Czarownica zza rogu, czyli jak w późnym średniowieczu i nowożytności, sąsiedzi zmieniali się w sługi szatana

The Witch from around the corner, or how in the late Middle Ages and Modern times, neighbors turned into Satan’s servant

In The Witch from around the corner, or how in the late Middle Ages and Modern times, neighbors turned into Satan’s servants Szymon Czerski analyzes the issue of social relations within a given community in terms of the belief in the existence of magic. Author analyzes both negative and positive elements of the perception of people being connected with dealing in magic in the past centuries, he cites both extreme situations and situations that are completely common for people living in late medieval and modern Europe, with particular emphasis on areas of modern Poland. He draws attention to the old ways of fighting witches and defines the very concept of the word: witch. An important part of the paper is the answer to the question: What factor made a well-known and respected person turn into a blasphemous spawn of the Devil in the eyes of local folk.