Concept in Definition ABC

This term comes from Euskera, the language spoken in the Basque Country, an autonomous region located in the north of Spain. Its original meaning refers to the male goat, the animal that symbolizes the devil. As for its meaning, a coven is a gathering of witches who gather to worship the devil and perform spells in his name.

Written testimonies and popular beliefs

The only written testimonies about these meetings are found in the minutes of the Inquisition, a institution that in Spain condemned and persecuted the covens since the Middle Ages until the 19th century. From a historical point of view, the best known episode is that of the "Witches of Zugarramurdi", in which the court of the Inquisition made the decision to burn alive the women accused of organizing acts of witchcraft and being part of a coven.

From the perspective of the Inquisition, the covens were sacrilegious acts that were opposed to the Catholic faith, since consisted of the celebration of black masses where a male goat was worshiped, the representation of the Devil. On the other hand, according to popular beliefs, some catastrophes (for example, shipwrecks) were caused by spells and spells organized by witches in covens. In addition, according to

belief popular witches were accused of performing erotic rituals, spells and spells (the most widespread spell is the evil eye).

What happened in a coven?

The purpose of a coven was to invoke the devil so that the witches obtained their powers and in this way they could deploy all their evil.

Usually a black mass was organized, which amounts to a parody of a Catholic mass conventional. It was common to sacrifice an animal, the consecration of bread from excrement and the use of goat urine as an alternative substance to Water blessed

Some covens took place on full moon nights in the depths of a forest and there dances were organized, hallucinogenic substances were taken and orgies were held.

Another interpretation of the witch meetings

Some scholars of the history of witchcraft and the phenomenon of the coven consider that these meetings were not a simple act of exaltation of the devil or a way of despising the Catholic faith. Thus, the covens were organized as a means of escape from the harsh repression moral imposed by the Catholic Church on the whole of society. In this sense, the ritual of the coven should be understood as a cry of Liberty.

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