The witch construct that was woven into the 17th century European cultural ideology afforded the public with a sacrificial lamb for common daily misfortune. The notion of an intricate conspiracy of wicked women, luxuriating with the devil while rejecting Christianity, was as intoxicating to the "learned men" as the power of black magic itself. The self-imposed duty of such men; to protect the public from threat of virgin temptresses, controlled by an army of flying devil possessed crones, led to an outbreak of witch hysteria, which lasted for over 300 years. In Devil Inside: Witchcraft, Maleficia & Culture in the Early Atlantic World, 1450-1820, Layla Rudd explores the framework behind the witch hysteria and inquisitory practices through a collection of essays drawing on contemporary academic research and lectures.