'Wine vat witches suffocate children'. The mythical complex of the Iberian witch

Abstract

The emergence of diabolical witchcraft in the Iberian Peninsula has received little historiographical attention, partly due to the lack of records from the 15th century. After a research into the rich Catalan archives, new material has come to light. This material allows us to assess the development of the witch-hunts in the Pyrenean area from its surprisingly early mentions around 1420 to the systematic persecutions during Early Modern times. In this article, we carry out an analysis of the mythical components of the Iberian witch figure, originally formulated in the Catalan area and later adopted in the northern kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula.