The A to Z of Witchcraft by Michael D. Bailey

Author:Michael D. Bailey
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scarecrow Press
Published: 2003-03-14T16:00:00+00:00

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LAMIA. In classical mythology, Lamia was a queen of Libya whom Zeus, the king of the gods, loved. Hera, Zeus’ queen, took revenge on Lamia by killing her children. She in turn became a monster who roamed the night seeking to kill the children of others. Over time, the individual Lamia became a whole category of demons or monsters, all called lamia (plural lamiae), that preyed on children. They were believed to be vampires who sucked the blood from their victims. They contributed to the medieval and early-modern image of the witch as a woman who performed evil at night and especially sought to harm babies and small children. The word lamia in fact became a common term for witches in many areas of Europe during the era of the major witch-hunts.

LANCASHIRE WITCHES. A major witch trial in England occurred in 1612 in Lancashire. In all, some 20 people were accused and put on trial, but the case originated with the accusation of an old woman, Elizabeth Sowthern, who was about 80 years old. She not only confessed but also accused another old woman as well as her own granddaughter. From this point, the search for other witches grew. Although the case itself can be seen as fairly typical of English witchcraft, it is significant in the records that it produced. The court clerk kept a detailed and semi-official record of the proceedings, and this was subsequently published in 1613 as a chapbook entitled The Wonderful Discovery of Witches in the County of Lancaster.

LANCRE, PIERRE DE (1553–1631). A French lawyer and royal official, Lancre was appointed by King Henry IV to investigate witchcraft in the Pays de Labourd, a Basque-speaking region in the southwest of France. He conducted intense investigations and trials in 1609 and 1610. He then published an extensive account of these trials, Tableau de l’inconstance de mauvais anges et démons (Description of the Inconstancy of Evil Angels and Demons) in 1612, as well as later works, L’incredulité et mescréance du sortilège (The Incredulity and Misbelief of Witchcraft) and Du sortilège (On Witchcraft), in 1622 and 1627 respectively.

Lancre was extremely credulous when it came to accusations of witchcraft. He accepted the testimony of children, and many of the accused witches whom he tried were in fact minors. According to his accounts, the Basque lands were the center of the most intense witchcraft in Europe. He believed that huge witches’ sabbaths were held in this region, with sometimes up to 2,000 witches supposedly attending. Ultimately, he became convinced that almost the entire population of the region, some 30,000 people, including all the local clergy, were tainted by witchcraft. Many accounts state that Lancre executed 600 people during the course of his trials, but this figure is certainly grossly inflated. A more reasonable estimate would be around 80 executions.

LaVEY, ANTON. See CHURCH OF SATAN.

LE FRANC, MARTIN (1410–1461). One of the most important French poets of the 15th century, Martin Le Franc included a section on witchcraft in his long poem Le Champion des Dames (The Defender of Ladies), written between 1440 and 1442.

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