The Witches' Sabbath Quotes

“One of the major questions that arose in the mind of persecutors and writers was whether or not pregnancy could result from a human having sex with the Devil or some other demon. The general consensus was that, because of their non-corporeal bodies, these infernal spirits lacked the necessary components to impregnate a human woman. That being said, many texts cited the Dominican friar Thomas Aquinas, who explained how demons found a rather convoluted solution to this problem. According to Aquinas, a demon would first appear to a human man in the form of a woman in order to steal their semen. Said demon would then take that semen and, in the form of a man, inseminate a human woman. Thus, pregnancy could occur from such unholy unions, but the resulting child would not be a product of the demon itself.”
― Kelden, The Witches' Sabbath: An Exploration of History, Folklore & Modern Practice

“Agnes Sampson confessed that at her meeting in the North Berwick churchyard, the Witches danced to a reel that went, “Commer goe ye before, commer goe ye. Gif ye will not goe before, commer let me.”
― Kelden, The Witches' Sabbath: An Exploration of History, Folklore & Modern Practice

“When the Devil played, it was not always so melodious. For example, Scottish woman Isobel Cockie was accused of being at a Sabbath dance at which she grew displeased by the Devil’s awful music. Believing that she could play better than him, she boldly snatched away his instrument and began to play herself—surprisingly without any reprimand for her brash behavior.”
― Kelden, The Witches' Sabbath: An Exploration of History, Folklore & Modern Practice

“Isobel Gowdie provided a complete example of such a blessing, explaining how Alexander Elder was chosen to say grace before they ate: We eat this meat in The Divellis nam,
With sorrow, and sych, and meikle shame;
We sall destroy hows and hald;
Both sheip and noat in till the fald.
Litle good sall come to the for
Of all the rest of the little store!”
― Kelden, The Witches' Sabbath: An Exploration of History, Folklore & Modern Practice

“An illustrious account of an initiation that incorporated all three customs—renunciation, oath making, and baptism—comes from the confessions of Isobel Gowdie. According to her story, Gowdie met with the Devil and other Witches during the night at a church in Auldearn. Upon arriving, she first denied her Christian baptism. Then, crouching down, she placed one hand atop her head and the other beneath the soles of her feet. In this position she promised everything between her two hands to the Devil. Next, a coven member named Margaret Brodie presented Gowdie to the Devil for her infernal baptism. For this, the Devil marked Gowdie on the shoulder and sucked out some of her blood. He spit the blood into his hand and then sprinkled it over her head, proclaiming, “I baptize thee Janet!”
― Kelden, The Witches' Sabbath: An Exploration of History, Folklore & Modern Practice

“Furthermore, the initiate was often given a new name to replace the one they had received during their Christian baptism. This practice was particularly popular in Scotland but was also found in other countries as well. For example, in Germany, Walpurga Hausmännin confessed that during her initiation she was rebaptized and given the new name of Höfelin.”
― Kelden, The Witches' Sabbath: An Exploration of History, Folklore & Modern Practice

“Since the concept emerged, there have been countless artistic representations of the Sabbath and its various attendees. By far one of the most well-known of these works is Francisco Goya’s painting El Aquelarre. During the years 1797 and 1798, Goya created six oil paintings devoted to the theme of Witchcraft, including El Aquelarre. It is believed that these six paintings may have been commissioned by the Duke of Osuna, as he and his wife purchased the paintings shortly after they were completed. Goya’s depictions of Witches were, in part, a critical commentary on superstitious belief, which still persisted among rural communities and the lower-class even after the Age of Enlightenment had begun.”
― Kelden, The Witches' Sabbath: An Exploration of History, Folklore & Modern Practice

“In Spain, for example, Witches were given toads as familiars, and those creatures were present at the Sabbath, where they were closely watched by the children in attendance.”
― Kelden, The Witches' Sabbath: An Exploration of History, Folklore & Modern Practice

“In her appearance, the Sabbath Queen was normally characterized by her distinctive beauty and regal attire. Jeanette d’Abadie noted in her 1609 confession that the Devil always selected the prettiest women to be the Sabbath Queen.176 In Spain the queen was said to wear an elaborate gold chain around her neck, with each link along its length depicting the Devil’s face.177 Meanwhile, in Poland she was described as wearing a gold crown and being surrounded by children.178 In another Polish account, the queen’s crown was replaced by a pair of golden horns.179 Marion Grant of Aberdeen, Scotland, confessed in 1597 that she had attended dances at which the Devil was present with a woman dressed in a white waistcoat who was known as “Our Lady.” 180 Margaret Talzeor of Alloa, Scotland, mentioned in 1658 that there had been a mysterious woman at the Sabbath who was dressed in a green waistcoat with gray tails.”
― Kelden, The Witches' Sabbath: An Exploration of History, Folklore & Modern Practice

“When taking on bestial form at the Sabbath, the Devil seems to have had a preference for assuming the guise of a billy goat. Nicolas Remy explained that when the Devil wished to be worshiped by his disciples, he took on the form of a goat due to the fetid smell emitted by said creature.167 However, the animal shape chosen by the Devil was also reflective of variances in regional fauna. For example, at one of the Sabbath meetings attended by Isobel Gowdie, the Devil appeared as a roebuck.168 Meanwhile, a Polish man named Jan confessed in 1727 that the Devil had approached him in the guise of a wolf.”
― Kelden, The Witches' Sabbath: An Exploration of History, Folklore & Modern Practice

“Conversely, the Devil was also said to wear brightly colored clothing at times. The accused Witches of Mora, Sweden, claimed that the Devil appeared to them as a man with a red beard wearing a gray coat, gartered red and blue stockings, and a high crowned hat wrapped in linens of diverse colors.162 Meanwhile, Gonin Depertyt of Switzerland mentioned in his confession that the Devil came to the Sabbath dressed in red.163 Barbara Schluchter of Würzburg, Germany, confessed in 1617 that the Devil was a “beautiful young man with a black beard, red clothing, green stockings and black hat, with a red feather upon it.” 164 Additionally, the Devil was often described as exuding a sense of royalty—wearing fancy clothing and sitting upon a throne. For instance, Walpurga Hausmännin of Dillingen, Germany, confessed in 1587 that the Devil appeared as a big man with a gray beard, richly attired and sitting in a chair like a great prince.”
― Kelden, The Witches' Sabbath: An Exploration of History, Folklore & Modern Practice

“Hartlieb explained that the ointment was composed of seven herbs, which had to be collected on particular days of the week. These herbs included heliotrope (borage) collected on Sunday, Lunaria annua or rediviva (annual or perennial honesty) collected on Monday, Verbena (vervain) collected on Tuesday, Mercurialis (spurge) collected on Wednesday, Anthyllis barba-jovis (Jupiter’s beard) collected on Thursday, and Adiantum capillus-veneris (maidenhair fern) on Friday. The seventh herb, which was to be collected on Saturday, went unnamed, as Hartlieb did not want his readers attempting to recreate the ointment for themselves.”
― Kelden, The Witches' Sabbath: An Exploration of History, Folklore & Modern Practice

“Jeanette Clerc, an accused Witch from Geneva, Switzerland, confessed in 1539 that she rode to the Sabbath on a stick which she had enchanted by saying, “White stick, black stick, carry me where you should; go, in the Devil’s name, go!”
― Kelden, The Witches' Sabbath: An Exploration of History, Folklore & Modern Practice

“Impressively providing four days of significance, Issobell Smyth of Forfar, Scotland, confessed in 1661 that her coven met for their Sabbaths on “Candlemas, Rudday, Lambemas, and Hallomas.” 98 These dates were echoed by Isobel Gowdie, who confessed that her coven met quarterly.”
― Kelden, The Witches' Sabbath: An Exploration of History, Folklore & Modern Practice

“Jean Bodin suggested that Saturday was a particularly auspicious night for evil spirits. Meanwhile, Pierre de Lancre noted in his 1612 book Tableau de l’inconstance des mauvais anges et démons that the Devil desired to put himself before the worship of all others and in doing so made Thursday his chosen day for the Sabbath (he explained that the Turks worshipped on Friday, Jews on Saturday, and Christians on Sunday).”
― Kelden, The Witches' Sabbath: An Exploration of History, Folklore & Modern Practice

“However, there were also rare instances in which individuals confessed to attending daytime Sabbaths. For instance, Catharine de Nagiulle of Ustaritz, France, confessed that she had gone to the Sabbath at noon after falling asleep in church and being whisked away by the Devil.”
― Kelden, The Witches' Sabbath: An Exploration of History, Folklore & Modern Practice

“Other popular outdoor locations for the Sabbath included open areas such as meadows and fields. Accused Swedish Witches confessed to attending their Sabbaths at a place known as Blåkulla (modern spelling), which was described as being a large meadow, the ends of which no one could see.75 On the Spanish side of the Basque region, the Sabbath was referred to as the akelarre (aquelarre in Castilian Spanish), which translates to meadow (larre) of the billy goat (aker) and thus suggested a link to meetings in those regions having traditionally taken place in expansive grassy areas.76 In a similar vein, three accused Witches from Guernsey—Collette Du Mont, Marie Becquet, and Isabel Becquet—confessed in 1617 that they had assembled together with the Devil upon an open stretch of seashore.77 Meanwhile, other Witches gathered in places with more natural covering, such as those of Italian folklore who were said to congregate under the branches of a certain walnut tree in the town of Benevento.78 Likewise, Mary Green of Somerset, England, confessed in 1665 that she and her coven of Witches met in the forest at a spot known as “Hussey’s Knap.” 79”
― Kelden, The Witches' Sabbath: An Exploration of History, Folklore & Modern Practice

“Perhaps two of the most popular destinations for the Sabbath were mountains and hills, both of which featured in countless trial confessions across different geographical locations. In Slavic regions, such as Poland and Russia, Witches were believed to meet atop Bald Mountain—a term which was used generically to describe several different mountains or hills upon which little to no plant life grew. Polish Witches were said to meet atop Łysa Góra (literally meaning Bald Mountain), a hill in the Świętokrzyskie Mountains. Witches from central France were thought to gather at the top of a mountain lava dome known as Puy-de-Dôme. An accused Frenchwoman named Jeanne Boisdeau confessed in 1594 that she rode her broomstick on the winds of the night to the summit of Puy-de-Dôme, where she gathered in a large circle with other Witches.74 In German folklore, Sabbaths were purported to be held on the Blocksberg (known today as the Brocken), the highest peak in the Harz Mountains.”
― Kelden, The Witches' Sabbath: An Exploration of History, Folklore & Modern Practice

“At the center of Chumbley’s tradition is the imagery of the Witches’ Sabbath, which he described as “an astral or dream convocation of magical ritualists’ souls, animal selves, and a vast array of spirits, faeries and Otherworldly beings.” The Sabbath is seen as existing at the “crossroads of waking, sleeping and mundane dreaming.”
― Kelden, The Witches' Sabbath: An Exploration of History, Folklore & Modern Practice

“While still in his teens, Chumbley began working on his first book, and what would become his magnum opus, Azoëtia: The Grimoire of the Sabbatic Craft. This book, which contained the beliefs and practices of Chumbley’s emerging tradition, was completed and published in 1992. It has been noted that Chumbley was inspired by Austin Osman Spare and that during the 1990s, he operated a magical lodge that had affiliations with Kenneth Grant’s Typhonian OTO group. Additionally, Chumbley’s tradition was greatly influenced by other magical systems, including Sufism, left-hand tantra, Thelema, Voudon, Yezidism, Gnosticism, and Arabic magic, as well as Aztec, Sumerian, and Egyptian mythology.”
― Kelden, The Witches' Sabbath: An Exploration of History, Folklore & Modern Practice

“Kenneth’s views of the Witches’ Sabbath were similar to Spare’s, albeit more fleshed out—at least in written form. His ideas regarding the Sabbath are best recorded in one of his and Steffi’s manuscripts (known collectively at the Carfax Monographs) entitled Vinum Sabbati (1961). Within the document, Grant wrote that “most medieval Sabbatic symbolism has reference to the astral plane where the transformations so frequently described in the literature of witchcraft were actually enacted.” 69 Transformation occurred through atavistic resurgence—a concept previously espoused by Spare in which one follows a psychomagical path leading backward into the depths of time, effectively merging with the universal consciousness.”
― Kelden, The Witches' Sabbath: An Exploration of History, Folklore & Modern Practice

“In August of 1954, Gerald Gardner sent one of his high priestesses, Doreen Valiente, to inquire about Spare’s magical services as a talismanic artist. A letter Spare wrote after his visit with Valiente sheds light on the disparities between his vision of the Sabbath and Gardner’s. In the letter, and typical of Spare’s latent misogyny, he described Valiente, who had used the false name of Diana Walden, as a “myopic stalky nymph.” He went on to dismissively point out that “she believed the ‘Witches’ Sabbath was a sort of Folk dance of pretty young things.” 65 Spare was formally introduced to Gerald Gardner a month later, and it was noted that the two did not get along.”
― Kelden, The Witches' Sabbath: An Exploration of History, Folklore & Modern Practice

“Despite the validity of these critiques, it’s hard to ignore the hints of misogyny contained in the voices of Murray’s predominantly male detractors. The wound is further salted when considering the fact that the Witch-Cult Hypothesis’s early proponents—who appear to have escaped much of the academic aspersion—were almost exclusively male. But while Murray’s work was met with harsh skepticism among her academic colleagues, the Witch-Cult Hypothesis would go on to find salience in the minds of others.”
― Kelden, The Witches' Sabbath: An Exploration of History, Folklore & Modern Practice

“He went on to explain how paganism had lingered among the common people but that it had been denounced by the upper class as being Satanism. In response, the peasantry adapted by ironically becoming literal Devil-worshippers. Jarcke’s ideas went on to influence Franz Josef Mone, a German historian. In 1839, Mone published a paper entitled Uber das Hexenwesen in which he adopted and altered Jarcke’s claims. Seeking to defend the honor of his country’s past, Mone purported that the pre-Christian religion was not Germanic in origin but rather a foreign import. He explained that this religion was a bastardization of the classical mystery cults of Hecate and Dionysos and had been introduced by Greek slaves. In line with the early iterations of Sabbath folklore, the supposed religion focused on the worship of a goat-like god, nocturnal orgies, sorcery, and poisoning.”
― Kelden, The Witches' Sabbath: An Exploration of History, Folklore & Modern Practice

“The first iteration of the Witch-Cult Hypothesis can be found in the writings of Girolamo Tartarotti, an Italian abbot and writer on the subject of Witchcraft. In 1749, Tartarotti penned a text entitled Del Congresso Notturno delle Lammie, in which he attempted to find the midground between superstition and skepticism regarding Witchcraft. It was within his book that Tartarotti rather boldly commented, “The witches of our time are derived from, and are the offspring of, the ancient ones, who were followers of Diana, and Erodiade, and that their crime is witchcraft, just as it was in the past.” 49 His statement was extremely controversial in that by suggesting the practice of Witchcraft was a remnant of ancient paganism, Tartarotti was breaking from the Church’s image of Witches being Devil-worshippers. In response, the Church admonished Tartarotti, and he was eventually forced to issue a retraction in 1751 entitled Apologia del Congresso Notturno delle Lammie. Despite the apology, the seeds of Tararotti’s initial claims rapidly spread and would soon sprout in the minds of other like-minded individuals.”
― Kelden, The Witches' Sabbath: An Exploration of History, Folklore & Modern Practice

“In Great Britain specifically, the previous laws were replaced with a new act in 1735 under which the supposed practice of Witchcraft was no longer considered a capital offense. Instead, the Witchcraft Act of 1735 focused on punishing, through fines and jail time, those who claimed to have magical powers—not because they were believed to be a legitimate supernatural threat but because they were considered con artists.”
― Kelden, The Witches' Sabbath: An Exploration of History, Folklore & Modern Practice

“Johannes Agricola explained how the troop was preceded by an old man named Loyal Eckhart. This man went about commanding people to move back, suggesting that some return to their homes if they wished to avoid misfortune. A century prior, in 1497, an Italian man named Zuanne della Piatte testified that he had visited the Mountain of Venus, where he met Eckhart along with Dame Herodias.”
― Kelden, The Witches' Sabbath: An Exploration of History, Folklore & Modern Practice

“Historian Carlo Ginzburg referred to this supernatural hunt when he stated that the folkloric nucleus of the Sabbath lies in the ancient theme of the living making ecstatic journeys into the realm of the dead.”
― Kelden, The Witches' Sabbath: An Exploration of History, Folklore & Modern Practice

“The Faerie Sabbath was also present in Italy, particularly in Sicily during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. It was here that a specific folklore developed regarding the doñas de fuera, or the “ladies from the outside.” These ladies included faeries and the human women who associated with them. In many ways, the Sicilian faerie women resembled stereotypical Witches, and the Spanish people actually used the terms brujas and doñas de fuera interchangeably. Specifically, the doñas de fuera were said to gather in groups known as companies, which were led by the Reina de las Hadas, or the Queen of the Faeries.”
― Kelden, The Witches' Sabbath: An Exploration of History, Folklore & Modern Practice

“Isobel Gowdie of Auldearn, Scotland, confessed in 1662 that she had gone to the Downie-Hills and received meat from the “Qwein of Fearrie.” She described the queen as being elegantly dressed in white and brown clothes. She also mentioned a “King of Faerrie,” who was a fine-looking man, being well favored and having a broad face.”
― Kelden, The Witches' Sabbath: An Exploration of History, Folklore & Modern Practice