Biblical
Although there were about fifty references in the New Testament to the performance of exorcisms by Christ and his disciples, only five accounts provide enough detail to inspire imitation. All five of the possession narratives occur in the Synoptic Gospels. They differ in length, emphasis and detail, the reason for recounting them here is to provide the context for which these stories provided as models or inspiration for possessions and exorcisms in early modern Europe and depicted in their images. These stories would have been available to sixteen and seventeenth century Christians in the Latin Vulgate used by Roman Catholics; the Bible translated into German by Martin Luther in 1534; the three English translations of 1538 (the Great Bible), 1559 (the Geneva Bible) and 1611 (the King James Version); and the Dutch Bible authorized by the States-General in 1637.
“The Cure of a Demoniac”
21 And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught.
22 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.
23 And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out,
24 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.
25 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him.
26 And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him.
27 And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him.
28 And immediately his fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee.
31 And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days.
32 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power.
33 And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice,
34 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God.
35 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not.
36 And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word is this! for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out.
37 And the fame of him went out into every place of the country round about.
“The Healing of the Gadarene Demoniacs”
28 And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.
29 And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?
30 And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding.
31 So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine.
32 And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters.
5 And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes.
2 And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,
3 Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains:
4 Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him.
5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.
6 But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him,
7 And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not.
8 For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.
9 And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.
10 And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country.
11 Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding.
12 And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.
13 And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea.
14 And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done.
15 And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.
16 And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine.
17 And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts.
18 And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him.
19 Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.
20 And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel.
26 And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is over against Galilee.
27 And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs.
28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not.
29 (For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him: and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters; and he brake the bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness.)
30 And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him.
31 And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep.
32 And there was there an herd of many swine feeding on the mountain: and they besought him that he would suffer them to enter into them. And he suffered them.
33 Then went the devils out of the man, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the lake, and were choked.
34 When they that fed them saw what was done, they fled, and went and told it in the city and in the country.
35 Then they went out to see what was done; and came to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.
36 They also which saw it told them by what means he that was possessed of the devils was healed.
37 Then the whole multitude of the country of the Gadarenes round about besought him to depart from them; for they were taken with great fear: and he went up into the ship, and returned back again.
38 Now the man out of whom the devils were departed besought him that he might be with him: but Jesus sent him away, saying,
39 Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him.
“The Canaanite Woman’s Faith” or “The Syrophoenician Woman’s Faith”
21 Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon.
22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.
23 But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.
24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
25 Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.
26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs.
27 And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table.
28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.
25 For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet:
26 The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter.
27 But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs.
28 And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs.
29 And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter.
30 And when she was come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed.
“The Healing of a Boy with a Demon”
14 And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying,
15 Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.
16 And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.
17 Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.
18 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.
19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?
20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
14 And when he came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them.
15 And straightway all the people, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed, and running to him saluted him.
16 And he asked the scribes, What question ye with them?
17 And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit;
18 And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not.
19 He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me.
20 And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming.
21 And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child.
22 And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.
23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.
25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.
26 And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead.
27 But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose.
28 And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out?
29 And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.
37 And it came to pass, that on the next day, when they were come down from the hill, much people met him.
38 And, behold, a man of the company cried out, saying, Master, I beseech thee, look upon my son: for he is mine only child.
39 And, lo, a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly crieth out; and it teareth him that he foameth again, and bruising him hardly departeth from him.
40 And I besought thy disciples to cast him out; and they could not.
41 And Jesus answering said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer you? Bring thy son hither.
42 And as he was yet a coming, the devil threw him down, and tare him. And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the child, and delivered him again to his father.
43 And they were all amazed at the mighty power of God. But while they wondered every one at all things which Jesus did, he said unto his disciples,
“Jesus and Beelzebul”
22 Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw.
23 And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David?
24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.
25 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:
26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?
27 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges.
28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.
29 Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.
30 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.
31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.
32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.
23 If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.
24 And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.
25 For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.
26 And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;
27 And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how.
28 For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.
29 But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.
30 And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it?
14 And he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered.
15 But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils.
16 And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven.
17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth.
18 If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub.
19 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges.
20 But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.
21 When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace:
22 But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.
23 He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth.
Possession Narratives
The following are instances of possessions as reported by Brian Levack in The Devil Within: Possession and Exorcism in the Christian West. The numbers following each narrative refers to his page numbers. It should become obvious upon reading the various narratives that there is no clear distinction of a demoniac but also that there were many and in various ways. Levack did not included demoniacs who claimed to have demons, but more likely had common illnesses or were just sinners. These are important distinctions that invite difficult questions of the early modern understanding of demonic possession. For our purposes they should stand as example of symptoms to be seen in images of demonic possession and making clearer distinctions within the images. The following, though extensive, does not represent the entirety of demoniacs mentioned in Levack’s work, nor is Levack’s work comprehensive of demoniacs in early modern Europe. This page will continue grow and change as this study progresses, any comments or suggestions for improvements would be appreciated.
A
Aix-en-Provence- in 1611, Father Louis Gauridy was convicted and executed as a witch for causing possession of nuns and the exorcism of three Brigidine nuns at Lille in 1613 were placed within the same apocalyptic interpretive framework. (67)
Amsterdam- group possession 1566 in an atmosphere of revived apocalyptic expectations which pervaded the Calvinist world at the time. (70)
Auxonne- 1658, one nun reported hoisted a heavy marble vase full of holy water with two of her delicate fingers. (8)
B
Beckington- a girl apparently vomited two hundred pins. (9)
Bernard, Richard- reported the case of a demoniac from Warwickshire who sometimes “fell into a deadly trance, therin continuing the space of a day, representing the shape and image of death, without all sense and motion, saving breathing and her pulse, neither was she moved with pinching, or the like.” (10)
Bernhausen, Anna- Augsburg, 1571, five people could not hold the demoniac still. (8)
Berry- demoniacs who accused witches of causing their possession in 1582-3 referred to more than eighty non-biblical possessing demons besides Satan. (54)
Brakel- German town, two demoniacs in 1657 grunted like snuffling pigs. (13)
Brigges, Agnes- ‘a great swelling in her throat and upon her jaws.” (9)
Brossier, Martha
- asked questions in Greek and English but answered only in her native French. (12)
- possessed by Beelzebub at Paris in 1598 (54)
C
Capeau, Lousie- at Aix-en-Provance in 1609, reported by theologian and exorcist Sebastian Michaelis, 6,660 unnamed demons possessed her. (20).
Celichius, Andreas- 1594, Lutheran superintendent in Mecklenburg, having observed some thirty possessions, claimed that the only way to understand the horrible spectacles he observed was to recognize that the world was in the Last Days. (68).
Corbie, Colette of- a reforming nun cured a demoniac whose body had become rigid and would not eat or drink. (10)
Crusichi, Elena- 1571, a Venetian healer and demoniac, known as ‘la Draga’. claimed that the ‘awful beast’ that possessed her ‘gives me so much pain that I feel like I am finished. He eats my guts and destroys my legs [and] my throat and he takes my memory, and he does not let me eat, and he wishes to kill me.” (6-7)
D
Darling, Thomas- one of the earliest Calvinist possessions interpreted in apocalyptic terms in 1596, thirteen-year-old Puritan boy. (70)
Dugdale, Richard- “astonishing fits”, each lasting three hours, which were so sevre that they wrenched him out of his chair. (6)
E
England
- one demoniac sounded like “a great trotting horse.” (12) one demoniac barked like a dog. (12)
- five English demoniacs whom the Jesuits exorcized in 1585 named their “captain demons” Pippin, Maho, Philpot, Modu, and Soforce, while the names of others that ranked below the captains included Hillio, Hilco, Smolkin, and Hiaclito. (54)
F
Féry, Jeanna- at Mons in 1584; self-mutilation and attempts at suicide. (7)
Fontaine, Françoise
- at Louviers in 1591; self-mutilation and attempts at suicide. (7)
- thought to have levitated, higher than the altar before being thrown to the ground.
Fox, John- English demoniac “spoke with an audible voice within him, which seemed sometimes to sound out of his belly, sometimes out of his throat, and sometimes out of his mouth, his lips not moving.” (13)
G
Garcia, Maria- in 1607, the middle-aged woman from Madrid was occupied by a demon, reportedly told the exorcist that Lucifer was expecting victory over the archangel Michael once the Antichrist appeared, a statement of demonic confidence that was unusual in possession narratives. (67)
Geisslbrecht, Apolonia- in 1582 the German demoniac gave the demons name as Schwamm, a German word meaning sponge of fungus. (54)
Glover, Mary- no reaction when her skin was burned (10)
Goodwin children- Boston, 1688, have face turn to rear or “twisted almost round.” (8)
Gunter, Anne- told people who were brought before her how much money they had in their purses. (14)
H
Hoorn- Holland orphanage, group possession of children under twelve years old in 1674. (70)
I
Italy-
- an illiterate woman quoted versus from Virgil’s Aeneid in the original Latin. (12)
- during Mass demoniacs not only shrieked in animal voices and contorted their bodies but also pulled up their dresses. (14)
J
K
L
Laird, Margaret- Scottish demoniac whose throat swelled so much that attendants had to loosen her clothes. (9)
Lancashire
- all seven demonaics in 1597 “had their bodies swollen to a wonderful bigness”, and the stomach of one of them, Margaret Byrom, a thirty-three-year-old kinswoman of Mistress Starkey, “swelled as big as a woman with child.” (9)
- two young, unschooled female demoniacs, aged ten and twelve, answered questions put to them in Latin ‘as if they had soundly understood them”, but they were unable to understand one word after they came out of their fits, nor did they ever speak in Latin. (12)
- twelve-year-old son of Mr. Cook in 1676 “could tell in his fits what was adoing in places far distant from him, whereof he could have no information by his sense, nor by any other ordinary means of convenyance.” (14)
Lieder, Georg- twelve-year-old daughter of Tobias Seiler, pastor and school superintendent at Löwenberg in Silesia, wrote the possession narrative of his daughter in 1605 in apocalyptic terms. Including Revelation 8:13 and John 12:31. (68).
Lieder, Magdalena- twelve-year-old Silesian demoniac; whose limbs were so firmly crossed for upwards to an hour that no man could pull them apart. (7)
Loudun
- a nun in 1635 claimed that the demon Asmodeus manifested his supreme rage, shook the girl backwards and forwards a number of times, “making her batter as an hammer with so great, great quickness that her teeth crashed, and her throat made a forced noise.” (6)
- a demon allegedly “raised from the earth the body of the [Mother] Superior” during her exorcism in 1630s and many other nuns reported floating in the air. (8)
- one nun, in 1637, could extend her legs in a straight line with both of her thighs touching the ground. (7)
- one nun said to have gained excessive weight so it would be impossible to lift even one part of the demoniac’s body. (8)
- 1632 the Ursuline nun Sister Clara “fell into strange convulsions… exposing her person in the most indecent manner, without a blush and with foul and lascivious expressions and actions. (15)
- others “made use of expressions so indecent to shame the most debauched of men, while their acts, both in exposing themselves and inviting lewd behaviors from those present, would have astonished the inmates of the lowest brothel in the country.” (15)
- Jeanne des Anges, the Mother Superior, was reputedly possessed by seven demons, each one occupying a different part of her body and each one identified by name. (20)
- Jeanne des Anges, possessed by Beelzebub in 1632. All reportedly had biblical names. (54)
Louvain- a 15-year-old girl coughed up twenty-four pounds of liquid in a day in 1517. (9)
Louviers
- in 1647, demons included Leviathan and Asmodeus, but also Putiphar, Dagon, Ancitif, Arfaxat, Gonsang, Calconix, and Grongade. (54)
- in 1643, the Capuchin monk Espirt de Bosroger opened his account by stating the nuns’ exorcism in the struggle between good and evil that had begun in Lucifer’s revolt. (67)
M
Maillat, Loyse- eight-year-old in Burgundy, (20) French demoniac in possessed by four or five demons were identified as animals; Wolf, Cat, Dog, and Griffon. (13)
Mejia, Francisca- Mexican demoniac, whose body reportedly turned “so stiff that not even the strength of many robust men was sufficient to bend her frail arm but an inch.” (7)
Mexico City- 1717 a nun trampled on the communion host after taking it out her mouth, spat on as image of the Child Jesus, and furiously beat a crucifix. (14)
Murdoch, Margaret- late 17th-century Scotland testified that her body showed signs of having been pinched and pricked and that her flesh was blistered and burnt as if it had been seared by a hot iron. (7)
Mylner, Anne- of Chester in 1563, the eighteen-year-old arched into a hoop at the same time that her stomach began to swell, and the efforts of a godly minister for two hours to return her back to its normal extension failed. (7)
N
Nottingham- 1597, English demoniac had needles trust into his hands and legs to see if he was faking, but he was sensless and no blood flowed. (10)
Nyndge, Andrew- English Puritan, whose possession narrative simple reported the spirit disappeared out a window [after the exorcism]. (63)
O
Obry, Nicole
- after writhing, contorting her body and acquiring a rigidy of her limbs, she lapsed into alternating states of lethargy and senseless stupor. On more than one occasion she became temporarily deaf, blind, and speechless. After needles were put into her lifeless hands she revived, only to return to a catatonic state. (10)
- was asked questions in Flemish, German, French, and Latin, but answered only in French or Flemish. (12)
- 1566, Obry claimed that her voice during her possession was really that of the demon Beelzebub. (54)
- exorcized at Cathedral of Notre Dame at Laon during the wars of religion (67).
Obry, Marguerite- possessed by Beelzebub at Soissons in 1582. (54)
P
Paderborn
- demoniacs in 1656 were reportedly familiar with all languages and could answer questions in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. (11)
- demoniacs could predict the future and tell what was happening at a distance. (14)
Postel, Guillaume- interpreted her exorcism as and event in the history of the world and the account of her possession and exorcism by one of her exorcists, Jean Boulaese, were full of apocalyptic and millenarian references. (67)
Q
R
Riess, Heinrich- 1604, Protestant preacher claimed that the increaslingly large number of exorcisms was a sign of the Last Days. (69)
Reyes, Juana de los- Mexican demoniac whose stomach grew to an unnaturally large size before returning to normal when touched with a relic. (9)
Rule, Margaret- seventeenth century Protestant demoniac in Massachusetts levitated. (8)
S
Saxony- an illiterate demoniac spoke both Greek and Latin regarding a war that was about the be fought. (11-12)
Schlehdorf- German town, in which two demoniacs in 1667 answered questions only in German on the grounds that the demons occupying their bodies had been forbidden, presumably by Satan, to answer in Latin. (12)
Schlutterbäurin, Anna- sixteen-year-old demoniac, reported by the German Jesuit Georg Scherer, that in 1584 she was possessed by 12,652 demons- the highest ever recorded. (20)
Shaw, Christian- seventeenth century Protestant demoniac in Scotland levitated. (8)
Short, Mercy- reported by the New England minister Cotton Mather (1663-1728) in the late seventeenth century that one of the ‘miseries’ that demons inflicted on the demoniac was “extreme fasting for many days together”. (10)
Somers, William
- tongue swelled “to the size of a calf’s tongue and his eyes as great as beast’s eyes.” (9)
- (Protestant demoniac) denied the existence of God, since Protestantism was a religion of the World, Protestant demoniacs commonly indicated rejection of their religious culture by indicating an inability to read the Bible or even listen to its beings read. (14)
- reported to have foamed at his mouth in such an unnatural way that the foam did “hang down from his mouth to his breast… in such abundance as is not able to be uttered by any human creature.” (15)
Spanish Netherlands- two English nuns, who the English priest Edmund Bedingfield identified by name three hundred demons, none of them having a biblical name. (54)
Steiner, Veronica- head, breast, and neck swelled so much that they all became deformed. (9)
Stretton, Jane- twenty-year-old demoniac in 1669 abstained from all sustenance for nine months. (10)
T
U
Ursuline
- nuns at Auxonne in 1662 some demoniacs could supposedly bend all the way backwards and lick the floor. (7)
- levitation (8)
Utrecht- 1595, two demoniacs observed lying on the ground, one of them ‘as stiff as a piece of wood’, for five hours.” (7)
V
Vernois, Rollande du-possessed by two demons, one named Cat. (20)
W
Wertet- 1494, the nuns at Wertet had pieces of flesh torn from their bodies. (6)
X
Y
Z