The word “witchcraft” conjures up many ideas and thoughts in one’s mind. Magic, spells, brews, and riding brooms through the night sky – a few of the thoughts common to many. In reality, the idea of witchcraft goes back to ancient times and documentation exists as to the tumultuous time it plays in history. Witch hunts, fear, terror and torture all played a part in history and reflect man’s knowledge and beliefs about evil and superstition. Witchcraft occurred in many parts of Europe over several centuries causing fear and death in the wake of primitive beliefs. Inquisitors rallied to the cause following the publication of The Malleus Maleficarum. The question of weather or not witch craft really existed sets up some interesting inquiry. “Since most of our information about witchcraft comes from confessions that were made under torture, we cannot be sure how reliable it is” (Bishop 146). Today, in the twenty-first century, many of the activities and situations labeled as witchcraft in medieval times lend themselves to scientific explanation. During the Middle Ages, convictions of witchcraft required little validity; inquisitors carried out convictions according to The Malleus Maleficarum and therefore millions of people,

The Malleus Maleficarum documents the legal procedure that the inquisitor is to follow when trying a witch. First, while assembling the tools for torture, the jailer strips the prisoner. The stripping occurs because of the possibility that some type of witchcraft concealed its self in the clothing. Following this, the prisoner finds himself or herself under pressure to confess freely. If the prisoner chooses not to confess, the jailers torture her attempting to cause her to confess. If the prisoners choose not to confess at this point, the inquisitor establishes a future date where the torture will continue, but the future torture must employ new tactics. While waiting for this future date, guards will constantly watch over the prisoner for fear that the Devil will visit and tempt the accused to commit suicide (Burr 3). Jailers, or attendants, deliberately con the victim into believing that upon confessing they will spare the prisoners life, when in all reality death awaits her irregardless her choice (Hallsall 6). In actuality, the accused finds oneself in a no win situation, as the punishment will involve continual imprisonment and a constant diet of nothing but bread and water, along with the possibility that after a time, death will come by fire at the stake (6).

Thousands of people (primarily women) we