Representation of Sabbath gatherings from the chronicles of Johann Jakob Wick. The Wickiana by Johann Jakob Wick of Zürich (1522-1588 is a collection of notices assembled in 24 volumes between 1560 and 1587

The Witches' Sabbath or Sabbat is a supposed meeting of those who practice witchcraft, Satanism, or other rites. Witchcraft, in various historical anthropological religious and mythological contexts is the use of certain kinds of Supernatural or magical powers For other uses of the word see Satanism (disambiguation. Satanism can refer to a number of belief systems depending on the user and context

European records tell of innumerable cases of persons being accused or tried for taking part in Sabbat gatherings, from the Middle Ages to the 17th century or later. However, there are no reliable reports on what actually happened during a Sabbat; and much of what was written about them may be the product of popular imagination or deliberate misinformation.

The Sabbat in history

Although allusions to Sabbats were made by the Catholic Canon (law) since about 905, the first book that mentions the Sabbat is, theoretically, Canon Episcopi, included in Burchard of Worms's collection in the 11th century. The Canon Episcopi is an important document in the history of Witchcraft. Burchard of Worms (c950 – August 20 1025) was the Roman Catholic Bishop of Worms in the Holy Roman Empire, and author of a The Canon Episcopi alleged that "Diana's rides," (by the name of the Roman goddess of the hunt) were false, and that these spirit travels did not occur in reality. In Roman mythology, Diana was the goddess of the hunt, being associated with wild animals and woodland and also of the Moon. An out-of-body experience ( OBE or sometimes OOBE) is an experience that typically involves a sensation of floating outside of one's body and in some cases perceiving Errores Gazariorum later evoked Sabbat, in 1452.

In the 13th century the accusation of participation in a Sabbat was considered very serious. Some allusions to meetings of witches with demons are made in the Malleus Maleficarum (1486). The Malleus Maleficarum (Latin for "The Hammer of Witches" or "Hexenhammer" in German is a famous treatise on Witches written in 1486 by Nevertheless, it was during the Renaissance when Sabbat folklore was most popular, more books on them were published, and more people lost their lives when accused of participating. Commentarius de Maleficius (1622), by Peter Binsfeld, cites accusation of participation in Sabbats as a proof of guiltiness in an accusation for the practice of witchcraft. Peter Binsfeld (alternate spelling Peter Binsfield, lat Petrus Binsfeldius) (c

What has been said about the Sabbat

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 Sabbat, 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. 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 Sabbats, preferably children, and also human bones stewed in a special way. Hans Baldung known as Hans Baldung Grien/Grün (c 1480 - 1545 Pierre de Rostegny, Lord of De Lancre aka De Lancre (1553 - 1631 was a French Jurist. 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.

The most common belief on which authors agreed is that Satan was present at the Sabbat, often as a goat or satyr, and many agreed that more demons were present. The domestic goat ( Capra aegagrus hircus) is a subspecies of goat Domesticated from the Wild goat of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe In Greek mythology, satyrs (Σάτυροι Satyroi) are a troop of male companions of Pan and Dionysus – " Satyresses quot 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). Mediumship is a practice in religious beliefs such as Spiritualism, Spiritism, Espiritismo, Candomblé, Louisiana Voodoo, and Demonic possession is often the term used to describe the control over a human form by Satan himself or one of his assigned advocates It was believed that the Sabbat 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. Midnight is literally "the middle of the night" In most systems it is when one day ends and the next begins when the date changes Dawn refers to the Twilight before Sunrise. It is recognized by the presence of weak sunlight while the sun itself is still below the horizon A procession (via Middle English processioun, French procession, derived from Latin processio, itself from procedere, to go forth advance A banquet is a large public meal or feast complete with main courses and desserts LaVeyan An orgy (όργιον was a secret cultic congregation at nighttime in Ancient Greek religion, overseen by an orgiophant (a teacher or revealer of Consumption of hallucinogens and sometimes alcohol was often reported. The general group of pharmacological agents commonly known as hallucinogens can be divided into three broad categories Psychedelics, Dissociatives In Chemistry, an alcohol is any Organic compound in which a Hydroxyl group ( - O[[hydrogen H]]) is bound to a Carbon

Location

According to folklore, the Sabbat 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, Carignano, Puy-de-Dôme (France), Blocksberg, Melibäus, the Black Forest, (Germany), the Bald Mount (Poland), Vaspaku, Zäbern, Kopastatö (Hungary), and more, but it was also said that Stonehenge (England) was a place for Sabbats. Carignano is a Comune (municipality in the Province of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 20 km south of Turin Puy-de-Dôme ( lo Puèi de Doma / lo Puèi Domat in the Auvergnat dialect of the Occitan language is a department This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The Brocken, or Blocksberg, is the highest peak in the Harz Mountains in Germany and also the highest peak of Northern Germany; it is located For the suburb of Adelaide, please see Black Forest South Australia; for the CDP in Colorado, please see Black Forest Colorado. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland Hungary (Magyarország 'mɔɟɔrorsaːg) officially in English the Republic of Hungary ( Magyar Köztársaság, literally Magyar (Hungarian Republic Stonehenge is a Prehistoric Monument located in the English county of Wiltshire, about west of Amesbury and north of Salisbury England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland In the Basque country the Sabbat (there called Akelarre, or 'field of the goat') was said to be celebrated in isolated fields. Akelarre is the Basque term meaning sabbat or ritual meeting of Witches It is also found in Spanish with the spelling aquelarre.

Dates

There is no agreement among authors concerning the dates on which the Sabbats 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 Sabbat, Walpurgis Night), August 1 (lammas), November 1 (Halloween, commencing on October 30's eve), Easter, and Christmas. Walpurgis Night is a traditional religious holiday (celebrated by Pagans Roman Catholics and Satanists ref> About the Church of Satan alike celebrated Halloween, or Hallowe’en, is a Holiday celebrated on the night of October 31. Easter ( Greek: Πάσχα Pascha or Pasxa) is the most important religious feast in the Christian Liturgical year. 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. Good Friday, also called Holy Friday or Great Friday, is the Friday preceding Easter Sunday ("Pascha" Saint John the Apostle ( Greek Ιωάννης, see Names of John) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. Thomas the Apostle, also called Judas Thomas, Doubting Thomas, or Didymus, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. Corpus Christi ( Latin for Body of Christ) is a Christian feast. and others.

According to the testimonies of benandanti and similar European groups (see below), common dates for gatherings are during the weeks of the Ember days, during the twelve days of Christmas or at Pentecost. In the Liturgical calendar of the Western Christian churches, Ember days are four separate sets of three days within the same week&mdashspecifically the The Twelve Days of Christmas, and the associated evenings of those twelve days (Twelve-tide are the festive days beginning the evening of Christmas Day ( December 25 Pentecost (πεντηκοστή, pentekostē, "the fiftieth day" is one of the prominent feasts in the Christian Liturgical year, celebrated the

Disputed accuracy of the accounts

The descriptions of Sabbats were made or published by priests, jurists and judges who never took part in these gatherings, or were transcribed during the process of the witchcraft trials. "Witch trial" redirects here For the song by Rush, see Fear series. That these testimonies reflect actual events is for most of the accounts considered doubtful. Norman Cohn argued that they were determined largely by the expectations of the interrogators and free association on the part of the accused, and reflect only popular imagination of the times, influenced by ignorance, fear, and religious intolerance towards minority groups. Fear is an Emotional response to Threats and Danger. It is a basic survival mechanism occurring in response to a specific Stimulus, such as ^[1] Some of the existing accounts of the Sabbat were given when the person recounting them was being tortured. Torture, according to the United Nations Convention Against Torture, is "any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental is intentionally ^[2] and so motivated to agree with suggestions put to them.

Many of the diabolical elements of the Witches' Sabbath stereotype, such as the eating of babies, poisoning of wells or kissing the devil's anus, were also made about heretical Christian sects, lepers, muslims and Jews^[3] (see blood libel). Leprosy (from the Greek lepi (λέπι meaning scales on a fish or Hansen's disease, is a chronic disease caused by the bacterium A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut Blood libels are sensationalized allegations that a person or group engages in Human sacrifice, often accompanied by the claim that the Blood of victims is used in The term 'Sabbath' is the same as the normal English word 'Sabbath', referring to the witches' equivalent to the Christian day of rest; a more common term was synagogue, possibly reflecting anti-Jewish sentiment, although the acts attributed to witches bear little resemblance to Christian or Jewish Sabbath customs. The Errorez Gazariorum (the Errors of the Cathars) which mentions the Sabbath, while not discussing the actual behaviour of the Cathars, is named after them, in an attempt to link these stories to a heretical Christian group. ^[4]

Christian missionaries' attitude to African cults was not much different in principle to their attitude to the Witches' Sabbath in Europe; some accounts viewed them as a kind of Witches' Sabbath, but they are not. ^[5] Some African communities believe in witchcraft, but as in the European witch trials, people they believe to be "witches" are condemned rather than embraced.

Possible connections to real groups

Other historians, including Carlo Ginzburg, Éva Pócs, Bengt Ankarloo and Gustav Henningsen hold that these testimonies can give insights into the belief systems of the accused. Carlo Ginzburg is a noted historian and pioneer of Microhistory. Éva Pócs (born 1936 is associate professor in the Department of Ethnography and Cultural Anthropology at Janus Pannonius University, Pécs, Hungary, Ginzburg famously discovered records of a group of individuals in northern Italy, calling themselves benandanti, who believed that they went out of their bodies in spirit and fought amongst the clouds against evil spirits to secure prosperity for their villages, or congregated at large feasts presided over by a goddess, where she taught them magic and performed divinations. The Benandanti ("Good Walkers" were an agrarian Fertility cult in the Friuli district of Northern Italy in the 16th and 17th centuries ^[3] Similar testimonies have been discovered throughout much of Europe, from the armiers of the Pyrenees, from the followers of Signora Oriente in 14th century Milan and the followers of Richella and 'the wise Sibillia' in 15th century northern Italy, and much further afield, from Livonian werewolves, Dalmatian kresniki, Hungarian táltos, Romanian căluşari and Ossetian burkudzauta. The Pyrenees (Pirineos French: Pyrénées; Catalan: Pirineus; Occitan: Pirenèus; Aragonese: Perinés Madonna Oriente or Signora Oriente (Lady of the East, also known as La Signora del Gioco (The Lady of the Game, are names of an alleged religious Milan (Milano Milan (listen) is one of the largest cities in Italy, located in the plains of Lombardy. UserPolbot. --> Richella is a genus of Plant in family Annonaceae. Livonia (Līvõmō Latvian and Livonija Estonian: Liivimaa; Finnish: Liivinmaa; German and Swedish: Livland See also Lycanthropy (disambiguation Werewolves, also known as lycanthropes, are mythological or folkloric humans with the ability to Dalmatia ( Croatian: Dalmacija, see names in other languages) is a region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea, situated mostly in modern Krsnik is a Slavic fire god, or a Slovenian shaman whose spirit wanders from the body in the form of an animal Hungary (Magyarország 'mɔɟɔrorsaːg) officially in English the Republic of Hungary ( Magyar Köztársaság, literally Magyar (Hungarian Republic The táltos (also "tátos" (Pron 'tal-tosh is a figure in ancient Hungarian mythology similar to a Shaman. Romania ( dated: Rumania, Roumania The căluşari (/kəlu'ʃarʲ/ is the Romanian word for participants in a traditional Folk dance, the căluş, nowadays mainly found in Southern The Ossetians (ирæттæ irættæ are an Iranic Ethnic group indigenous to Ossetia, a region that spans the Caucasus Mountains The meetings described by these people seem to have mostly been out of body experiences, and it is unknown whether they ever congregated physically.

The events at a Witches' Sabbath are believed by some to derive from events in pre-Christian shamanism^[6] religions, which naturally were seen with alarm by the dominant Christian. This view, incidentally, has been adopted by some Neo-Pagans. Neopaganism or Neo-Paganism is an Umbrella term used to identify a wide variety of modern religious movements particularly those influenced by historical

Sources

• Harner, Michael (1973). Hallucinogens and Shamanism.   - See the chapter "The Role of Hallucinogenic Plants in European Witchcraft"
• Michelet, Jules (1862). Jules Michelet ( 21 August 1798 &ndash 9 February 1874) was a French Historian. Satanism and Witchcraft: The Classic Study of Medieval Superstition. ' Satanism and Witchcraft' (originally La Sorcière) is a book by Jules Michelet on the history of Witchcraft, published originally in French ISBN 978-0806500591.   The first modern attempt to outline the details of the medieval Witches' Sabbath.

References

See also

• Witchcraft
• Akelarre
• Sorginak
• Witch-hunt