HERZIG
2003
(7SDB2018)
Tamar Herzig
The Sixteenth Century Journal, vol. 34, nr. 1, Spring, 2003,
pp. 53-72. (pdf.)
Intro
This study draws on
theological and demonological works that discuss demons' reac tion to sodomy,
and concentrates on Gianfrancesco Pico's 1523 dialogue Strix. While the
medieval theological view stressed the demons' abhorrence of sodomy and
refrainment from engaging in sodomitical relations, fifteenth-century
demonologists already found it difficult to reconcile such a view with the
newly developed theory of diabolic witchcraft. During the sixteenth century,
the notion of the demons' dis gust at sodomy was radically transformed. This
transformation was gradual, but in Strix the shift away from the traditional
view was already decisive. The article exam ines Pico's original configuration
of the relations between sodomy and witchcraft, and suggests a few possible
reasons for his decision to challenge the medieval notion.These include the
influence of Girolamo Savonarola's antisodomy campaign, the growing emphasis on
demonic sex in sixteenth-century demonology, and the predominance of men among
the alleged witches in Mirandolese witchcraft trials, in which Pico was
personally involved.
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