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Witches' Sabbath
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Witches' Sabbath
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 most infamous and influential work of witch-hunting lore, Malleus Maleficarum (1486), does not contain the word sabbath (sabbatum).
The first recorded English use of sabbath referring to sorcery was in 1660, in Francis Brooke's translation of Vincent Le Blanc's book The World Surveyed: "Divers Sorcerers [...] have confessed that in their Sabbaths [...] they feed on such fare." The phrase "Witches' Sabbath" appeared in a 1613 translation by "W.B." of Sébastien Michaëlis's Admirable History of Possession and Conversion of a Penitent Woman: "He also said to Magdalene, Art not thou an accursed woman, that the Witches Sabbath [French: le Sabath] is kept here?"
The phrase is used by Henry Charles Lea in his History of the Inquisition of the Middle Ages (1888). Writing in 1900, German historian Joseph Hansen, who was a correspondent and a German translator of Lea's work, frequently uses the shorthand phrase Hexensabbat to interpret medieval trial records, though any consistently recurring term is noticeably rare in the copious Latin sources Hansen also provides (see more on various Latin synonyms, below).
Lea and Hansen's influence may have led to a much broader use of the shorthand phrase, including in English. Prior to Hansen, use of the term by German historians also seems to have been relatively rare. Two compilations of German folklore by Jakob Grimm in the 1800s (Kinder- und Hausmärchen, Deutsche Mythologie) seem to contain no mention of Hexensabbat or any other form of the term Sabbat relative to fairies or magical acts. The contemporary of Grimm and early historian of witchcraft, W. G. Soldan, also does not seem to use the term in his history (1843).[citation needed]
In contrast to German and English counterparts, French writers (including Francophone authors writing in Latin) used the term more frequently, albeit still relatively rarely. There seems to be deep roots to inquisitorial persecution of the Waldensians.[citation needed] In 1124, the term inzabbatos is used to describe the Waldensians in Northern Spain. In 1438 and 1460, seemingly related terms synagogam and synagogue of Sathan are used to describe Waldensians by inquisitors in France. These terms could be a reference to Revelation 2:9 ("I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan"). Writing in Latin in 1458, Francophone author Nicolas Jacquier applies synagogam fasciniorum to what he considers a gathering of witches.
About 150 years later, near the peak of the witch-phobia and the persecutions which led to the execution of an estimated 40,000–100,000 persons,[publisher missing][publisher missing] with roughly 80% being women, the Francophone writers still seem to be the main ones using these related terms, although still infrequently and sporadically in most cases. Lambert Daneau uses sabbatha one time (1581) as Synagogas quas Satanica sabbatha. Nicholas Remi uses the term occasionally as well as synagoga (1588). Jean Bodin uses the term three times (1580) and, across the channel, the Englishman Reginald Scot (1585) writing a book in opposition to witch-phobia, uses the term but only once in quoting Bodin.
In 1611, Jacques Fontaine uses sabat five times writing in French and in a way that would seem to correspond with modern usage. The following year (1612), Pierre de Lancre seems to use the term more frequently than anyone before.
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Witches' Sabbath
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 most infamous and influential work of witch-hunting lore, Malleus Maleficarum (1486), does not contain the word sabbath (sabbatum).
The first recorded English use of sabbath referring to sorcery was in 1660, in Francis Brooke's translation of Vincent Le Blanc's book The World Surveyed: "Divers Sorcerers [...] have confessed that in their Sabbaths [...] they feed on such fare." The phrase "Witches' Sabbath" appeared in a 1613 translation by "W.B." of Sébastien Michaëlis's Admirable History of Possession and Conversion of a Penitent Woman: "He also said to Magdalene, Art not thou an accursed woman, that the Witches Sabbath [French: le Sabath] is kept here?"
The phrase is used by Henry Charles Lea in his History of the Inquisition of the Middle Ages (1888). Writing in 1900, German historian Joseph Hansen, who was a correspondent and a German translator of Lea's work, frequently uses the shorthand phrase Hexensabbat to interpret medieval trial records, though any consistently recurring term is noticeably rare in the copious Latin sources Hansen also provides (see more on various Latin synonyms, below).
Lea and Hansen's influence may have led to a much broader use of the shorthand phrase, including in English. Prior to Hansen, use of the term by German historians also seems to have been relatively rare. Two compilations of German folklore by Jakob Grimm in the 1800s (Kinder- und Hausmärchen, Deutsche Mythologie) seem to contain no mention of Hexensabbat or any other form of the term Sabbat relative to fairies or magical acts. The contemporary of Grimm and early historian of witchcraft, W. G. Soldan, also does not seem to use the term in his history (1843).[citation needed]
In contrast to German and English counterparts, French writers (including Francophone authors writing in Latin) used the term more frequently, albeit still relatively rarely. There seems to be deep roots to inquisitorial persecution of the Waldensians.[citation needed] In 1124, the term inzabbatos is used to describe the Waldensians in Northern Spain. In 1438 and 1460, seemingly related terms synagogam and synagogue of Sathan are used to describe Waldensians by inquisitors in France. These terms could be a reference to Revelation 2:9 ("I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan"). Writing in Latin in 1458, Francophone author Nicolas Jacquier applies synagogam fasciniorum to what he considers a gathering of witches.
About 150 years later, near the peak of the witch-phobia and the persecutions which led to the execution of an estimated 40,000–100,000 persons,[publisher missing][publisher missing] with roughly 80% being women, the Francophone writers still seem to be the main ones using these related terms, although still infrequently and sporadically in most cases. Lambert Daneau uses sabbatha one time (1581) as Synagogas quas Satanica sabbatha. Nicholas Remi uses the term occasionally as well as synagoga (1588). Jean Bodin uses the term three times (1580) and, across the channel, the Englishman Reginald Scot (1585) writing a book in opposition to witch-phobia, uses the term but only once in quoting Bodin.
In 1611, Jacques Fontaine uses sabat five times writing in French and in a way that would seem to correspond with modern usage. The following year (1612), Pierre de Lancre seems to use the term more frequently than anyone before.
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