Francisco Goya's Los Caprichos: Linda maestra! ("Nice mistress!") - witches heading to a Sabbath

In Christian folklore, the Sabbath (also known as "Witch's Sabbath") was a gathering supposed to have been celebrated by Satanists, witches and warlocks to honor the Devil, offend God, Jesus, the sacraments, the cross, and perform unholy rites. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (669x984, 167 KB) Los Caprichos is a set of 80 aquatint prints created by Francisco Goya for release in 1799. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (669x984, 167 KB) Los Caprichos is a set of 80 aquatint prints created by Francisco Goya for release in 1799. ... Goyas self-portrait This article is about Francisco Goya, a Spanish painter. ... Los Caprichos are a set of aquatint prints created by the Spanish master-painter Francisco Goya during the 1790s. ... A Christian is a follower of Jesus, whom they regard as a/the Christ. ... Satanism is a religious or philosophical movement centered around Satan or another entity identified with Satan, or centered around the forces of nature, particularly human nature, represented by Satan as an archetype. ... This article is part of the Witchcraft series. ... Warlocks (another name for wizards) are, among historic Christian traditions, said to be the male equivalent of witches (usually in the pejorative sense of Europes Middle Ages), and were said to ride pitchforks instead of broomsticks. ... A modern interpretation of the devil, in red with goat like characteristics. ... God denotes the deity believed by monotheists to be the sole creator and ruler of the universe. ... Jesus (8–2 BC/BCE — 29–36 AD/CE),[1] also known as Jesus of Nazareth, is the central figure of Christianity. ... A sacrament is a Christian rite that mediates divine grace—a holy mystery. ... A Greek cross (all arms of equal length) above a saltire, a cross rotated by 45 degrees For other uses, see Cross (disambiguation). ...

European records tell of innumerable cases of persons being accused or tried for taking part Sabbath gatherings, from the Middle Ages to the 17th century or later. However, there are no reliable reports on what actually happened during a Sabbath; and much of what was written about them may be the product of popular imagination or deliberate misinformation. World map showing Europe Political map Europe is one of the seven continents of Earth which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiographic one, leading to various perspectives about Europes borders. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ...

The Sabbath in history

Although allusions to Sabbaths were made by the Catholic Canon (law) since about 905, the first book that mentions the Sabbath is, theoretically, Errores Gazariorum (1452). In the 13th Century accusation of participation in a Sabbath was a serious accusation. Some allusions to meetings of witches with demons are made in the Malleus Maleficarum (1486). Nevertheless, it was during the Renaissance when Sabbath folk lore was most popular, more books on them were published, and more people lost their life when accused of participating. Commentarius de Maleficius (1622), by Peter Binsfeld, cites accusation of participation in Sabbaths as a proof of guiltiness in an accusation for the practice of witchcraft. Cover of the seventh Cologne edition of the Malleus Maleficarum, 1520 (from the University of Sydney Library). ... Peter Binsfeld ( 1545 - 1598 or 1603) was a Suffragan Bishop of Trier and a witch hunter who wrote the treatise De confessionibus maleficorum et sagarum, The Confession of Warlocks and Witches, translated into several languages (Trier, 1589). ...

What has been said about the Sabbath

Ritual elements

The Compendium Maleficarum (1608), by Francesco Maria Guazzo, aka Guaccio, Guaccius is a book published by an Italian priest with some illustrations of what he imagined could be a Sabbath, and gives a description of it; a brief summary can be cited as an example: "the attendants go riding flying goats, trample the cross, are made to be re-baptised in the name of the Devil, give their clothes to him, kiss the Devil's behind, and dance back to back forming a round". Francesco Maria Guazzo, aka Guaccio, aka Guaccius (15??-16??) was an Italian priest in Milan. ...

According to Hans Baldung Grien (ca 1484-1545) and Pierre de Rostegny, aka De Lancre (1553-1631) human flesh was eaten during Sabbaths, preferably children, and also human bones stewed in a special way. It was also said by some authors that salt, bread and oil were prohibited because the Devil hated them; while other testimonies told about delicious dishes. Other descriptions add that human fat, especially of non-baptised children, was used to make an unguent that enabled the witches to fly; it was also believed that witches could fly by themselves, ride a broom, or be carried by demons to the place of the meeting. Three Ages of the Woman and the Death 1510 Oil on limewood,48 x 32,5 cm Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna Hans Baldung or Hans Baldung Grien/Grün (c. ... Pierre de Rostegny, Lord of De Lancre, aka De Lancre (1553 - 1631) was a French jurist. ...

The most common belief on which authors agreed is that Satan was present at the Sabbath, often as a goat or satyr, and many agreed that more demons were present. Another belief said that sometimes a person could offer his/her own body to be possessed by some demon serving as a medium (see demon possession). It was believed that the Sabbath commenced at midnight and ended at dawn, beginning with a procession, continuing with a banquet, then a Black Mass, and culminating with an orgy in which non-marital or sexual intercourse with demons in male or female form was practised. Consumption of hallucinogens and sometimes alcohol was often reported. Species See Species and subspecies The goat is a mammal in the genus Capra, which consists of nine species: the Ibex, the West Caucasian Tur, the East Caucasian Tur, the Markhor, and the Wild Goat. ... In Greek mythology, Satyrs (Σάτυροι - Satyri) are mythological half-man and half-goat nature entities that roamed the woods and mountains, and were the companions of Pan and Dionysus. ... St. ... In spirituality, a medium or spirit medium (plural mediums) is an individual who claims the ability to receive messages from spirits (discorporate entities), or claims that he or she can channel such entities — that is, write or speak in the voice of these entities rather than in the mediums... Demonic possession is a form of spiritual possession; specifically, the act of one or more demons entering a living or dead human or animal body or an object with the intention of using it for a purpose, normally evil but sometimes instead as a punishment or test. ... For other uses, see Midnight (disambiguation) Midnight, literally the middle of the night, is a time arbitrarily designated to determine the end of a day and the beginning of the next in some, mainly Western, cultures. ... Dawn or civil dawn is the time at which the Sun is 6 degrees below the horizon in the morning. ... Former the 60s progressive rock band, Procession, see Procession, Sixties band Funeral Procession, illustrated in a manuscript of the Hours of the Virgin. ... State Banquet. ... In Christian tradition, Black Mass is the name given to a ceremony supposedly celebrated during the Sabbath, which was a parody of the Christian Mass. ... Look up Orgy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Hallucinogenic drug - drugs that can alter sensory perceptions. ... In chemistry, an alcohol is any organic compound in which a hydroxyl group (-OH) is bound to a carbon atom of an alkyl or substituted alkyl group. ...

Location

According to folklore, the Sabbath was most often celebrated in isolated places, preferably forests or mountains. Some famous places where these events were said to have been celebrated are Briany, Carignan, Puy-de-Dôme (France), Blocksberg, Melibäus, the Black Forest, (Germany), the Bald Mount (Russia), Vaspaku, Zäbern, Kopastatö (Hungary), and more, but it was also said that Stonehenge (England) was a place for Sabbaths. In the Basque country the Sabbath (there called Akelarre 'field of the goat') was said to be celebrated in isolated fields. Carignan (in French; Spanish Cariñena, Italian Carignano, Spanish variety of grape that originated in Cariñena, Aragon and was later transplanted to Italy, Algeria, and much of the New World. ... Building of the Conseil Général of the Puy-de-Dôme département, in Clermont-Ferrand Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Puy-de-Dôme Puy-de-Dôme is a département. ... The Brocken, or Blocksberg, is the highest peak (1142 meters) in the Germany, between the rivers Weser and Elbe. ... The Black Forest (German Schwarzwald) is a wooded mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany. ... Stonehenge Stonehenge is a Neolithic and Bronze Age megalithic monument located near Amesbury in the English county of Wiltshire, about 8 miles (13 km) north of Salisbury. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location (dark green) within the United Kingdom (light green), with the Republic of Ireland (blue) to its west Languages English Capital London Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population –mid-2004... Location of Basque Country The Ikurriña, Basque Country flag This article is about the traditional overall Basque domain. ... Akelarre is the Basque name (meadow of the he-goat) of a place in Zugarramurdi, Navarra, Spain. ...

Dates

There is no agreement among authors concerning the dates on which the Sabbaths were to be celebrated. Some hypothosized they would take place during the night of the Sunday before the time the Christian mass was celebrated, some authors disagreed telling that Satan was less powerful on holy days.

Some commonly mentioned dates were February 1 (to some February 2), May 1 (Great Sabbath, Walpurgis Night), August 1, November 1 (Halloween, commencing on October 30's eve), Easter, and Christmas. Other less frequently mentioned dates were Good Friday, January 1 (day of Jesus' circumcision), June 23 (St. John's Day), December 21 (St. Thomas), and Corpus Christi. and others. Walpurgis Night in Sweden Walpurgis Night (Walpurgisnacht in German and Dutch, Valborgsmässoafton in Swedish, Vappu in Finnish, Volbriöö in Estonian, Valpurgijos naktis in Lithuanian,Valpurģu nakts or Valpurģi in Latvian, čarodějnice or Valpuržina noc in Czech, chódotypalenje Lower Sorbian, chodojtypalenje in Upper Sorbian, and... This article or section needs additional references or sources. ... This article is about the Christian festival. ... Christmas is a Christian holiday held on December 25 which celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. ... Good Friday is a holy day celebrated by most Christians on the Friday before Easter or Pascha. ... John the Apostle (יוחנן The LORD is merciful, Standard Hebrew Yoḥanan, Tiberian Hebrew Yôḥānān) was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Jude Thomas. ... Corpus Christi celebrations in Antigua Guatemala, 14 June, 1979 Corpus Christi (Latin: Body of Christ) in Catholicism is a religious feast celebrated by Roman Catholics on the eighth Thursday after Easter, i. ...

What is actually known about the Sabbath

As some inquisitor wrote, "the acts of the witches/warlocks are only known by us for the confessions they make when tortured". All the descriptions about the Sabbaths were made and published by priests, jurists and judges who (theoretically) never took part in these gatherings, or written in the acts of the tribunals that carried out the processes. All of them were based on the confessions under torture made by people accused of practising witchcraft and heresy. Moreover, the accusees were often insane, and their "confessions" often amounted to saying "yes" to descriptions provided by the inquisitors. An official in an Inquisition, an Inquisitor is literally one who searches out or inquires (Latin inquirere < quaerere, to seek). The Grand Inquisitor, or Inquisitor Generalis, was the chief Inquisitor of an Inquisition. ... Torture is any act by which severe pain, whether physical or psychological, is intentionally inflicted on a person as a means of intimidation, deterrence, revenge, punishment, or information gathering. ... Witchcraft, in various historical, religious and mythical contexts, is the use of certain kinds of alleged supernatural or magical powers. ... Heresy, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is a theological or religious opinion or doctrine maintained in opposition, or held to be contrary, to the Catholic or Orthodox doctrine of the Christian Church, or, by extension, to that of any church, creed, or religious system, considered as orthodox. ... Inmates at Bedlam Asylum, as portrayed by William Hogarth Insanity, or madness, is a semi-permanent, severe mental disorder typically stemming from a form of mental illness. ...

To sum it up, we have practically no reliable information about what really happened in a Sabbath. The historical reports may reflect only popular imagination of the times, influenced by ignorance, fear, and religious intolerance. Ignorance is a lack of knowledge. ... For other uses, see Fear (disambiguation). ...

We cannot even tell whether any Sabbaths were actually held before the 20th century. Many of the characterizations of the Sabbath were made about other suppressed Christian sects and Jews; see blood libel. It is thus possible that the Sabbath gatherings were largely a myth — a convenient excuse to condemn heretics or anyone who, for one reason or another, fell in the disfavor of the ruling authorities. The "Sabbath" gatherings described in the processes may not have occurred at all, or may have had no religious purposes. Blood libels are allegations that a particular group kills people as a form of human sacrifice, and uses their blood in various rituals. ... Heresy, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is a theological or religious opinion or doctrine maintained in opposition, or held to be contrary, to the ‘catholic’ or orthodox doctrine of the Christian Church, or, by extension, to that of any church, creed, or religious system, considered as orthodox. ...

Origins and connections

Hallucinogens

It has been speculated that some of the historical cases of Sabbath and witchcraft could be the result of hallucinations caused by hallucinogenic drugs. The psychoactive effects of plants like the nightshade have been known since antiquity. Some recipes for flying ointments from early modern times contain nightshade or similar plants. Ergot, a fungus that grows on rye in humid conditions, is know to cause neurological disturbances which could fit some of the acts described in the Sabbath inquries. In particular, the ergot theory has been put forward in connection with the Salem Witch Trials. The use of flying ointments would only explain people who thought of themselves as witches, but ergotism would also explain people who believed themselves to be victims of witchcraft. Witchcraft, in various historical, religious and mythical contexts, is the use of certain kinds of alleged supernatural or magical powers. ... An hallucination is a sensory perception experienced in the absence of an external stimulus, as distinct from an illusion, which is a misperception of an external stimulus. ... Certain drugs can affect the subjective qualities of perception, thought or emotion, resulting in altered interpretations of sensory input, alternate states of consciousness, or hallucinations. ... Species See text Solanum is a genus of annuals, perennials, sub-shrubs, shrubs and climbers. ... Flying ointment, also known as witches flying ointment, green ointment, magic salve and lycanthropic ointment, is a hallucinogenic ointment said to be used by witches in the Early Modern period. ... Species About 50, including: Claviceps africanum Claviceps fusiformis Claviceps paspali Claviceps purpurea Ergot is the common name of a fungus in the genus Claviceps. ... Divisions Chytridiomycota Deuteromycota Zygomycota Glomeromycota Ascomycota Basidiomycota A fungus (plural fungi) is a eukaryotic organism that digests its food externally and absorbs the nutrient molecules into its cells. ... Binomial name Secale cereale M.Bieb. ... 1876 illustration of the courtroom; the central figure is usually identified as Mary Walcott The Salem witch trials, which began in 1692 (also known as the Salem witch hunt and the Salem witchcraft episode), resulted in a number of convictions and executions for witchcraft in both Salem Village and Salem... Ergotism is the effect of long-term ergot poisoning, classically due to the ingestion of the alkaloids produced by the Claviceps purpurea fungus which infects rye and other cereals, and more recently by the action of a number of ergoline-based drugs. ...

Old heathen rituals

The claimed dates of the main Sabbaths seem to correspond to those of the most important pre-Christian heathen festivals; and Scandinavians, Anglo-Saxons and Druids practised their rites in forests and mountains. These coincidences suggest that the Sabbath may have been remnants or revivals of those old pagan religions, which naturally were seen with alarm by the dominant Christian. (This view, incidentally, has been adopted by many Neo-Pagan movements.) Heathen is a term used both to describe a person who does not follow an organized religion, and also a modern practitioner of Heathenry. ... Neopaganism or Neo-Paganism [1] is any of a heterogeneous group of new religious movements, particularly those influenced by ancient, primarily pre-Christian and sometimes pre-Judaic religions. ...

Shamanism and African rituals

There are similarities between the alleged Sabbath rites and the ceremonies of shamanistic rites of Asian and spiritualist African religions, such as the Orisha cult of the Yorùbá, and of their New World derivatives (Voodoo, Santería, Candomblé, etc.). During these ceremonies — which are held late at night in isolated places — priests are said to be possessed by spirit-gods (Orisha), amid convulsions and grimaces; and then perform ritual dances in their honor. These priests are often women, especially at the highest ranks of priesthood. These ceremonies end with a ritual banquet with specific foods. Each Orisha who is to be incorporated must be summoned in advance by the sacrifice of an animal and a bird; the blood is poured on the Orisha's icon, certain parts (head, feet, some organs) are offered to the spirit, and the rest is cooked for the banquet. At night, the priests must attract the Orisha to the ceremonial court by placing there things that he likes: his favorite food, objects of his favorite color, his symbolic instruments, and his favorite live animal. Goats are said to be the favorite of many Orishas; and some of the symbolic instruments are broom-like sticks or spears decorated with straw bundles. It is equally important to exclude any food or thing that the Orisha hated. A shaman doctor of Kyzyl. ... Spiritualism is a religious movement, prominent from the 1840s to the 1920s, found primarily in English-speaking countries. ... This article is about a type of spirit. ... The mythology of the Yorùbá is sometimes claimed by its supporters to be one of the worlds oldest widely practised religions. ... DEFINITION OF VODOUN Ewe Vudusi, Togo West Africa The Vodoun (Vudu Voodoo Vodou Vodun Vaudou Vaudaux) religion at its cosmological, theological, ritual and philosophical core, is an African ancestral religion, practiced today largely in West Africa, Haiti and througout the Diaspora. ... Lukumí or Regla de Ocha, is most widely known as Santeria, (Santería in Spanish) is a set of related religious systems that fuse Catholic beliefs with traditional Yoruba beliefs. ... Ilê Axé Iya Nassô Oká - Terreiro da Casa Branca Candomblé is an Afro-American religion practiced chiefly in Brazil but also in adjacent countries. ... This article is about the medical condition. ... Marcus Aurelius and members of the Imperial family offer sacrifice in gratitude for success against Germanic tribes: contemporary bas-relief, Capitoline Museum, Rome Sacrifice (from a Middle English verb meaning to make sacred, from Old French, from Latin sacrificium : sacer, sacred; sacred + facere, to make) is commonly known as the... Phyla Subregnum Parazoa Porifera (sponges) Subregnum Agnotozoa Placozoa (trichoplax) Orthonectida (orthonectids) Rhombozoa (dicyemids) Subregnum Eumetazoa Radiata (unranked) (radial symmetry) Ctenophora (comb jellies) Cnidaria (coral, jellyfish, anemones) Bilateria (unranked) (bilateral symmetry) Acoelomorpha (basal) Orthonectida (parasitic to flatworms, echinoderms, etc. ... Orders Many - see section below. ...

In view of those resemblances, it seems at least possible that the Sabbaths of Europe were African cult ceremonies. (The attitude of the dominant Christian religions about the African cults in the Americas was not much different in principle than its attitude about the Sabbath in Europe; and some fundamentalist sects have used the above resemblances to condemn the Sabbath) In this theory, the African rituals could have been brought to Europe, e.g., by African slaves of the Romans, and later by the Moors in Spain; or by Europeans returning from the American and African colonies. Octavian, widely known as Augustus, founder of the Roman empire The Roman Empire was a phase of the ancient Roman civilization characterized by an autocratic form of government. ... It has been suggested that Moor religion be merged into this article or section. ...

The Sabbath in art

Famous painters like Luca Signorelli have been inspired by the Sabbath folklore, but perhaps the most known on the subject is Goya. The witches' sabbath on the Eve of Ivan Kupala inspired Modest Mussorgsky to create his Night on Bald Mountain. fresco of the Last Judgment (1499) in Orvieto Cathedral Luca Signorelli (c. ... Goyas self-portrait This article is about Francisco Goya, a Spanish painter. ... Ivan Kupala Day (Івана Купала, Ivana Kupala) is celebrated in Russia and Ukraine on 7 July. ... Mussorgskys celebrated portrait by Ilya Repin, painted only a few days before the composers death in 1881. ... Night on Bald Mountain is the common name for (Ivanova noch na Lisoy gore), a tone poem by Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky, a Russian composer and member of The Five, Mily Balakirevs group dedicated to producing a distinctly Russian kind of music. ...

See also

• Cult of Herodias
• Conspiracy theory
• Blood libel
• Jeanette Abadie
• Lysa Hora (paranormal), the legendary sabbath sites in Ukraine
• Neopaganism
• Neodruidism
• Asatru
• Wheel of the Year

The Cult of Herodias, in medieval folklore, was a coven of witches worshipping the Roman goddess Diana and the Biblical character Herodias. ... A conspiracy theory attempts to explain the ultimate cause of an event (usually a political, social, or historical event) as a secret, and often deceptive, plot by a covert alliance of powerful people or organizations rather than as an overt activity or as natural occurrence. ... Blood libels are allegations that a particular group kills people as a form of human sacrifice, and uses their blood in various rituals. ... Jeanette Abadie (or lAbadie) (born 1593) was a young woman of the village of Sibourre in Gascony, France, who was supposedly lured into witchcraft and was one of the principal witnesses concerning the supposed practices of the witches Sabbath. ... Lysa Hora or Bald Mountain (Ukrainian: Лиса Гора, Lysa Hora; Russian: Лысая Гора, Lysaya Gora) is a concept of East Slavic, and particularly Ukrainian, folk mythology related to witchcraft. ... Neopaganism or Neo-Paganism [1] is any of a heterogeneous group of new religious movements, particularly those influenced by ancient, primarily pre-Christian and sometimes pre-Judaic religions. ... Neo-druidism is an attempt to reconstruct the ancient religion of druidism. ... satr , also known as Odinism, describes a number of attempts to reconstruct the indigenous religions of Northern Europe. ... In Neopaganism, the Wheel of the Year is the natural cycle of the seasons, commemorated by the eight Sabbats. ...

External links

• Witch's Sabbath A gallery of historical images