Though Belterra is fictional, its culture closely resembles that of medieval and early modern France, a place where the Catholic Church wielded immense power. The quote engraved over the archway of the Chasseur Tower states, “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live” (114). This is an allusion to Exodus 22:18, part of the Old Testament. Scholars tend to agree that this passage was originally a warning to adhere to one’s own religious practices rather than those of surrounding tribes. In this reading, the witch is the tempting whisper of another’s faith.

In the absence of scientific understanding, humans have often turned to supernatural explanations for various phenomena. Such explanations do not necessarily involve blame or fear: Women who use medicinal herbs have variously been feared and revered for their “powers.” However, in the 1200s, theologian Thomas Aquinas argued that witchcraft was in part spread by the devil impregnating women. His argument influentially tied sex, women, Satan, and witchcraft together—an idea reflected in some of the Archbishop’s attitudes in Serpent & Dove. In 1484, two friars published a book on witches that suggested that Christians had a moral obligation to hunt them down and kill them. This book, Malleus Maleficarum, was integral in defining witches as criminals who deserved punishment.