Dess Teuffels Nebelkappen (The Devil's Hoodwink)
Dublin Core
Title
Dess Teuffels Nebelkappen (The Devil's Hoodwink)
Description
Published during the height of the European witch trials, this woodcut is featured on the title page of Paulus Frisius’ The Devil’s Hoodwink. Among a growing number of witchcraft treatises, this text describes the popular societal discussion of witchcraft and demonology. Nebelkappen, translated here to mean “hoodwinking”, references the Germanic legends of shrouding hoods and invisibility cloaking garments worn by mystical creatures. The mass hysteria of the witch trials was spurred by a fear of undercover witches, shrouded by the mask of womanhood and domestic life. This print features a number of women, each displaying an element of their traditional domestic role, yet participating in a terrifying display of infanticide, magic, overt sexuality, and potion making. Frisius, inspired by this growing social movement, demonizes the “unruly woman”, reinforcing the strict gender roles and norms of the time.
Creator
Paulus Frisius
Source
Witchcraft Collection
Publisher
Kroch Library, Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections
Date
1583
Format
Woodcut, 20cm.
IIIF Item Metadata
UUID
581795f2-d5f3-476b-9e08-77382b817ace
Collection
Citation
Paulus Frisius, “Dess Teuffels Nebelkappen (The Devil's Hoodwink),” The Power of Portrayal: Envisioning Women's Representation, accessed May 9, 2024, https://cornellcolab.net/suffrage/items/show/23.