Why Are Women Called Devils? We're Unpacking the Myths. . .

For centuries, women have been rumored, labeled, or outright accused of being "she-devils"—figures of seduction, chaos, and maliciousness. Though absurd, this stereotype has deep roots in mythology, religious doctrine, and patriarchal power structures. It isn’t just a relic of the past—it continues to shape attitudes toward women today, often subtly, sometimes violently. So where did this myth begin, and why has it endured?

1. Ancient Myths & Religious Narratives: The Original Blame Game

Many of the world’s oldest stories cast women as the origin of suffering or downfall. Take Pandora from Greek mythology—she’s the one who opens the jar (often mistranslated as a box) and releases all the world’s evils. Similarly, in the Bible, Eve is held responsible for original sin. Delilah cuts off Samson's power; Jezebel coerces her husband-king. These tales weren't just bedtime stories—they shaped cultural attitudes for generations, positioning women as inherently dangerous, seductive, and morally suspect.

2. Patriarchal Societies: Power, Control, and Subjugation

Throughout history, patriarchal societies—where men hold most positions of power—have used these narratives to justify controlling women. When power is unequally distributed, the oppressed group often becomes the target of dehumanizing myths. Labeling women as "devilish" has historically served as a mechanism to keep them in subordinate roles, deny them autonomy, and discourage rebellion.

*A little crash-course dissection of The Malleus Maleficarum: translated from Latin meaning "Witches Hammer", which should more aptly be titled “How to Be a psychotic Misogynistic murderer 101”—is a bias book that unfairly targets women. It was penned in 1487 by Heinrich Kramer, a Dominican inquisitor, with obvious mommy issues. Ostensibly a “scholarly” treatise on witchcraft, it’s really just a dangerous mashup of religious fear-mongering, paranoid delusions, and very specific sexual frustrations disguised as piety. This text wasn’t about justice, it was about justifying torture and execution—particularly of women—under the flimsiest, most theatrical accusations imaginable. Sneezing at the wrong time? Witch. Owning a cat? Witch. Knowing how to read? Double witch!

The book is split into three parts, each more ridiculous than the last. The first part lays the groundwork by claiming that not believing in witches is, ironically, heresy—because nothing screams sound logic like circular reasoning dipped in hysteria. The second part is a grotesque laundry list of "proofs" of witchcraft and all the evil things women supposedly do to men, from stealing penises to causing crop failure via demonic weather apps, apparently. The third part? A literal courtroom instruction manual detailing how to interrogate, trap, and execute accused witches, often using methods that make medieval torture porn look tame. Not only were victims presumed guilty, but they were also tortured into confessions that were then used as "evidence" of Satanic allegiance. Pfft— Kafka would call it overkill.

Ultimately, the Malleus Maleficarum is less a book and more a historical crime scene set up. It helped fan the flames of witch hunts across Europe, leading to the brutal persecution and murder of ~60,000 Europeans—mostly women, because shocker: misogyny was the real witchcraft there. Kramer's obsession with framing women as inherently evil, deceitful, and sexually insatiable says more about his personal hang-ups than it does about actual magic. Case in point: this book is for sadists. And, while the Church eventually distanced itself from this maniacal publication, the damage was already done. Recap: If hell had a library, Malleus Maleficarum would be one of its most-checked-out books; right next to Mein Kampf.