They fly there, straddling pitchforks, brooms, billy goats, even dogs. All the way to the top of the mountain where they gather to celebrate evil – with the Devil himself as their guest of honour. A perverted Sabbath indulging in child murder and cannibalism alongside blasphemous rituals and sexual acts with possessed animals or demons.
Many demonologists – experts on witches and demons – are convinced that witches gather for these unholy festivals on hilltops or mountains around Europe. Every country has its own terrifying tale of the witches’ get-togethers – but all of them have one thing in common: The witches’ Sabbath is described as a dark and twisted reflection of virtuous, Christian life.
Though many witches admit to having attended a Sabbath – or at least to having danced with other witches in smaller groups in churchyards or even in their own homes – a number of experts reject the notion of the Sabbath. The incredible stories of witches flying to a gathering on farming implements rubbed with a magical ointment seem too far-fetched for some.
These notions are most common in Catholic countries and quite rare elsewhere, such as in Denmark-Norway and England.