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An illustration of Witches' Sabbath by Martin van Maële, from the 1911 edition of the book La Sorcière, by Jules Michelet. A Witches' Sabbath is a purported gathering of those believed to practice witchcraft and other rituals. The phrase became especially popular in the 20th century.
The term esbat is derived from Old French s'esbattre (Modern French ébat), meaning to frolic and amuse oneself, diversion. [6] [7] It was a borrowing by 20th century anthropologist Margaret Murray's use of French witch trial sources on supposed Witches' Sabbaths in her attempts to "reconstruct" a Witch Cult in Western Europe.
Sølve Nilsdatter confessed during the interrogations in January that, in the Christmas of 1661, a gigantic witches' sabbath had been held at Dovrefjell mountain in southern Norway, where the witches had arrived in the shapes of dogs and cats to drink and dance with Satan, who appeared in the shape of a black dog. When Margrette Jonsdotter ...
Witches' Sabbath at the Blocksberg, Johannes Praetorius, Leipzig, 1668 Detail of the stone labyrinth on the Swedish islet of Blå Jungfrun. Blockula (Blåkulla in modern Swedish, translated to "Blue Hill") was a legendary island where the Devil held his Earthly court during a witches' Sabbath. It was described as containing a massive meadow ...
Witches' Sabbath (1798), by Francisco Goya. Akelarre is a Basque term meaning Witches' Sabbath (a gathering of those practicing witchcraft). Akerra means male goat in the Basque language. Witches' sabbaths were envisioned as presided over by a goat. The word has been loaned to Castilian Spanish (which uses the spelling Aquelarre).
Although originally considered an impossibility, witches' flight was essential to making the Witches' Sabbath and the subsequent witch hunts possible. Sabbaths were generally thought to take place far away from where witches lived. [4] Therefore, in order to attend a Sabbath, witches needed to be able to cross large distances in a short amount ...
The osculum infame illustrated in Francesco Maria Guazzo's Compendium maleficarum of 1608 Sixteenth-century Swiss depiction of the Witches' Sabbath from the chronicles of Johann Jakob Wick. Note witch performing the osculum infame, not upon Satan himself (enthroned above), but upon one of his attendant demons who has lowered his trunk hose for ...
The witch could also start her own slander trial against the accusers, which could prevent a witch trial. If the witch's honour could not be restored in this way, a formal witch trial would follow. The accusers would have to show evidence to the court. Damages would have to be proved with the help of witnesses, or otherwise the witch would go free.