The male witch in Poland? Men before the Kleczew’s town court
The male witch in Poland? Men before the Kleczew's town court

Summary/Abstract: The article focuses on the phenomenon of men accused of witchcraft before Polish courts, with particular attention to the region of Kleczew in the eastern part of Greater Poland – one of the principal centers of witch hunting in early modern Poland. I demonstrate that men accused of witchcraft were typically not associated with female witches, and – contrary to some prevailing theories – the figure of the male witch did not appear exclusively during large-scale witch trials or periods of widespread panic. Rather, men also appeared as defendants in small- and medium-sized trials. Once accused, the male witch was imagined to possess the same attributes and capacities as his female counterpart. Like women, men were believed to be capable of inflicting harm, spreading illness, and undermining the health and well-being of others. I argue that the only consistent distinction between male and female witches in early modern Poland lay in their respective narratives regarding sexual intercourse with the devil – an element often imposed by the demonological discourse. While both genders were subject to this narrative framework, the way it was articulated and negotiated by male and female suspects followed gendered patterns shaped by broader cultural expectations.

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