The idea of aerial navigation by people accused of witchcraft is a recurring motif in early fashionable European folklore and witch trials. Typically depicted as nocturnal journeys to gatherings often called sabbats, these alleged flights often concerned using magical ointments or enchanted objects like broomsticks. A traditional instance includes an accused witch recounting a dreamlike expertise of hovering by means of the evening sky to attend a clandestine assembly with different practitioners of magic.
This imagery served a number of functions within the context of witch hunts. It offered a tangible manifestation of the perceived menace posed by witchcraft, reinforcing anxieties about unseen forces and secret gatherings. Descriptions of those nocturnal excursions typically integrated parts of conventional folklore and standard beliefs about magic, solidifying the affiliation between witchcraft and diabolism within the public creativeness. Moreover, confessions of such flights, typically induced by torture or main questions, served as proof in witch trials, contributing to the persecution and execution of numerous people. The enduring picture continues to affect fashionable depictions of witchcraft in standard tradition.
