Throughout the medieval times, fears about witchcraft and the devil rose exponentially as the church became weary of magic. This is apparent in the writings of many theologians of the time, including William of Malmesbury; who, in his story “The Witch of Berkley”, writes of the events surrounding the death of a witch and her relationship with the devil. Through his retelling of these events, it becomes clear that William perceives not only that witchcraft and the devil are real, but that there is distinct a connection between the two.
It can be assumed that William of Malmesbury believed witchcraft to be real as he explains that he trusts the man who claimed to have witnessed the events foretold in the story. As for how he views witchcraft, he describes the Witch of Berkeley as “addicted to witchcraft”, “excessively gluttonous, perfectly lascivious”, and as “setting no bounds to her debaucheries”. This connects his idea of witchcraft to sin, suggesting that William did not have a pleasant view of witches. This also distances
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This suggests that the woman herself knew that she was consulting with the devil or some other demonic spirit, but also thought that she needed protection from them. This aligns with Kieckhefer’s definition of demonic magic which “invokes evil spirits” and was “religion that turned away from God and towards demons for help”. The need for protection is also expressed in the lengthy list of acts she feels are necessary to save her body from the devil, which her children try their best to follow, though their actions are not enough to protect her. William blames this on the woman’s guilt and the “devil’s violence”, drawing yet another distinction between the