Zachodnioeuropejskie piśmiennictwo demonologiczne w Diable w swojej postaci Jana Bohomolca
West‑European demonological writings in Diabeł w swojej postaci by Jan Bohomolec

Author(s): Danuta Kowalewska
Subject(s): Language and Literature Studies
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego
Summary/Abstract: The article concerns a reception of the West‑Europeandemonological writings in the old Poland.The author concentrates on a two‑volumedissertation by a Jesuit Jan Bohomolec entitledDiabeł w swojej postaci (1772—1777). The analysis covers the links of the very dissertation withpopular works of the pre‑Romanticera (Malleus maleficarum, texts by Jean Bodin, Henri Boguet,Pierre de Lancre, Johann Wier and others). First, the work by Bohomolec is presented and next theattention is given to the episodes that were particularly popular among demonologists. Basically,the article concerns the demonologists’ opinions on such aspects as devil’s competences, sabbaths,witch flights, magic trials, faith in phantoms and warewolves. The author of the article managed toprove that the Enlightenment writer was knowledgeable about the demonological writing from theWest. She refers mainly to the examples derived from the 16th and 17th century publications, containingthe images of magic and sorcery embedded in common awareness. Diabeł w swej postaciproves that although the Jesuit refers critically to the sources used many a time, he is reliable whenreporting on even the most extreme opinions.

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