Sacred Rites
Some of the medieval tales also associate Samhain with bonfires and this ritual.
What is sacrifice?
This is a classic "three wishes" story that doubles as a horror story and a cautionary tale; reminding us that unintended consequences often accompany the best intentions.
what is The Monkey's Paw
This is a Gaelic festival on 1 November marking the end of the harvest season in autumn and beginning of winter or the "darker half" of the year.
What is Samhain?
Most witches were thought to be pagans doing the work of this fallen angel. Many, however, were simply natural healers or so-called “wise women” whose choice of profession was misunderstood.
Who is the Devil?
At Samhain, the spirits were appeased with offerings of food and drink to ensure this.
People and livestock survive the winter
This is the title of Washington Irving's 1820 short story follows Ichabod Crane, a superstitious schoolmaster who vanishes after a terrifying encounter with the local legend, the Headless Horseman
What is "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow"
Samhain is a liminal or threshold festival, when the boundary between this world and the Otherworld is blurred, making contact with these more likely.
What are spirits and fairies?
It’s unclear exactly when witches came on the historical scene, but one of the earliest records of a witch is in this popular religious text. thought be written between 931 B.C. and 721 B.C. It tells the story of when King Saul sought the Witch of Endor to summon the dead prophet Samuel’s spirit to help him defeat the Philistine army.
What is the Bible?
thought be written between 931 B.C. and 721 B.C. It tells the story of when King Saul sought the Witch of Endor to summon the dead prophet Samuel’s spirit to help him defeat the Philistine army.
These activities were part of the festival from at least the early modern era, whereby people went door-to-door in costume, reciting verses in exchange for food.
what are mumming and guising
This is the iconic survival thriller in which a celebrated big-game hunter becomes the prey on a remote Caribbean island.
The Most Dangerous Game
Samhain is one of four Gaelic seasonal festivals, along with these other three.
What are Imbolc (~1 February), Bealtaine (~1 May), and Lughnasa (~1 August).
These began when two young girls began suffering from fits, body contortions and uncontrolled screaming. As more young women began to exhibit symptoms, mass hysteria ensued, and three women were accused of witchcraft: Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne and Tituba, an enslaved woman.
What are the Salem Witch Trials
These were a kind of imitative or sympathetic magic; mimicking the Sun, helping the "powers of growth" and holding back the decay and darkness of winter.
What are Bonfires?
This is a haunting psychological thriller about guilt and madness, as a murderer is driven to confession by the sound of his victim's beating heart.
The Tell-Tale Heart
Playing pranks at Samhain is recorded in the Scottish Highlands as far back as 1736 and was also common in Ireland, which led to Samhain getting this nickname.
What is Mischief Night?
Between the years 1500 and 1660, up to 80,000 suspected witches were put to death in Europe due to witch hysteria and this
What are witch hunts?
During this ritual, spirits from the Otherworld are invited to join the Samhain festivities.
What is the Feast for the Dead?
This story about a young married couple ends in tragedy when the husband disobeys his wife's request to remove her choker.
What is The Green Ribbon?
This religious group deem Samhain the most important of the four "greater Sabbats", seeing it as a time to celebrate the lives of those who have died, and it often involves paying respect to ancestors, family members, elders of the faith, friends, pets, and other loved ones who have died.
Who are Wiccans?
The two word witch's motto
What is "harm none"