Written in 1486 by the Dominican inquisitor Heinrich Kramer (and traditionally attributed to Jacob Sprenger), the Malleus is a systematic guide to identifying, prosecuting, and exterminating witches. Mackay’s translation reveals the book’s meticulous three-part structure:
Malleus maleficarum | Literature and Writing | Research Starters The Hammer of Witches: A Complete Translation o...
For centuries, few books have cast as long or as dark a shadow as the Malleus Maleficarum . Often called The Hammer of Witches , this 15th-century treatise served as the grim blueprint for one of history's most terrifying eras: the Great Witch Craze. While older translations like Montague Summers' 1928 version are famous, they are often criticized as uncritical or ahistorical. Written in 1486 by the Dominican inquisitor Heinrich