XIII Международная студенческая научная конференция Студенческий научный форум - 2021

Аннотация: В статье рассказывается о периоде охоты на ведьм, который затронул Европу в период 15-18 веков. В работе выделены причины данного явления, а также подробности деятельности инквизиции. Особоевниманиеуделяетсяметодикамразоблаченияведьм.

Abstract: The article tells about the period of Witch hunt, which affected Europe during the period of the 15-18th centuries. The paper distinguishes the causes of this phenoimenon, as well as details of the activity of the Inquisition. Particular attention is given to the methods of witches’ exposure.

Ключевыеслова: the Middle Ages, Witch hunt, Hammer of Witches, the Inquisition, stigma, sorcerer, witchcraft, hoax.

Keywords: Средние века, Охота на ведьм, Молот ведьм, Инквизиция, клеймо, колдун, колдовство, мистификация.

In the Middle Ages almost everyone didn't consider witchcraft as something unusual. On the contrary, these forces were understood as natural for the surrounding world. People believed that life was full of magic and supernatural creatures living in forests and seas. People were sure that spells and magic could radically change life, both in good and in bad directions. However, everything had changed by the end of the 15th century, when witchcraft began to be perceived as something dangerous, and fear arose in the hearts of people [3].

With the adoption of Christianity, the attitude towards sorceresses began to change gradually, since only those things which came from God could be good and kind. However, the Middle Ages weren’t characterized by persecution and extermination of such people. The real witch hunt began only at the end of the 15th century and ended in the XVII century [3]. The official date of the beginning of the hunt was 1484, when Pope Innocent VIII adopted the bull "Desiring with supreme ardor." From that moment the existence of magic was officially recognized, although until then it was considered that otherworldly forces were nothing more than a hoax [4]. 

It's unknown why the persecution of people and their following execution has become widespread. Many historians believe that other misfortunes that hit medieval Europe are more responsible for this. In time of starvation, plague, wars, a severe change in climate and crop failures people needed to find the one who was responsible for all these events, and innocent people got in the way. Personal hostility towards a person could also play a sufficient role, because in that time it was clearly known that accepting a person for a witch in most cases meant only one thing – death [3].

Already in 1486, the inquisitors Heinrich Institoris and Jacob Sprenger published the work named "Hexenhammer" or "Hammer of Witches". The book consisted of three parts. The first one told about the three components of witchcraft: the Devil, the sorcerer, and God's will. The second part described the ways of making witchcraft and how to get rid of it. In the third part the very process of punishing the heresy by the court and the possibility of its eradication was determined [1]. In a short time this book became the main guide for the Inquisition. In addition to this, various works by religious fanatics of all European countries were written.

According to public beliefs, a witch (or a sorcerer) was considered a person on whose body "the stigma of the Devil" – a sign of making a deal with Satan – was found. Almost anything could be taken as a mark: a mole, a scar, a wart, a birthmark and so on. However, in some cases it could be invisible to the eye. It was believed that this place was insensitive to pain, so the suspected person could be searched for such signs without any confusion. Usually, needles or an awl were used for it, and if the wound didn't start to bleed, a person was presented with an announcement for the connection with witchcraft [2]. Of course, this method of recognizing witches wasn't the only one. A person could be locked up in a room, and if at the end of the term of imprisonment people found a living creature (usually an insect) on the spot, they would take it as Satan's henchman that was sent to help the sorcerer, and the person was found guilty [8]. People were ready for anything to stop the tortures, and often the innocents confessed to what they hadn't done [2].

Women were mostly blamed, as it was believed that they weren't able to resist the temptation of the Devil. According to the statement, the word “woman” (femina) was derived from "fides" [faith] and "minus" [small] [1]. Basically, there were two types of women. The first ones were old women with faded eyes. They simply looked like a classic, folklore image of a witch. Others were independent middle-aged widows belonging to the middle class. They were accused because of the sharp language of independent women. 

One of the most famous witch hunters was Matthew Hopkins. He began his career in 1645 by arguing that seven women in Essex had tried to kill him by conjuring the devil in the form of a bear. After that Hopkins voluntarily agreed to eradicate the evil, and in order to win over people and convince them of his rightness, he publicly presented "The List of Devil” – the list of all the witches and sorcerers in England, compiled and encrypted by Satan (it's likely that the list was compiled by Hopkins himself). Wanting to earn money, he traveled to many areas, punishing sorcerers at the same time. Usually his victims were poor people that were unable to pay off the accusation [8]. Tortures were banned in England, but the hunter knew how to gain a confession without it. The victims were not allowed to sleep, brought to a half-mad state, they were starved and beaten. A particularly favorite Hopkins' way of testing was the water test. The suspect was bound hand and footand thrown into the water. If a person was drowning then it meant that he was innocent. If he came up then it meant that he was a witch that must be hanged [7]. In his short life (27 years) Matthew not only killed many people, but also shared his rich experience in his book "The Discovery of Witches" [6]. 

Fortunately, soon the activities of Hopkins came up to the end. Authorities condemned his methods for excessive cruelty, and he had to withdraw into the shadows. There are several versions of the development of his future life. Someone believes that he was accused of witchcraft in 1647 and hanged. Others believe that he managed to escape to New England [8]. In any case, his further fate remains a mystery to this day.

Great Britain was the first country in which the criminal punishment for witchcraft was canceled. It happened in 1735. According to researchers' data, the number of victims around the world killed during the hunt was 40-50 thousand people. England managed to get off quite easily: about 1000 victims were recorded (approximately 200 of them were for a full due of Matthew Hopkins) [5].

Of course, the Witch hunt was the darkest and the most horrifying period in the history of all Europe. In the modern world the phrase “witch-hunt” has become a phraseological unit. It means the persecution of those who think or act “wrongly”.

Список используемой литературы:

1. Генрих Крамер, Якоб Шпренгер– “Молот ведьм”, 1486 [Электронный ресурс], – https://royallib.com/get/fb2/institoris_genrih/molot_vedm.zip

2. Witches in Britainby Ellen Castelow [Электронныйресурс], – https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/Witches-in-Britain/

3. Почему в эпоху Возрождения в Европе начали охоту на ведьм, 2019 [Электронный ресурс], – https://zen.yandex.ru/media/nauka/pochemu-v-epohu-vozrojdeniia-v-evrope-nachali-ohotu-na-vedm-5db19d5fe6e8ef00b18f50fa?utm_source=serp

4. Охота на ведьм или век инквизиции, 2017 [Электронный ресурс], – https://onhistory.ru/srednevekove/pozdnee-srednevekove/209-ohota-na-vedm-ili-kak-raspoznat-koldovstvo-instrukciya-k-primeneniyu.html

5. Охота на ведьм [Электронный ресурс], – https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Охота_на_ведьм

6. Хопкинс, Мэтью [Электронный ресурс], – https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Хопкинс,_Мэтью

7. Мэтью Хопкинс — главный охотник на ведьм [Электронный ресурс], – https://public.wikireading.ru/2695

8. Поиск ведьм: жестокая охота Мэтью Хопкинса [Электронный ресурс], – https://history-thema.com/poisk-vedm-zhestokaya-ohota-metyu-hopkinsa/