Recently I've started a satirical series on this book where Henricus Institoris gives a series of lectures to people rather giving away his underlying motivations
This man had never witnessed childbirth in his life.
I couldn't take him seriously when his main objective was to slut shame 🤣
I wonder what he thinks happened when midwives were taken out of the picture and replaced by doctors who didn't wash their hands? I mean, if we want to support his theory, they did a lot more work in that demonic department than the midwives.
I don't have the data, but I'm sure more women and babies died as a result 🙃 hence Louis XV commissioning midwives to get back into the birthing room and sort out France's infant mortality rates.
That’s a great fact about Louis XV, I didn’t know that! It is quite funny that Kramer was such a creep he even made a bunch of medieval men in positions of power think ‘this guy has a problem with women…’
Thank you for reading this so I don’t have to. I have read about the Salem Witch Trials, but they pale in comparison to this. Now, I’m going to look at cute dog pics to clear that out of my head.
I'm not sure that misogyny isn't anachronistic here. Women as evil, sinful, lustful temptresses is a cornerstone of Christianity. Not restricted to Christianity either. It was accepted fact, still is in many quarters.
Witches are a ancient universal architype that occurs in all cultures representing the potential destructive power of psychological manipulation, language and elder women. In Greek mythology you had Hecate. Even in eastern mythologies you get "Onibaba" And this stuff still goes on in Africa.
Christian rationality and humanism of the enlightenment as well as the development of modern logic was what ended the conceptual power of witches and that association. You can deduce witches out of existence.
This guy sounds like he was an incel of his time, and instead of picking up a hobby he decided to write a book about how to kill witches.
Maybe his mum just didn't hug him enough?
Great read, as always!
Poor mums always get the blame! Haha thanks.
There's a podcast called "Don't Blame the Mum" (or something similar, and it might be "mom") all about that.
I dipped into a version of this heinous book at one point years ago; I’d forgotten about it until you wrote this creepy and excellent piece.
Thanks Karl! Yes it wasn’t a particularly fun experience…
It's my thesis that The Lord of the Rings is a misogynistic book precisely because there are NO witches in it.
What about Eowin? She's not a witch but could do thing no man could. Namely, kill the Witch King
I've never really stopped to think what 'Witch King' means as a title. I'm sure there is plenty of lore to explain...
Probably, but I can't recall it. Been a while since I read the books TBH
Me too, but I remember loving Éowyn!
But there IS a dynasty of ancient female spider gods so….
Yes, Shelob is the closest thing there is - and the reputation of Galadriel in The Hobbit before we meet her, iirc
Recently I've started a satirical series on this book where Henricus Institoris gives a series of lectures to people rather giving away his underlying motivations
https://open.substack.com/pub/thestrangenesskit/p/confessions-of-a-holy-man-with-inquisi?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=2uhhe8
Love this!
Thanks Rebekah I hope you enjoy it as it goes on...
Hateful incels have always been with us. Sigh. Excellent review!
Thanks, Molly! They don't change, do they?
This man had never witnessed childbirth in his life.
I couldn't take him seriously when his main objective was to slut shame 🤣
I wonder what he thinks happened when midwives were taken out of the picture and replaced by doctors who didn't wash their hands? I mean, if we want to support his theory, they did a lot more work in that demonic department than the midwives.
I don't have the data, but I'm sure more women and babies died as a result 🙃 hence Louis XV commissioning midwives to get back into the birthing room and sort out France's infant mortality rates.
That’s a great fact about Louis XV, I didn’t know that! It is quite funny that Kramer was such a creep he even made a bunch of medieval men in positions of power think ‘this guy has a problem with women…’
Thank you for reading this so I don’t have to. I have read about the Salem Witch Trials, but they pale in comparison to this. Now, I’m going to look at cute dog pics to clear that out of my head.
This one was heavy! Dog pictures have magical properties though, they cure most sorrows
I'm not sure that misogyny isn't anachronistic here. Women as evil, sinful, lustful temptresses is a cornerstone of Christianity. Not restricted to Christianity either. It was accepted fact, still is in many quarters.
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the association between witchcraft and women thrived under Christianity.
Witches are a ancient universal architype that occurs in all cultures representing the potential destructive power of psychological manipulation, language and elder women. In Greek mythology you had Hecate. Even in eastern mythologies you get "Onibaba" And this stuff still goes on in Africa.
Christian rationality and humanism of the enlightenment as well as the development of modern logic was what ended the conceptual power of witches and that association. You can deduce witches out of existence.