Witches as Women
The gendered stereotype of witches as women dates from at least the 15th century. Two influential books helped spread this perception: Formicarius (1475) and Malleus Maleficarum (1486). Johannes Nider’s Formicarius is a crucial early source to portray the typical witch as an uneducated woman. Arguably the most famous, and misogynistic, text ever written on witchcraft is Malleus Maleficarum, which was heavily influenced by Nider’s writing. The author carefully assembled a theologically based rationale to prove that witches were generally female, declaring that witchcraft was “better called the heresy of witches (maleficarum) than of wizards (maleficorum), since the name is taken from the more numerous party.”
Many books on witchcraft reinforced female stereotypes. Women—particularly older ones—were seen as more susceptible to demonic attacks, prone to keeping small animals, and in the case of midwives, likely to possess knowledge that could prevent conception, cause miscarriage, or sicken infants. Some women did believe in spells, or practiced magic or charms, as the manuscript Collection of Prescriptions demonstrates.