The Witches at the Walnut Tree of Benevento 1534 - 1577

This drawing, "The Witches at the Walnut Tree of Benevento," was made by Guglielmo della Porta in the 16th century. It depicts a witches' Sabbath, an archetypal scene laden with symbols of the occult, and is rooted in long-held cultural fears and fantasies. The walnut tree itself is a potent symbol, serving as a gathering place for the witches. This harkens back to ancient beliefs about sacred groves and the supernatural power of trees, seen across cultures from the Norse Yggdrasil to various pagan traditions. The act of dancing around the tree, a motif present here, resonates with age-old rituals, evoking the ecstatic and potentially dangerous energy of communal rites. Consider the Bacchantes of classical antiquity, whose frenzied dances blurred the lines between the human and the divine. In the collective unconscious, such images tap into primal urges, fears of social disorder, and repressed desires. This scene is not merely a historical record but a charged arena where deep-seated anxieties find expression.