In the Middle Ages [think Black Death, famine, social upheaval, massive income disparity (what an understatement) in Europe] the church and people in general became convinced that witchcraft was rampant, dangerous, and the cause of many of these ills. While it’s always easier to place blame rather than initiate social change, the mindset of the time actually forbade changing or challenging what was perceived to be God’s will, and in fairness the Black Death was far beyond any remedy the era had.

The definitive text on witchcraft, Malleus Maleficarum was published in the late 1400s, underwent several revisions to keep it topical, and was published well into the 17th century.

Vanishing penises are a staple problem in all editions, and must have been a form of hysterical conversion since even the authors of Malleus note that the supposedly vanished member could be easily seen to be present by everyone but the afflicted man. Sometimes it reappeared when the witch had been appropriately disposed of (torture and the stake), sometimes not. These spells, variants of which were common, were called glamors, and the idea of spell binding charm persists in word glamour to this day.

It’s instructive, if unnerving, to see that the hysteria and irrationality of witch blaming, closely related to every other form of bigotry, is alive, well, and given credence by many supposedly “modern” state authorities. [see also Pleas for condemned Saudi 'witch']