Dangerous Books - Editions of the Malleus Maleficarum with Mythos Lore

In his work, H.P. Lovecraft never quoted the Malleus Maleficarum, the infamous Witch Hunters Manual. He probably considered the book of no practical use in the Mythos Universe. A staunch materialist like Lovecraft would never validate religious beliefs and practices that he had see as an anachronistic nonsense of a dark time. Therefore, the things described by the authors of the Der Hexenhammer would be no more than mere superstition and ignorance.

However, one of the central ideas in the Mythos universe is that in their inability to understand the alien nature of these creatures of cosmic power, some would interpret them in the light of known beliefs. Such beings could be pictured in mythologies, particular belief systems, and religions, often as demons to be avoided, feared, and fought against.

It seems perfectly reasonable to assume that an important book such as the Malleus Maleficarum had received attention not only from witch hunters, but from people who dealt with the threat of Cthulhu's Mythos. It is likely that in this context there were apocryphal works from the original treatise written by Kramer and Sprenger, books that would address specific aspects of an even more pernicious evil than Witchcraft and Black Magic.

The core book of Call of Cthulhu RPG briefly mentions this abominable tome, but this can be considered the simple version of the book found in bookstores, libraries, or even on the Internet. Horrible as it may be, readers don't suffers sanity loss when flipping through your pages.

However, when the words of witch hunters mingle with ancient mythos lore, things change.

The following are some misleading versions of Malleus Maleficarum that refer to Mythos and can be interpreted as books of profane Knowledge, if not in full, at least in part.

For practical purposes, I used the statistics stats from the Cthulhu 7th Call books and tomes.

MALLEUS MALEFICAR
in German and Latin, author unknown, c. 1499

Sanity Loss: 1D4
Myhos de Cthulhu: +2/ +4 percentiles
Mythos Rating: 6
Study: 3 weeks
Suggested Spells: Contact Deity Nyarlathotep (in the form of the Black Man)

One of the first revisionist adaptations of the original manuscript, this unique volume has about 180 additional pages. The title was changed to "Malleus Maleficar" probably as part of the revision or maybe a grammar error.

The binding is from the late fifteenth century, a typical work of German printers in the city of Speyer in central Germany.

Additional pages mention details about the Black Man, a powerful avatar of Nyarlathotep (treated in the text as Narlato). The text mentions the existence of witch cults in Germany dedicated to worshiping this Black Man, who in return for carnal favors and sacrifices of unbaptized children, bestowed rewards in the form of magic and power. The book describes an exaustive ritual for contacting the Black Man and an enchantment that would supposedly trap him in a circle of magic. Once captured, the creature would fulfill its captors' wishes. It is likely that the Ritual is a version of the Contact Nyarlathotep Spell and that the part about capturing the entity is a gross (and dangerous) misinterpretation.

The book also contains notes on the borders of the original text, containing anottations that attempt to correct the authors' observations. Unfortunately part of the book has been damaged and some pages have been lost over time.

The volume was incorporated into the collection of the Nuremberg City Library. He previously figured in a private collection, having been donated anonymously in 2002.

Der eingelöste Vorschlaghammer

in german, author unknown, c. 1600

Sanity Loss: 1D3
Myhos de Cthulhu: +0/ +1 percentiles
Mythos Rating: 3
Study: 2 weeks
Suggested Spells:  None

The title of this revised and largely rewritten version can be roughly translated as "The Redeemed Hammer." It was written in the late 16th century and is a purged version of Malleus written by an unknown author, possibly a high member of the clergy.

The author claims to have made recurrent use of the book in his work as "witch hunter" in Germany of the period. In a tone of confession he says he never really believed in the book or its methods and that he used it only to gain power and influence among the society, at the expense of false accusations and mostly vicious claims against innocents. The author goes on to describe numerous manipulated judgments and legal frauds in which he actively participated.

He explains that his understanding of theology changed radically after an episode in Bavaria when he attests to have found a true witch dedicated to serving evil forces that would be far darker than Satan and his infernal hosts. The Inquisitor mentions interviews conducted with this witch, using torture in which she confesses her many sins and the existence of entities that dwell "beyond time, beyond space." At the end of the interrogation process, the Inquisitor claims that the accused disappeared from her cell, possibly resorting to some magical prodigy to escape the sentence. He later mentions having suffered reprisals from the witch he had tortured, being persecuted by her and her demonic allies, both awake and in his sleep.

Fearing for his life and determined to find redemption, the author withdraws from clerical life and becomes a hermit. During this period, he writes the book in which he seeks to denounce the falsehood of Malleus Maleficarum and the truth about the ancient forces that inhabit the earth.

The book was published in a small number in 1610 in Leipzig, and given its content, denouncing the Malleus Maleficarum, was eventually included in the Index Librorum Prohibitorum. Most of the volumes were collected and burned, leaving only two surviving editions, both currently in private collections in Europe.

DER HEXEN HAMMER - Mainz Edition
in German and Latin, c. 1620

Sanity Loss: 1D6
Myhos de Cthulhu: +3/ +6 percentiles
Mythos Rating: 12
Study: 7 weeks

Suggested Spells:  Dread Curse of Azathoth, Powder of Ibn-Ghazi and Contact/Bind Servitor of the Old Ones.

One of the most perfect and complete editions of the Malleus Maleficarum, it was printed in Mainz in two volumes by a specialist linked to Johannes Gutemberg.

The book was probably presented as a gift to the Cardinal of the City of Cologne in 1624 and is listed in his private library.

Unlike other editions, it had an appendix possibly censored in other copies of Malleus. This 30-page appendix included an excerpt from the Latin Necronomicon, dealing with Al Hazred's Pilgrimages and his journey to the legendary Irem, City of the Pillars. The passage describes among other things a Cannibal Cult that existed in the decrepit ruins of the city, unhealthy rituals practiced by its inhabitants, and a series of incantations used to conjure Servants of the Outer Gods.

Ironically, the additional content was not discovered until 1750 when an ambitious librarian named Dieter Stamph who worked for the Cologne Curia found it. Noticing this difference in the book, Stamph made a copy of the appendix and negotiated its publication. He was denounced in 1754 and excommunicated for heresy the same year. It is not known whether Stamph's copy survived or not, but the librarian tried to negotiate the material at Strassbourg in 1756, when he was assassinated.

The Mainz Edition, the first to be identified with the German title "Der Hexen Hammer" was held by the University of Cologne and for a short time was confiscated by Thule Society agents and incorporated into the private collection of Commander SS Heinrich Himmler . The book was found only in 2016, amid a vast collection recovered in Norway.

Once recovered and properly identified, the Hexen Hammer Edition returned to Colony Library collection from where it had been removed in 1937.

MAZZA DA STREGA - Edizione del Nunzio Paolo di Genova

in Latin with notes in italian by Titus Pauli, c. 1552

Sanity Loss: 1D3
Myhos de Cthulhu: +1/ +3 percentiles
Mythos Rating: 9
Study: 3 weeks
Suggested Spells: Contact Deity (Nyogtha)

This edition of Malleus Maleficarum was produced in a Genoa press in a circulation of no more than 400 copies. Many of them can still be found in collections and libraries around Italy.

The edition described here belonged to the Nuncio of Genoa Titus Pauli (1532-1596) an important ecclesiastical messenger responsible for establishing diplomatic relations of the Holy See in northern Italy. The story has erased most of the cleric's accomplishments, but the notes written on the edges of the book attest that he had a keen interest in the practicalities of witch-hunting and the fight against witchcraft. More, Pauli's remarks include notes on court proceedings and commentary in which he denounces witches who in his opinion practice "the darkest black magic."

The Nuncio notes mention a cult dedicated to a demon identified as Nyoghta, something that should not exist. This includes the transcript of an interrogation held in Genoa in which a woman accused of witchcraft exposes her sordid practices in collusion with this hideous being. It lists child and fetus sacrifices, creation of magical familiars, murder of innocent people, and glorification of evil beings.

After Pauli death, the book was incorporated into the Cervara Abbey Library in the Santa Margherita region of Liguria. The book was held by the Library until the property of the Abbey was sold in the mid-twentieth century. The collection was purchased by an Italian collector in 1967 and was rumored to have been recently aquired by a Chinese anonymous collector.

EL MARTILLO, con anotaciones del clérigo Ramiro de las Mercedes, querido hermano de la Orden de la Purificación.

in spanish, author Ramiro de las Mercedes, c. 1620

Sanity Loss:  1D6

Myhos de Cthulhu: +1/ +4

Mythos Rating: 9

Study: 10 semanas

Suggested Spells: Enchant Knife, Enchant Whistle and Summon/Bind Traveler of the Void (Byakhee)

The Holy Inquisition did not act only in Europe and the North American colonies, it was present in other corners of the world, especially in Spanish America. When the Conquerors traveled to South America in search of all the gold and silver they could plunder, they brought with them priests interested in catechizing these peoples. By force if necessary. During colonization they encountered resistance to tame what they thought it to be a sinful spirit. They create a version of the Inquisition Courts in the New World, the dreaded Autos de Fé.

In Lima, the richest Spanish colony in Peru, one of these public acts took place in 1639, led by Inquisidor mor Ramiro de las Mercedes. The cleric was member of the Order of the Purification, arm of the Inquisition that knew the Cthulhu Mythos, although interpreted them like demonic entities.

Ramiro claimed to have found in the New World, especially in Lima, evidence of the presence of nefarious cults and deities that were still venerated by natives descending from the Incas. Although there were small groups devoted to Hastur and Yog-Sothoth, in their fanatical zeal, the Inquisition made countless innocent victims. During the two years of the campaign to "clean up" the Colony, there were many arrests, torture and executions. The early prisoners, members of the Cult of Hastur revealed to Ramiro the basis for his most abhor rites. The chief Inquisitor made notes of his progress and later drafted an addendum to the Malleus Maleficarum which he called El Martillo (The Mallet), a compilation of interrogations and investigations into cults in the colony.

In 1641, the Inquisitor wrote a letter to the Holy See claiming to have purged the germ of heresy in the Colony. However, before leaving the port, de las Mercedes was poisoned and died on board the ship that would take him to Mexico, where he planned to carry out a similar crusade.

The book was collected by a close follower of the Inquisitor who mantened the chapters written by de las Mercedes that specifically refer to Hastur (called Xhastur) and the Yellow King mythology, according to the testimonies obtained. He also mentions torture, the use of spells against cultists, and presents a list of heretics who have been executed.

The work of Ramiro de las Mercedes was never published, although
"The Mallet" was later copied by members of the Order and preserved in churches or ecclesiastical libraries sympathetic to the Organization.