Male witches in early modern Europe

Contended Bodies

“…53 Due to this uncontrolled body, male witches were theoretically castrated and frequently referred to as "blind one" and in possession of "a heavy stench." 54 As moods and sensory domains were also categorically organized within this framework, sight was the highest sense and so associated with men and scent being hierarchically lower was associated with women. 55 This language drew heavily upon female qualifiers which emphasized weakness and produced a semantic feminization paralleling his social decline.…”

Witches, potions, and metabolites: an overview from a medicinal perspective

“…These persecutions were attributed to a complexity of issues including gender, politics, and religion. [1][2][3][4] Beliefs in witchcraft and magic were always part of the popular imagination, even before the episodes involving witch hunts from the late Middle Ages. 5 Prior to 1350, witchcraft was seen as a way of controlling nature in favour of the person's own interest.…”

“…These persecutions were attributed to a complexity of issues including gender, politics, and religion. 1–4…”