4. Who Invented Witches?

What if witches weren’t discovered at all... but invented?  For centuries, Europeans feared magic, demons and heretics. But somewhere along the way, those separate fears were stitched together into something new: the witch, a servant of the Devil and member of a secret conspiracy threatening Christian society. Jon Briggs is joined by historian Robin Briggs and demonology expert Dr Jan Machielsen to uncover how that extraordinary idea took shape, why medieval scholars were summoning demons of their own, what “God’s hunting dogs” had to do with it, and whether anyone actually believed the notorious Malleus Maleficarum. Send us Fan Mail If you've enjoyed this episode - please follow, subscribe and comment so that we can continue creating more historical highlights. A Showstealers Ltd Production