Ancient Spring Rituals and the Witches Sabbat

Spring is well and truly upon us, and the flowers are starting to bloom. As the days grow longer and the nights begin to wane, our energy rises while the blossoms slowly unfurl. Around the world modern pagans officially celebrate this moment with festivals of fire on the 1st of May, known as Beltane which means ‘brilliant fire’ in Gaelic. The celebrations have their roots in the ancient druidic practices, but as we are currently experiencing an occult and pagan revival, more and more modern Beltane celebrations are taking part publicly around the world. From dancing around the Maypole to crowning the May Queen, these are celebrations of fertility, of frolicking around a fire, welcoming the coming of summer and the passing of spring.

In Germany however, the celebrations adopt a much darker and mysterious form. On the 30th of April, the night before Beltane, thousands of witches gather atop one of the largest mountains in Germany to hold a great Sabbat. They have done so for hundreds of years, and hopefully will continue to do so for hundreds more. For the 30th is Walpurgis Nacht, when the witches fly to the Brocken, to dance through the night and, according to local legend, commune with the devil.

But why has this time of year, in this part of the world, become associated with witches? For surely the time of the witch is Halloween. In this essay I wish to explore the connection between the arrival of summer with the Witches Sabbat, banish from it the darkness and reveal that it’s a celebration of light.

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The start of May has long been a time of fertile festivities and follicking, and originates from an age when people were more dependent upon the seasons for survival, pastoralists who were more in touch with nature. In those days, the year was drawn only into two seasons, Summer and Winter. With the fields finally ploughed and ready for Summer, animals were re released to their grazing pastures, while fires were lit to ward off any unwanted predators, as well as spirits. For it was also a time of different cosmologies, before Christianity had taken its hold and banished the faeries, the nymphs and Pan to the fringes of society and relegated them to the dark halls of Satanism.

Being six months after Samhain, or what is now more commonly known in popular parlance as Halloween, this is also seen as a moment when the veils between worlds are their thinnest – when people can commune with spirits from the other side. And perhaps ward some of them off too. In both the Germanic and Celtic world, the celebrations involve leaping and dancing around fires until dawn, excessive consumption of alcohol and embracing nature’s renewed fertile capacities with unbridled sexual activity. It was also customary for the women of the household to jump over their broomsticks, with it believed that the grain would grow as high as they could leap.

Today, the most famous (or infamous depending on how you wish to look at it) of Walpurgis celebrations are those held atop the Brocken – one of the highest mountains in Germany. In 1883 Jacob Grimm reported that “There is a mountain very high and bare…whereon it is given out that witches hold their dance on Walpurgis night” and it was said that on the 30th of April Witches fly atop the mountain to dance with the devil. This is a place already steeped in dark, mythic imagery – featuring two rock formations named “The Devil’s Pulpit” and The Witch’s Altar,” as well as reports of a ghostly apparition called the Brocken Spectre – a phenomenon where strange halos of light are seen around the mountain, caused by cloud formations atop the peak. It is also the setting of the chapter in Goethe’s Faust entitled Walpurgis Nacht.

‘To the Brocken’s tip the witches stream,

The stubble’s yellow, the seed is green.

There the crowd of us will meet.

Lord Urian has the highest seat.

So they go, over stones and sticks.

The stinking goat, the farting witch.’

Here Mephistopheles and Faust take a trip to the Harz mountains, and follow the flying witches to the peak and partake in their late night revelry of singing and dancing. The scene is filled with Witches and Wizards, both old and young, fair and hideous, as well as strange spirits and stinking beasts.

The origin of the name Walpurgis Nacht however, is far removed from witches and the occult, and surprisingly the celebration takes its name from an English nun Walpurga. Born in 710 A.D and the niece of St.Boniface, Walpurga was sent to Heddenheim in Germany to missionise the so-called Heathens who populated the land, communed with spirits and worshiped the seasons. She was canonised due to the unusual activities surrounding her death: it was reported that from her corpse oozed a powerful ointment of healing.

It is safe to assume the pagan practices of celebrating Spring preceded the arrival of this English nun in Germany, (or else why would she have been sent there as a missionary?) and as was the case with most Pagan festivals, these practices were frowned upon by the Church. However, when falling under the patronage of St.Walpurga, the celebrations were allowed to continue.

Over time, the myths surrounding St. Walpurga were infused with local pagan motifs and symbolism, and she often adopted the supernatural and immortal powers given to more traditional Germanic Goddesses. In his study of local folklore, E. L Rocholz1 recounts the tale that:

“Nine nights before the first of May is Walpurga in flight, unceasingly chased by wild ghosts and seeking a hiding place from village to village. People leave their windows open so she can be safe behind the cross-shaped windowpane struts from her roaring enemies. For this, she lays a little gold piece on the windowsill, and flees further.”

In local folklore, she became equated with Holda, a Germanic goddess seen as the Queen of Winter, associated with wheat, spinning, and later witchcraft, as evidenced by the fact that in many of Walpurga’s shrines can be found carvings of wheat and dogs, her animal familiar.2

It was only during the great Christian Inquisition that these pagan Spring rituals, amongst others, became linked with witchcraft and satanism; the plethora of pagan spirits and goddesses were reduced to a diabolical and demonic form. Through the lens of Christianity the Walpurgis Nacht celebrations were transformed into a diabolical romp with the Devil – led by wild women whose powerful position as healers, midwives and herbalists within the communities threatened the patriarchal hierarchy of the Church. Because most of these pagan beliefs were practiced by rural folk, the majority illiterate, the knowledge and customs were transmitted orally, and consequently, in the wake of the Great Pagan Purge by Christianity, much has been forgotten and lost to history. Charges of witchcraft became punishable by death, so the celebrations became shrouded in secrecy, and the Christian imagination was allowed to roam free, to corrupt the positive imagery of the festivities, inject it with fear and forever equate them with evil and darkness3.

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And so we have somewhat got to the bottom of the witch’s role in May Day celebrations – the Inquisition gave them a diabolical slant. But why is the figure of the witch important for the arrival of Summer? This seems particularly peculiar, because Holda is the Goddess of Winter. I now wish to dig a little deeper into ritual and mythology to trace the importance of these goddesses to spring. And why, whether viewed as a hideous hag, fair maiden or powerful woman, these figures are ones who demand our respect, and what can be learnt from these rituals.

Although in his Walpurgis Nacht chapter Goethe refers to much of the distorted Christian imagery, of hideous hags riding upon stinking beasts for a night of dark revelry and consorting with the Devil, he also sees them as a Spring celebration, making references to corn and fertility throughout. Furthermore, the text has allusions to another ancient ritual that celebrated the passing of winter and return of summer. These are the Eleusinian Mysteries, and like the Witches’ Sabbat, was a festival surrounded by secrecy. But rather than being shrouded in darkness, the celebrations were life affirming and filled with light.

And so now we fly to Ancient Greece, to learn of the Mysteries and the Homeric Hymn to Demeter!

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The Eleusinian Mysteries were held between 1450 BCE – 392 CE in Ancient Greece. Split into two ceremonies – the Lesser and The Greater Mysteries – the rituals attracted thousands each year who traveled far and wide to honor the Maiden and Mother, Persephone and Demeter. They were attended by great thinkers including Pythagoras, Plato, Aristotle, and Cicero – who claims that “nothing is Higher than these mysteries…they have not only shown us how to live joyfully, but taught us how to die with better hope!’

Initiates were sworn to secrecy, and breaking this vow was punishable by death, but through sculptures, artwork and stories, we can trace a rough outline and catch a glimpse of what the Mysteries entailed. At present I shall not delve too deeply, for now is only the time of the Lesser Mysteries – where initiates were merely purified and taught of the myth. It wasn’t until Autumn, the time of the Greater Mysteries, that worthy initiates were ready to fully experience the Truth.

The Mysteries were founded by and honoured Demeter, the Olympian immortal associated with grain, agriculture and fertility, sister of Zeus and mother of Kore.

As the story goes, Kore was kidnapped, and in some accounts raped, by Hades and transported to the underworld to become his bride. Wracked with grief and sorrow, Demeter wandered the Earth in search of her daughter, forgetting her duty to tend to the mortal’s crops. She came to the town of Eleusis where she was met by the old crone Baubo – who also appears in Goethe’s gathering atop the Brocken, riding a sow. A jester of sorts, Baubo briefly distracts Demeter from her misery by telling lewd jokes, lifting up her skirts and offering her a potent wheat infused brew. After this act of kindness, Demeter joins the house of Celseus, the King of Eleusis, to take care of his son Demophon. While taking care of the sickly child, she begins to transform him into an immortal, however, she is spied upon by the mother who is outraged at such an act.

After this brief stay at Eleusis, Demeter continues on with her search for her daughter, and is aided by the goddess Hecate, who heard the kidnapping from her cave. After taking her to visit Helios, the all seeing Sun God, Hecate leads Demeter through the underworld in order to rescue Kore. Because of Demeter’s negligence of the crops, withered by her all consuming sorrow, the mortals have been unable to make their usual offerings to the Gods, and so Zeus demands that Hades returns Kore. Unfortunately, during her time as Hades’ bride, Kore ate six pomegranate seeds, meaning that she is forever bound to him as Persephone, Queen of the Dead and Bringer of Doom.

So for 6 months of the year Persephone must remain in the underworld, and returns for the other 6, during summer making the who world bloom. During this time, Hecate dutifully takes her place as Queen of the dead. This is the myth which founds the idea of seasonal change and rebirth within the philosophy of Ancient Greece, as well as points to the idea of the cyclical nature of life and the immortality of the soul.4

The is much to say about Eleusis, which I shall refrain from doing so right now at risk of losing the way of the witches, but we can see clear connections between this Homeric Hymn and the Pagan festivals of Europe, both being a celebration of the seasons, of transformations and fertility. In Greece, the month of May is still today dedicated to Demeter and Persephone, often celebrated with women jumping over fires, like in Walpurgis Nacht festivities. But where is the connection with witches, you may cry!

An important figure in this myth, one who is often overlooked, is Hecate. Being pre-Olympian, she is one of the oldest Greek goddesses, and is associated with transformations, night time, childbirth, liminal spaces, as well as witchcraft and plant medicine. In the Homeric hymn, it is Hecate who guides Demeter through the underworld, and often depicted carrying two torches – she guides us through the darkness, so we may see the light.

In his studies of European folklore and practices, the historian Carlo Ginzburg claims that Hecate’s Germanic counterpart is none other than Holda, our Goddess who merged with Walpurga, and flew through the skies. Both Goddesses appear throughout literature in their triple form – maiden, mother and crone – their familiars are dogs, and throughout time, both became associated with evil sorcery.

Therefore, Walpurgis Nacht is the last day that these two Goddesses roam among us mortals, as Holda is the Queen of Winter, while Hecate must take Persephone’s place as the Queen of the Dead during Summer. They guide us through the Darkness of Winter and through the veil as we transition between seasons. At the end of this seasonal cycle, they adopt the figure of the Crone, the wise healing woman, or to Christians, a hideous devilish hag, viewed in such a way because they posed a great threat to their authority.

Finally, there are two last connections between the two practices, which in my opinion is the most interesting, and that is the use of plant medicines. Hecate was associated with many poisonous and psychoactive plants, including mandrakes and beladonna, and at the Greater Mysteries of Eleusis, initiates drank a special wheat brew known as Kykeon. Recent studies show that it is quite possible that this brew contained the ergot fungus, strains of which have a psychoactive function. And so it perhaps could be the case that the ancients were tripping balls as they learnt of the mysteries!5 Furthermore, the old tale of witches flying on broomsticks has recently been attributed to a special ointment containing deadly Nightshade, Hemlock and Wolfsbane. This ‘Witches’ Salve’ was used by European midwives to help induce labour, but as it contained many deadly poisons, it was not ingested orally, but rather applied to the highly sensitive parts of the genitals with the help of a broomstick. It was this salve which allowed the so called witches to fly on their brooms sticks to the Sabbath and meet with the spirits.6

Hallucinogens, endless dancing, and unbridled sexuality – no wonder the Christians wanted to demonise such practices!

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So why are these ancient practices worthy of our attention today? For surely, in our age of rationalist materialism, we should be beyond such superstitious nonsense of women flying on broomsticks, of meeting with goddesses and gaining wisdom from spirits? While the triumph of capitalism’s supposed mastery over nature should mean we no longer need to worry for the arrival of Winter, if we look at the world around us, climate change, rapid deforestation and over consumption, we can see that our lifestyle is certainly lacking something.

And if such practices were so revered by the great founders of Western epistemology, viewed as life affirming, allowing one to accept their own death with humility, and to dwell with the Gods, then perhaps there is an underappreciated wisdom in these myths to which we should pay closer attention.

So on this final night of winter, let us fly to the Brocken to frolic beneath the night skies, honour the crone who has guided us through the dark months of Winter and cherish the blossoms all around. Because, in the words of Mephistopheles:

‘There’s lots of room my friend,

Look over there! You can’t see it’s end.

A hundred fires, burning in a row.

They love, and drink, and dance, and chat.

Tell me where you’ll find better than that?’

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1. “Walburg, Verena und Gertrud als deutsche Kirchenheilige,’ E. L. Rochholz, 1870

2. Pagan Holidays: Walpurgis Night and how a British lady went from Catholic saint, to Germanic goddess, to witch and gave us a second Halloween’ – A Gothic Curiosity Cabinet

3. Ecstasies: Deciphering the Witches’ Sabbath, Carlo Ginzburg, 1989

4. Eleusis, Rosicrucian Digest, 2009

5. The Road to Eleusis, Wasson, Hofman, Ruck, 1976.

6. Breaking Open the Head, Pinchbeck, 2002.

Images in order: William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1825-1905) – The Youth of Bacchus / 2012 Beltane Fire Festival – The Red Beastie Drummers – on Calton Hill, Edinburgh, Scotland ©Stefan Schäfer, Lich / Lithograph by Dickman, / Jones & Hettrich / Author and Publisher – Catholic Online / Thesmophoria by Francis Davis Millet, 1894-1897, Brigham Young University Museum of Art