Here they are, stamping furiously on the Holy Cross as a sign that they have abandoned their Christian faith – and now serve the Horned One and his evil ways. Once the pact with the devil has been made, your soul is sold. But the rewards of serving the Devil faithfully are tempting.
He grants witches the power of practising spells, charms and other magic – often assisted by a familiar. This assistant demon – often taking the shape of a cat, a dog, a toad or some other animal – helps the witch with her incantations and magic rituals.
Up through the 16th century, the tales of this evil conspiracy gains traction among European demonologists. Every expert has his own personal theory and explanation of how the persons accused of witchcraft have made this deal with the Devil. The many interrogations and confessions paint a motley, scary picture of the witches’ pacts with evil.
In Denmark, several of the accused admit to having summoned the Devil by walking thrice around a church and blowing through the keyhole, whereupon the Evil One has showed up in one of various guises – a black dog, a cat, or a farmhand for instance. Further south, in Central Europe, the infernal pact is sealed by a wedding between witches and demons.