Who were (are) the Malandanti? I came across them when I was researching witchcraft for the second Toten Herzen novel. To understand the Malandanti you must first learn about the Benandanti.
Benandanti means ‘good walkers’ (Benandante is the singular) and were a group of people from the Friuli region of northeastern Italy in the 16th Century. Their story is rare in that they were tried for heresy by the Inquisition, but survived. Their secret magic brought them to the attention of the Inquisition along with the charges of witchcraft, but when the trial judges heard what the Benandanti were doing they found themselves with a moral and religious dilemma.
Tagliamento river in Friuli region. (photo Johann Jaritz)
Far from being Satanists the Benandanti were a select group of people chosen at birth. (Those babies born with part of the amniotic sac still attached to their heads were selected.) Using magic…
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