Stored in NC State Libraries Special Collections is a 1598 copy of “De La Démonomanie Des Sorciers,” or “On the Demon Mania of Witches,” by French political philosopher Jean Bodin, a manual for identifying and prosecuting witches during the European witch hunts.

Virginia Ferris, lead librarian for outreach and engagement for Special Collections, said the book is “pretty brutal” in its approach to witchcraft. 

“It went beyond the ordinary rules of prosecution, encouraging very violent treatment of suspects beyond what other crimes would have applied,” Ferris said.   

The small, pocket-sized volume contains over 600 pages detailing methods for identifying, trying and punishing suspected witches. Ferris said its portability and popularity made it a potent tool during the witch hunts of the late 16th and early 17th centuries.

“The fact that it was very popular, that lots of people wanted a copy of this book, and then it could be carried in their pocket anywhere they went, is pretty chilling to me,” Ferris said.

Jane Davidson, a history of art professor at the University of Nevada, Reno and author of “Early Modern Supernatural: The Dark Side of European Culture, 1400-1700,” said the book’s vilifying stance is introduced in its title — it insinuates a form of obsession with the devil. 

“That’s a sort of derogatory statement to say that witches are obsessed with the devil,” Davidson said.

Eric MacPhail, a French and Italian adjunct professor at Indiana University and co-editor of a modern critical edition of Bodin’s text, said the persecution of individuals during this time was spread by individual beliefs based on religious ideas about the devil and relationships with him.

“The witchcraft craze is based partly on human credulity,” MacPhail said. “ … People were willing to believe that if something unusual happened, it must have happened because of some kind of collaboration between witches and the devil.”

Davidson said the book’s use was not isolated to one religious sect as many may believe due to the contentious relationship between Catholic and Protestant groups during the period. 

“There’s no such thing in the 16th century as a protestant idea of witchcraft versus a Catholic idea of witchcraft,” Davidson said. “It’s the same set of facts.”

MacPhail said although Bodin was a prolific philosopher who defined the term “political sovereignty,” he had a strange obsession with witchcraft and the occult.

“Bodin was somewhat unusual in insisting on the literal truths of everything, that witches really do fly around and they really do all the things they’re accused of,” MacPhail said. “He comes across as a sort of fool in his book because of the way he makes that extreme argument.”

The book’s content reflects the societal prejudices of its time, particularly targeting marginalized women. Ferris said many of its targets were women, especially those who were childless or divorced — women who didn’t fit into the expected familial structure at the time.

MacPhail echoed this observation.

“The victims were almost uniquely old women living on the margins of society who were accused of witchcraft and punished for it,” MacPhail said.

The popularity and acceptance of the ideas presented in Bodin’s work was due in part to the author’s social standing and the influential nature of his writing. Davidson said his writing was so well known, much of it was taken as true. 

The book draws on components from the scientific method, a procedure developed for studying the universe using empirical evidence. 

“For people, it’s reality, it’s the truth and it’s science,” Davidson said. 

The book’s presence in NC State’s collection is somewhat of a mystery. Ferris said it was discovered in the general stacks and moved to Special Collections in the early 2000s.

“We don’t know who gave it to us, who donated it to us,” Ferris said.

Despite its disturbing content and mysterious origins, Ferris said the book remains a valuable learning tool. Classes in French literature, medieval literature and history routinely access it.

“Having the physical copy just puts it into a different context and makes the impact stronger and more real for students,” Ferris said.

With the last trials for accused witches having occurred in the late 1800s, the notorious texts implemented to carry them out became important tools to identify and prevent persecution in the present. 

“I think it’s a part of our culture, it’s a part of our history,” Davidson said.