was a mirror of Kramer’s personal fears and biases about women. It stated that women were more likely to become witches due to their gullibility, perceived weakness, and vulnerability to temptation. Kramer asserted that women were governed by evil spirits and prone to indulge in, "the worst possible vices."
The Malleus was highly influential despite not being universally accepted by theologians at the University of Cologne. They criticized the book for recommending unethical and illegal procedures and for being inconsistent with Catholic doctrines of demonology. Despite lacking official Church sanction, The Malleus was rapidly adopted by both Protestant and Catholic authorities. The book's influence went beyond religious institutions, providing justification for the persecution of women who deviated from acceptable behavior and societal norms.
Kramer's obsession with female sexuality is a major theme in the book. He was infatuated with the idea that women's “carnal lust” made them susceptible to demonic influence. This connection of female sexuality with evil and demonic forces could suggest an attempt to regulate and demonize women's bodies and desires.
The guide warns that midwives are especially dangerous and most susceptible to witchcraft more than any other group of women, stating they "surpass all others in wickedness". This vilification of women who held traditional knowledge and power related to childbirth may possibly be an effort to undermine their influence and authority.
Kramer frequently mentions women using evil arts, spells, and charms to cause illness or misfortune. He describes these practices as demonic, linking them to women’s supposed jealousy or desire for revenge. Kramer was particularly concerned with women using their medical knowledge to harm men's sexual potency or inflict sterility on other women.
The Malleus Maleficarum had a lasting impact, contributing to centuries of persecution and violence against those accused of witchcraft. While the witch hunts are over, I believe that their legacy is still relevant as a reminder of the dangers of prejudice, unchecked power, and the use of fear to silence or control others.
One of the many reasons I love to draw magical women and witches is because to me they symbolize defiance and rebellion. They are a rejection of societies expectations of how a woman should act and behave.
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