Fazio and His Demons: Girolamo Cardano on the art of storytelling and the science of witnessing

Fazio Cardano, Girolamo Cardano’s father, plays a key role in Girolamo’s philosophi-cal investigations. This article focuses on Girolamo’s use of Fazio as an authoritative figure in matters of demonic apparitions and explores the boundaries – not always clearly defined – between storytelling and reliable witnessing in Cardano’s accounts of family memories, reported speeches and preternatural phenomena.