All language subtitles for the Flood 1978--

Mother, I'm afraid.

I'm right here,
near you.

Don't be afraid.

Why is it so dark?

Because the day
is resting.

The sun has gone to bed,
like we have.

- Even the sun?
- Yes, even the sun.

During the night,
all living things go to sleep.

They close their eyes
so they won't see the dark.

Come on, now,
try to close your little eyes.

But after, will I be able
to open them again?

Yes, as soon as the dawn
begins to brighten the sky.

Then, we'll see what the new day
has in store for us.

What is the new day
going to bring us?

Man: No one can know...

what is still hidden...

in the womb of the light.

We have to wait...

for the birth
of the new day.

Not till then shall we discover
all the splendors,

the wonders that accompany
the sunrise.

There are but few
who truly know,

who see what is there.

Can you see, Grandfather?

On occasions my eyes
open.

And when they do,
I know that God

has touched me
on the shoulder.

Could you help me to see?

You are a child, my boy.

That makes my help
unnecessary.

The good Lord on high,
reveals His glories openly

to the young and innocent...

the way he would
have revealed it

to the first man
who looked upon Creation,

with awe...

and infinite wonder.

Grandfather: Thus it was,

from the very beginning
of time,

when the good Lord
created

the sky, the sun,
the stars...

and all the vastness
of the Earth.

But, before Creation,

there was blackness,

black darkness yet untouched
by light...

and the darkness
was over the deep.

The darkness of the void
and the unknown...

because, as yet,
nothing existed,

not even the awareness
of the darkness and the void.

But, behold,

the Spirit of God
was already

breathing over the waters.

And God said,
-Let there be light.-

And there was light.

The Lord God saw
that the light was good,

and divided the light
from the darkness.

The light, God called -day,-
and the darkness, -night.-

Evening came,
morning came...

and that was the first
of the days.

-Behold,- the Lord said,

-let the firmament exist.-

I n the firmament,
God separated

the waters that are
of the Earth

from the waters that are
above the skies.

And the Almighty saw
that it was good.

And evening came,
and morning came

to complete
the second day.

On the third day the Creator
summoned all the waters

that are under
the heavens

so that the dry land
appeared.

And the Earth produced
vegetation and plants

of every species, and all kinds
of fruit-bearing trees,

each one with its own seed.

And thus it came to be

that from that day forth
the Earth began to produce

vegetation and all kinds of
plants and fruit-bearing trees

of every species,

each producing its own seed

to spread over the whole Earth.

And again evening came,

and morning came,
the third day.

On the morning of
the fourth day,

Almighty God said,
-Let there be two great lights

in the vault of the heavens,

one for the night,
and one for the day,

to serve as a sign
for the seasons,

for the days,
and for the years.-

And behold,
the Lord God said,

-Let the waters teem
with living beings,

and let birds fly
above the Earth

under the vault
of the heavens.-

The Lord God created all
the living creatures

that frolic in the waters,

each according to
its own species,

and all the winged creatures,
each according to its species.

And evening came,
and morning came,

the fifth day.

On the sixth day,
the Almighty said,

let the Earth produce
living creatures,

cattle, creeping things
and wild animals,

each one according to
its species.

The Creator blessed them,
and said,

-Be fruitful and multiply.

Fill with life the heavens
and the oceans,

And let the Earth be filled
with living beings

of every species.-

When the Creator
made Heaven and Earth,

no wild bushes, no herbs
of the field had sprung up,

because God had not
yet sent rain upon the Earth,

and there was no human being
to work in the fields.

I nstead, water flowed
out of the ground

and moistened all
the surface of the soil.

Out of the Earth
the Lord God fashioned man,

making him out of the soil
God had created.

The Creator breathed into
his nostrils the breath of life...

and the man became
a living being.

Thus the Lord God determined
to create man

in His own image.

God wanted them
in the image of God.

He created humankind,
male and female.

He created them
in the very likeness of God.

Then God blessed them
and said,

-Be fruitful and multiply.

Fill the Earth and rule over
all of Creation.-

And thus it was.

An evening came,
and morning came,

the sixth day.

Thus the heavens and the Earth
were brought to completion

and all the creatures
that inhabit the Earth.

And then the Creator
blessed the seventh day

and made it holy,

because on that day
God had completed

all the work of the Creation.

Then, the soil
brought forth life,

and the trees
produced fruit,

enticing to look at
and good to eat.

And the Lord sat the man
in the middle of the garden

so that he might cultivate it
and take care of it.

And then the Lord God gave
the man this command:

-All the fruit that grow here
are for you.

And you may freely eat
of them.

But of all these only one
you shall not touch,

the fruit of the
Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

If you eat of that fruit

you will know what is good
and what is evil.

And of that knowledge,
you shall die.-

Boy: So many stars!

Man: Look!
That one is Ishtar.

It is the star
of the morning.

But every dawn
it's the last to fade.

Why is the bright star
called Ishtar?

Everything that lives
and moves in the Creation

has been given its own name,

like the sun,
and all the creatures

that live in its light.

From the time of the Creation,

the Creator saw that the man
was alone on the Earth.

And so God thought,
-I will make the man a helper,

who will be like him.-

And then the Lord,

who had already created
out of dust

the animals of the fields
and all the birds of the air,

brought them in front of Adam,
one by one,

in order that he might name
each one.

And whatever Adam called
each and every living creature,

that was to be its name.

Even fire?

And the fire, too,
and the mountains.

Boy: And the rocks,
grandfather?

- And the plants?
- And the plants.

Grandfather:
With all their fruit,

each thing
had its own name.

But the man
could not find a helper

similar to himself.

So the Lord God caused Adam
to fall into a deep sleep

on the ground.

The Lord approached...

as Adam lay there...

and took one of Adam's ribs
from him.

And from this rib
God fashioned the woman,

and brought her to Adam.

Then Adam said,

-Behold...

this one at last is flesh
of my flesh...

and bone of my bone...

life from my life.-

She is to be called,
-Woman,-

because she was made
from the man.

That is why the man will leave
his father and his mother,

and will be united
with his wife,

and the two...

will become one flesh.

Now both of them
were naked,

the man and the woman.

But because
they were innocent,

they felt no shame.

The serpent was the most subtle
of all the wild creatures

that God had created.

And behold,
he said to the woman,

-Did God really say
you shall not eat

of the fruit of any
of the trees in the garden?-

The woman said
to the serpent,

We may eat of the fruit
of the trees in the garden,

but the Lord God said,

'You shall not eat
of the fruit

of the tree in the middle
of the garden,

nor shall touch it,
or you shall die.'

But the serpent flattered
the woman saying,

-No, you will not die
at all.

I n fact, God knows that
the day you eat of that fruit

your eyes will be opened

and you will become
like God,

for you will know
good and evil.-

And thus the woman saw that
the fruit of the tree

was good to eat and pleasing
to the eye

and enticing for the knowledge
it would give.

And so she took the fruit
and ate it.

Then she gave some to the man
who was with her.

And he, too,
ate of the fruit.

Adam and the woman hid themselves
behind the trees

because their eyes
were opened

and both of them realized
they were naked.

And so the Lord God Almighty
summoned Adam

and said to him,
-Why are you hiding?-

Adam answered, -I heard the sound
of Your footsteps

and I was afraid

because now I am naked
and alone.-

And the Lord God said,

-Who told you that you
were naked?

Have you perhaps eaten
of the fruit of the tree

that I forbade you to eat?-

Adam answered,
-The woman gave me that fruit

and I ate some of it.

And now...

now I know fear.

I am alone.

Now I know good and evil.-

Then the Lord God said
to the woman,

-Why have you done this?-

The woman answered,

-The serpent tempted me

and I ate of the fruit.-

And so the Lord God said
to the serpent,

-Because
you have done this

you shall be cursed
among all the beasts.

You shall crawl in the dust
on your belly

because it was you
who caused her to eat.

For all eternity

there will be enmity
between you and the woman,

between your offspring
and hers

and so until the end of time
her descendants

will crush your head,
and you will strike their heel.-

To the man God said,

-Because you disobeyed me

the Earth will be full
of suffering for you.

You will earn your bread
by the sweat of your brow

until you return
to the ground

because out of the ground
you were made.

Dust you are,
and to dust you shall return.-

And again the Lord God
said,

-Behold, now man and woman
have become like me,

equal to me because
they know good and evil.

And so they must not be allowed
to reach out their hands

and take the fruit
of the Tree of Life

and eat it,
and live forever.-

And the Lord God expelled Adam
and the woman from the garden

so that they would work the soil
from which they were made.

And at the east of
the Garden of Eden,

God placed the Cherubim,

armed with the fiery,
flashing sword

to guard the way to
the Tree of Life.

Adam named the woman
-Eve-...

because she was the mother
of all those who live.

Their firstborn son,

they named -Cain.-

When Eve gave birth to him,
she said,

-Behold,

I have received
a gift from the Lord.

With God,

I have created
a human being.-

And so it was.

And after Cain,

the woman gave birth to Abel,
his brother.

Abel, the second son,
was a shepherd and kept flocks.

- J ust like us?
- Yes, just like us.

But Cain worked in the fields,
planting the earth.

Grandfather: I n the course of time

Cain offered part
of his crop to the Lord.

Abel sacrificed
to the Most High

the finest of the newborn lambs
of his flock.

The Lord God looked with favor
on Abel's offering.

He was not pleased
with Cain's.

Cain was envious of his brother.
He became angry.

His face was downcast
and he withdrew into himself.

Aagh!

Waah!

Waah!

The Lord God sought out Cain
and said to him,

-Why are you so full
of anger?

And why is your face
so downcast?

If you were doing
what is right,

surely you ought to hold
your head high.

But if you are acting
wrongly, look,

the Evil One is crouching
at the door,

hungry to get you.

Wicked thoughts and
temptations assail you...

but you can be the master
of them.-

Aaaah!

I n spite of the Lord God's
warning,

Cain raised his hand
against his brother, Abel,

and killed him.

The Lord God again
sought out Cain

and said to him,

-Where is Abel, your brother?-

Cain, afraid and in hiding,
replied,

-I do not know.

Am I my brother's keeper?-

The Lord said,
-What have you done, Cain?

The voice of your brother's
blood is crying out

from the depths
of the Earth.

From this day forth you must
leave forever the ground

which witnessed your brother's
death at your hands.

Thus, when you till
the earth,

it will not easily yield up
its fruits to you.

You shall be
a restless wanderer

and you will not cease

to hide yourself
from Me forever.-

Cain said, -This punishment
is greater than I can bear.

Behold,
You banish me from this place

and from Your holy
presence

and I must hide from Your face
for the rest of my days,

far from You.

I must live in danger,

for whoever meets me on the road
will surely kill me.-

But the Holy One did not want
Cain's death, and said,

-Whoever kills Cain will suffer
a sevenfold vengeance.-

And the Lord, in His love,
put a mark on Cain to protect him,

so that no one coming across
him would kill him.

Cain withdrew from the presence
of the Holy One

nd settled in the land of Nod,
to the east of Eden.

Then Cain united himself
to his wife,

and she conceived
and gave birth to Enoch.

And Cain founded a city and
a new civilization.

And he called the city,
-Enoch,- after his son.

And these are the descendants
of Cain:

Enoch fathered Irad,
and Irad fathered Mehujael.

Mehujael fathered
Methushael,

who, in turn,
fathered Lamech.

Lamech married two women,
Adah and Zillah.

The second wife, Zillah,
gave birth to Tubal-cain,

the craftsman,
ancestor of all those who work

with copper
and all other metals.

Tubal-cain's sister
was Naamah,

whose name means
-The one loved by all.

The one who is seduced

by the comforts and
pleasures of urban living.-

And Lamech said,

Lamech: All of you,
hear my voice!

Listen to what
I am about to say!

I killed a man
who attacked me!

A boy,
in a moment of rage!

Sevenfold vengeance for Cain,

but for Lamech,
seventy-seven fold!

So now it happens

that violence spreads itself
wider and wider among men.

Behold,
from action to action,

from insult to insult,

humankind shapes
its own history.

Some are perpetrators
of violence,

some are its victims.

Some come out of the East,
others come out of the West.

But in all this movement,
all this confusion,

which is
the right direction?

Then Adam,
the father of all peoples,

was joined again
to his wife.

She gave birth
to a male child,

and she named him
-Seth,- because,

she said, -God has granted me
other offspring

in the place of Abel,
whom Cain has killed.-

And Seth had a son whom
he called Enosh.

It was at that time
that people began to invoke

the name of the Lord.

Then Enosh fathered
Kenan,

and Kenan fathered
Mahalalel.

Mahalalel fathered Jared,
and Jared, Enoch.

Enoch fathered Methuselah,
who fathered Lamech.

And Lamech fathered Noah.

Grandfather: Loyalty has disappeared
from among human creatures.

Neighbor lies to neighbor,

the poor are oppressed
by the arrogance of the rich,

and the evildoer
in his heart thinks,

-No one, not even the Lord,
will hold me accountable.-

The Lord God looks down
from the heavens

at the children of Adam

to see if a single one
is still wise,

if a single one
still seeks God.

But many have become
corrupt.

Many have proven faithless
and violent.

They are guilty
of all manner of sins.

Not one of them does
what is right.

All are seeking
their own advantage.

Why, O Lord,
do you keep so distant?

Why do You hide Yourself

in time of trouble?

Hear Me,
all you nations and peoples.

Listen to Me,
all you who inhabit the Earth,

people, high and low,
rich and poor alike.

Do not be overawed
or jealous

when some of you
become rich

and live in ever greater
splendor.

When they die, they will take
nothing with them.

Their wealth will not
go down with them.

H umankind, in all its splendor,
cannot last.

H uman beings will never be able
to repay to God

their own ransom,

no matter how powerful
they become.

They will see that
the wise also die,

just as the fool
and the brute,

and leave their wealth
behind for others.

The tomb is their home
forever,

their dwelling place until
the end of time,

even though they give
their names to vast palaces,

and properties.

You who eat from the work
of your hands,

blessed are you for you walk
in the ways of the Lord.

Your wife will be
a fruitful vine

in the inner places
of your house,

and your children round
your table

like shoots
of an olive tree.

Even the sparrow finds
a home,

the swallow,
a nest to place its young.

Blessed are they,

who dwell in the house
of the Lord.

Woman: Tell me, then...

O loved one of my soul,

where will you lead your flocks
to graze?

Where will you stop to rest
at noon?

For sick with love I am.

Your right hand
is under my head

and the other
embraces me.

On my bed,
in the night,

I searched for the one
whom my heart loves.

I searched for him,
but did not find him.

Before the day breeze rises,

before the shadows flee,

return, my love.

Leap joyously,

like a gazelle,

like a young stag on the mountain
of sweet fragrances.

Kiss me with the sweetest kisses
of your mouth.

Your love is sweeter
than any nectar.

Your name
is an inebriating perfume.

Your banner on me
is love.

Grandfather: -Show respect
for my Creation,-

says the Lord.

-Revere everything
that lives

in My holy place.

But unless you honor
My laws

and live your days according
to My commandments,

you will know the terrors
I can inflict.

No light shall enter
your eye.

You shall suffer fever
and disease

and your days shall pass
in agony.

I n vain will you wait to reap
what you have planted.

Your enemies will gather
the harvest.

And if, in spite of this,
you refuse to listen to Me,

I will continue
to chastise you

and will punish you
seven times over for your sins.

I will break your
proud strength

and I will make the sky like
scorching iron for you,

and your soil like flesh
without a shield.

Then you will seek refuge
in your cities,

but there I will send
plague and pestilence,

and you shall fall
into the clutches of death.

And if, in spite of this,
you will not listen to Me,

and continue to go
against Me,

I will go against you
in fury

and punish you
seven times over

for your sins.

You shall eat the flesh
of your children.

I will destroy
your higher places.

I will smash
your incense altars,

and I will pile your corpses
on your foul idols.-

Grandfather: Then the Most High
saw that human wickedness

was great on the Earth,

and that the violent heart
of humankind contrived

nothing but evil schemes.

The Lord God regretted having made
human beings on the Earth.

The Holy One was grieved
at heart and said,

-I will rid the face
of the Earth

of the human beings
I created,

and of all the domestic animals,
the crawling creatures,

and the birds of the air.

All,
I will exterminate them,

because I regret
having created them.-

And so the Creator God
spoke to Noah,

-I have decided that the end
has come for all living things,

for the Earth is full
of lawlessness and violence

because of them.

So now I will destroy them

and the entire Earth.-

Then the Lord God said
to Noah,

-I am going to send the flood,
the waters on Earth,

to destroy
all living things

with the breath of life
under heaven.

Everything on Earth
is to perish,

but with you, Noah,
I will make a pact.

With you I will establish
my covenant.

Behold,
you will build an ark.

You will make it out
of resinous wood.

You will divide it
into compartments

and caulk it with pitch,
inside and out.

You will fashion a roof
for the ark

raising it a cubit higher
than the rest.

You will build the ark
with three decks,

lower, middle, and higher,

and one side of the ark,
you will make a door.-

This is the story of Noah.

Noah was a good man,
just and honest,

and he walked with the Lord.

Noah fathered three sons,

Shem,
Ham, and Japheth.

And so Noah did exactly
as the Lord had commanded him.

Then the Lord God said
to Noah,

-Go aboard the ark
and with you take your sons,

your wife,
and wives of your sons.

From all living creatures,
from all animals,

you will take into the ark
two of each species

to save their lives
with yours.

There must be
a male and female

of the birds, the cattle,

and of all the creatures
that crawl on the Earth,

according to their species.

Two of each will go aboard
with you,

so that they might live.-

Again the Lord God said,

-Take with you provisions
of every kind

and lay in a store of them.

They will be nourishment for you
and the others in the ark.-

And Noah did this

exactly as God
had commanded him.

Grandfather: Seven days later
the waters of the flood

appeared on the Earth.

All the springs of the great
deep burst through

and the cataracts
of the heavens opened wide.

On the same day Noah entered
the ark with his three sons,

Shem, Ham and Japheth,
his wife

and the wives of
his three sons.

These people and the animals,

each according to his species,
all came to Noah in the ark.

And thus it was,
as God had commanded.

And then the Lord God closed
the door behind him.

Noah: The Lord God Almighty
summons the Earth,

from the West to the East,

and the heavens proclaim
His justice.

Our God is coming to sit
in judgement.

Before Him,
devouring fire,

around Him,
raging tempests.

Behold, the Holy One comes
and the Holy One speaks,

-I am the Lord God,

your God.

Not for your sacrificial offerings
does your God reproach you.

Nor for the solemn ceremonies
you ever performed

to the Almighty.

But do not offer me a bull
of your herd,

nor the goat you prize
over others.

They're already mine.

All the beasts
of the forest,

the animals that graze
on the earth,

they're mine already.

I know every bird that flies
to the highest summit,

and all living creatures
of the sea.

They are mine also.

Does God eat, perchance,

the cattle you give
your Lord,

or drink blood from
your sacrificial goats?

Offer thanksgiving.

Let it be your sacrifice
to the Holy One.

I n this way...

fulfill the vows
you've made

to the Most High.

Grandfather: The flood lasted for
40 days and 40 nights.

The water swelled,
lifting the ark

until it floated
off the ground.

The waters rose higher and higher
on the surface of the Earth

until they covered the highest
mountains under the heavens.

And so it was that all
living things on Earth perished.

Every being with the least breath
of life in its nostrils, died.

Everything on the face
of the Earth was exterminated:

Human beings, birds,
animals, domestic and wild,

and creeping things.

Only Noah was saved,

and with him,
those in the ark.

Then the Creator
remembered Noah

and all the animals
that were in the ark with him.

And so the Lord God Almighty
sent a wind across the Earth,

and the waters began to subside.
The springs of the deep

and the cataracts
of the heavens were stopped up.

And the rains ceased.

And thus the waters began
to withdraw from the earth.

And after 150 days

the ark came to rest
on the mountains of Ararat.

I n the tenth month,

on the first day
of the month,

dry land
began to appear.

And in the distance,

the peaks of the mountains
were to be seen.

Another 40 days passed,

and Noah released a raven

who flew back and forth,

because the waters
had not yet receded

from the face of the earth.

Then Noah released a dove,

but the dove, too,
returned to Noah in the ark,

for there was still water
on the surface of the earth.

Noah waited another
seven days...

and once again
sent out the dove...

from the ark.

I n the evening the dove
came back to him.

And behold, in its beak,

was a fresh olive branch.

And so Noah realized
that the waters were receding

from the earth.

Noah waited another
seven days.

Then,
he set free the dove.

And this time,
it returned to him no more.

And so the Most High
blessed Noah and his family

and said to them,

-As long as Earth endures,

seed time and harvest,

cold and heat,
summer and winter,

day and night
will never cease.

I will now set my bow
in the clouds.

This is the sign
of the covenant

I am establishing between
Myself and the Earth.

The bow will be on the clouds
and I shall see it.

And I shall remember
the eternal covenant

established between God
and every living being.

Every living thing
that has life and moves

will be yours to eat.

Behold,
I give you everything,

as in the past I gave you
the green fruits of the field.

But there
is one exception:

You must not eat flesh
with its life,

that is to say,
with its blood in it.

And I will hold you accountable
for your own life blood, too.

The Lord of life will demand
an accounting

of every living creature.

The Creator of life will demand it
of all human beings.

Whoever sheds human blood
will be accountable for it

because the Lord has made man
and woman in His own image.-

In the beginning
was the moon, Diana.

Sad, silent, alone she wandered.

The waves: her sighs
and tears of solitude.

She searched everywhere
for a companion,

but found only reflections
of herself.

Lonely, Diana desired a lover.

That desire became the dawn.

And from the dawn came the sun,
Lucifer, the God of Light.

The moon, Diana, and the sun,
Lucifer, loved each other.

The fruit of this love,

were the sky and the Earth,
water, and fire,

forests and plants,
birds, fishes, and animals.

This is the witches' legend
of creation.

Diana and Lucifer
also created man.

They gave him the world

and taught him to hunt,
kill, and be content

that he might better worship them.

To these powerful gods

man erected huge monuments
and temples of stone,

thousands of them,

aligned along the paths
of their gods across the sky.

To the gods,

for the chiefs, great warriors,
poets, musicians, and artists,

a stone was raised.

A stone which has given them
greater immortality than their gods.

Many of these groups of stones,
like Stonehenge,

were complex observatories,

predicting what once was thought

the unpredictable,
fickle wandering of their gods.

Man, now able to predict,

soon sought to control the gods.

They entrusted this control
to priests.

To choose these priests,

the witches, a name which comes
from the Anglo-Saxon word -Wicca-,

meaning -wise-,
hold a severe initiation ceremony.

Those already initiated

perform a ritual called
-Drawing Down of the Moon.-

Since the Moon is a woman,
Diana,

the chief of the witches,
is a priestess.

This ceremony calls down and concentrates
Diana's power in this priestess,

and through her,
the Circle and those dancing in it.

Away from the Circle,
the initiate, blindfolded,

is prepared for the Ordeals
which he must undergo

before becoming a witch.

- Michael.
- His name is called,

and he must follow,

regardless of where he is asked
to go or what he is asked to do.

This voice both serves as a guide,
and although he does not know it...

- Michael!
- ...to protect him from death.

On his way to the Circle...

...the initiate is to be made aware
through his own experience

of the four elements
which make up the universe.

- Water...
- Michael.

...air, earth, and fire.

The first is water.

Michael!

Michael!

Michael!

As well as the elements,

the initiate
is made acutely aware of himself.

- Naked, blind...
- Michael!

...alone,

he's confronted
with some of Man's basic fears.

Of nakedness, drowning,

falling, pain.

If he cannot master them
and himself,

he will be considered incapable
of wisdom and will not be initiated.

Michael!

Fear of falling.

Air.

Fear of being lost.

- Entombed.
- Michael!

Earth.

Michael!

Fire.

Fear of pain.

The pain borne, he is challenged...

kissed...

and brought into the Circle.

Before being given any secrets,

the initiate is as bound
as he must keep those secrets.

He is presented to the gods
of the East, South, West, and North,

that they may approve him.

Symbolic whipping lets him understand

that from now, he is subject
to the discipline of the cult.

In spite of this, he is told,

-In other religions,
you would kneel...-

-...while I would tower above you.-

-But in ours, we are taught
to be humble-.

-It is we who kneel
to welcome you-.

-As the knife is to man...-

-...so is the cup to woman-.

-Let them be united in truth-.

The sacred objects which he will be
taught to use, are presented.

The sword, with which
all magic circles are formed.

The white-handled knife,

with which all magic objects
are carved.

The sensor of incense.

The cords to bind,
and by knotting, to work magic.

Once again,
he is shown to the gods.

Now unbound, as a full initiate.

With dawn and the passing of Diana,

the ceremony comes to an end.

All traces obscured.

The cords that bound him, burnt.

The initiates are
taught the knowledge

reserved for their control of power
by the priests.

The magical properties
of natural objects.

The healing properties of herbs.

As well as healing,

some of those herbs were found
to induce trances and hallucinations.

Given to a trained witch priestess,

these trances and hallucinations
can be controlled.

The methods used to trigger off
the witch's powers of divination varied.

Animals and birds were also used.

The cock in this circle is watched,

and meaning is given
to the position and order

in which it pecks the grain.

Sacrifice to appease the gods,

and examination of the entrails
to forecast the future.

Into this blend of magical science
and religion came another.

Christianity.

Where it could not destroy
the previous beliefs,

Christianity adopted
physically and spiritually

the temples and rites
of the older religions.

Churches built on Pagan mounds.

Pagan stones in their walls.

The interiors and exteriors
of these churches

were covered with the extravagant,
beautiful whirls and knots

of pre-Christian imagination.

Sex, fertility,
and their attendant rites,

so important to the continuity
of life,

could not be banished
by the new religion,

however desirable
the promised rewards of death.

This small font has been made
from a pagan sacred stone.

Pagan symbols, gods and images

covered the new churches,

many of them carved on stones
which had once been worshipped outside.

One of the most extraordinary
of these converted stones

is this huge menhir

which has been carved
apparently with Christian symbols,

but only apparently.

Persecution made
the disguise necessary.

Note the prominent positions
of the sun and moon

on either side of the mother goddess

for whom the Virgin Mary
now substitutes.

The crossed swords on the left.

The ladder of progress
up to the sun, Lucifer.

The whip beside it.

All symbols of witchcraft,
not Christianity.

The Christian Church
also has its initiation ceremony,

which, in many of its aspects,
resembles those of older religions.

The initiates into
the Christian faith are baptised,

confirmed and given communion
in a single service.

Baptism.

Symbolic death by drowning,
followed by rebirth.

-I baptise you...-

-...in the name of the Father,
and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost-.

-Amen-.

-I baptise you...-

-...in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost-.

"-men-.

The priest gives a candle.

-I give you this sign...-

-...to show that you have passed
from darkness to light-.

-That henceforth you may shine as light
in the world to the glory of God-.

-He has received you
by baptism into his church-.

-We therefore welcome you
into the Lord's family...-

-...as fellow members
of the body of Christ-.

-The cup of blessing which we bless...-

-...is it not a sharing of the blood
of Christ?-

-The bread which we break-.

-Is it not a sharing
of the body of Christ?-

-The blood of Christ-.

-The blood of Christ-.

-The body of Christ-.

-The body of Christ-.

-The body of Christ-.

-The blood of Christ-.

-The blood of Christ-.

-The blood of Christ-.

-The blood of Christ-.

-The blood of Christ-.

Cannibalism, in primitive societies,
is not always motivated by hunger,

but through a desire to absorb
the qualities of those being eaten.

Christianity continued quietly,

slowly assimilating
and being assimilated by the people,

old and new religions,
mingling and tolerating,

until 1066 when William,
born of a witch,

symbol of Lucifer on his banner,

conquered and unified England
under a single ruler.

The Bayeux Tapestry, which tells
the story of this invasion,

shows how pervasive were
the old ideas.

An apparent cross on the shield
with its swirling arms

is a symbol of the sun, Lucifer.

Harold is made to swear
on two altars,

one Pagan, one Christian,

neither sufficient by itself.

Consultation with a witch priestess.

Astrological significance of a comet.

Many fertility figures.

Under William, the subtly dispersed,

but immensely influential
ecclesiastical power,

was faced with a mighty undisguised
Pagan temporal power.

The dynasty of the Plantagenet
was powerful enough

to be beyond the grasp of the church,

but among the people,
the church had more power.

Some of the old beliefs,

such as Robin Hood's witch coven,
12 merry men and a priestess,

Maid Marian, the Virgin Mary,
Mother Goddess, escaped into Legend.

But that other maid,

the maid of Orleans, Joan of Arc,

not disguising her beliefs
as a witch, was destroyed.

That the Pagan rulers nevertheless
feared the power of the church

is shown by the story

of how the order of the Knights
of the Garter was formed.

The Countess of Salisbury,

dancing with Edward III,
dropped her garter

which Edward swiftly picked up,

put around his own leg and said,

-Honi soit qui mal y pense,-

-evil be to he who evil thinks-.

But the garter is the insignia
of a witch.

Edward not only saved
the countess from the church.

He also created the order
of 13 knights,

with himself as their leader,

and for the Prince of Wales,
another 13.

On his cloak are 168 small garters

which, with the one on his own leg,
makes 13 times 13 covens.

Apart from the decorations
on churches

and magical ceremonies inside houses,

Pagan rites, witchcraft,
took place quite openly.

These were known as the Witches' Sabbath.

Witches were said to fly
to the Sabbath,

and used for this a flying ointment,
here being rubbed over a young woman.

Generally, deserted places were used,

but to these places
would come many hundreds of people.

Records say that for the four big
seasonal Sabbaths of the Year,

thousands would attend.

It must be remembered that witches were
the priests and priestesses

of a religion believed in and practised
by the whole population,

before the arrival of Christianity.

Like the two altars
in the Bayeux Tapestry,

some priests belonged
to both religions,

and there are accounts
of Christian priests

reprimanded for being at
a Witches' Sabbath.

The witches, who were later tortured
for it,

all confessed to the joy and pleasure.
they got at these meetings.

There would be dancing in circles,
musicians, a feast.

They would meet their friends,
and whole families would come.

The image of a witch
as being a toothless old woman

was just as likely to be a laughing child
or a beautiful young girl.

At some of the Sabbaths,

especially in spring,
with its natural connection with fertility

fertility rites took place,

and although, as admitted,
everyone enjoyed these rites,

their ritual intent does not warrant
the degrading description of sexual orgy.

When the persecution of the witches
grew more intense,

informers and chance witnesses
were killed.

Presiding over all these Sabbaths,

was their chief priest or devil,
depending on the point of religion.

He often wore a goat's mask, a symbol
of virility for the fertility rites.

As a finale to the Sabbath,

Christianity made much
of the infamous kiss

in which, as a sign of submission,

the new initiate was asked
to kiss the priest's behind.

Perhaps the intensity
of the attacks by the Christians

forced ever more stringent
and binding oaths of faith on the Pagans.

But if the Pagans
had some doubtful rites and qualities,

the repressive laws and ferocious tortures
practised on them by the Christians,

were even more barbaric.

Listen to what the official records,
meticulously kept...

say was done to a pregnant girl
suspected of being a witch.

The hangman binds the girl
and places her on the rack.

When she did not confess,
the torture was repeated.

He cut off her hair,

poured brandy over her head
and set light to it.

He placed sulphur in her armpits
and burned it.

Her hands with tied behind her.

She was hauled up to the ceiling
and suddenly dropped down.

This was repeated for two hours,

until the hangman
and his helpers went to lunch.

When they returned,

her feet and hands were
tied behind her back.

Brandy was poured over
her again and lit.

After this, she was again
placed on the rack.

A spiked board was placed
on her back

and she was again hauled up
to the ceiling.

The hangman
then whipped her with a horse whip.

All this was done on the first day,

in the Name of Christ.

This torture...

ending in death

for many hundreds of thousands
of initiated witches,

priests and priestesses
of the old religion,

or simply those
who believed in something other

than the dogmas of Christianity,

aroused an upsurge
of hate and desire for revenge.

Witch magic was directed
against the persecutors,

or sometimes
to put their victims out of misery

or before the victims could confess.

The Circle is cast,

purified, and an image is made
of the person who is to be killed.

A skewer or a nail is pierced
through the head of the image,

along the marrow or spine,
to the heel of the left foot.

Then from the head to the right foot.

The seven planetary metals are
made red-hot

and put into the water.

Herbs, sacred woods
and sperm are added.

This liquid of life is poured
into the image which is then sealed.

The priestess lies in the form
of a pentacle, her head to the South

and her feet to the North.

These are the directions
from which come the necessary powers.

A ritual conception
and birth of the image is performed.

The cord, coming from the mouth
of the priestess,

tied around the image
and the priest,

represents the umbilical cord

or the astral link between Heaven
and Earth.

The image is drowned.

Despite persecution,
and although often not recognised as such,

witchcraft beliefs are still
about today.

- A pocket full of posies...
- ...in children's games.

A-tishoo, a-tishoo,
we all fall down.

...in superstitions.

The horned God, symbolised
by the horseshoe, touching sacred wood.

A new Moon turning money.

Effects of the sun,
moon and planets on our lives.

In Cornwall, one of the last strongholds
of witchcraft,

is a museum whose collection shows
the persistent hold it has on people.

Letters such as this...

and images like this one...

are received by Cecil Williamson
from people who have been bewitched.

They ask for help,

which when he can, he gives.

He started his collection with these remains
of a famous witch in the Isle of Man.

They had been burnt with her
and buried with her for 300 years.

Her cauldron.

The pestle in which she ground
the magic powders.

The griddle on which with these tongs,
she placed the spells and charms to bake.

Boiling water from this kettle scalded
the potion she made for her many clients.

These are the remains
of the last witch to be executed in England.

The large nails, used to keep her
down in the grave, lie beside her.

In another part of the Museum,
are the modern witches and their instruments.

This witch, with her familiar,
a jackdaw,

lives and practises
in the New Forest.

Many of the objects used for altars,
casting spells and working magic,

come from all over the world,
India being a favourite source.

Rams' horns are always a recurrent theme:
here converted into miniature altars.

Musical instruments,
particularly bells, are often used.

The magic transmitted
on the waves of sound.

The ram again, surrounded
with all the paraphernalia of a Magic Circle.

The Witch's cradle.

On this, intoxicating fumes billowing up
from the burner underneath,

a witch is laid naked alone.

She waits for Lucifer,
an offering to him from her coven.

To seal their allegiance
to the cult at the end of a ceremony,

in this case a Black Mass,

the priest was obliged to have intercourse
with the female initiates.

Unable to cope with the numbers,

in the dim lighting
an artificial phallus was used.

Many witches
at their trials confessed

that the devil was cold
and painful.

One of the most fascinating sections
of the museum,

a monument to the intensity
of hate

and the recourse to witchcraft
for its implementation,

is this one, modern images.

Images of the hated victim.

Pins slowly and viciously stuck
into the limbs and parts

where pain is to be inflicted.

Baptism from the bottles
of holy water on either side

creates greater bondage
to the victim.

The figures can be made
from white wax,

obtainable at any chemist's or better,
the traditional beeswax and pitch.

Hair or nail clippings
from the victim,

like the holy water,
help the connection to the image.

Sometimes, organs from animals
are made to substitute for the victim.

These are pierced
and mutilated.

These images are of every shape
and size, realistic and symbolic.

A shoe with a knot of wool,
to trip up the owner.

A victim's glove stuffed
and pinned.

The bird sacrifice in this shoe
is intended to bring death.

Hate.

Hate.

Hate.

Hate.

Hate.

This doll was knitted,
and with every stitch,

the victim's name was called aloud,
her photograph stuck on and pierced.

Someone who's suffered in hospital
wants revenge on their nurse.

A husband's mistress.

The women's branch of the Armed Forces
is a rich source of these images.

Photography has provided a modern way
of capturing the spirit of the victim,

yet still the old methods
of pinning and burning are used.

But magic and witchcraft today are far
from being confined to museums.

This is a Black Mass,

in which the place, form and vestments
of a Christian mass are used.

Hail, Lucifer,
from the abodes of night.

Pour forth thy store of Praise.

I lowly bend before thee,
I adore thee to the end.

With loving sacrifice
thy shrine adorned.

My lips are to thy feet.

My prayer upon the rising incense
smoke that borne

then descend to aid me,

who without thee, am lonely
and forlorn.

It must be
noted that in this ceremony

there is no crude desecration
of symbols.

Instead, they are transformed.

Lucifer is not the devil,
but the bringer of light.

-Bring light into our darkness,
O, Lord-, is a Christian request.

Here, an expected difference
from the Christian mass takes place.

The female element
being so important to witchcraft,

a priestess is brought to the altar.

The Scarlet Woman brings the wine.

To Lucifer, the sun, the priestess of Diana,
the moon, is presented.

The rose, her blood,
the lily, her flesh.

Now worshipping Diana, the priest
adds his own life force to the blood.

Piercing the wafer,
now the body of Diana with his knife,

she is again presented to Lucifer.

The blood and flesh are brought away
from the Christian altar

to the witch's circle.

Psychic power,
conjured up by the mass,

is heightened
by the addition of sexual energy.

In some religions, thought to be
the most powerful, the most holy.

But does this power, this magic,
the practical claims of witchcraft,

have any reality other than
in the mind?

As part of a scientific investigation
into these claims,

this haunted house
has become the centre of operations.

I was going
into the big bedroom one day,

heard a rustle of silk
and looked out

and saw a nice old lady,
in a lovely red silk dress,

all hand-painted.

- A nice little old lady.
- Oh.

And I was all dumbstruck,
just to the right of the window.

But where she went after that, I don't know.

A girl, claiming
to be sensitive to these unknown forces,

is left alone
in the most haunted room.

Pictures have been hurled from the wall
and the furniture turned upside down.

Equipment to detect a whole spectrum
of known forces is brought inside.

One of the most common features
of haunting

is a sudden drop
in temperature and intense cold.

So, where this sensation has been felt,
sensitive thermometers are placed.

Another girl is to be left alone
in this bedroom.

Interestingly, as in witchcraft,
women play a major part.

More thermometers and other detectors
are installed in the room with her,

and connected
to recording instruments outside.

A ghost is supposed
to begin its walk from this room...

continue down this corridor...

up the stairs...

...finally arriving in the bedroom.

Some strange, inexplicable results
have been obtained and are being studied.

As well as collecting scientific data,
direct contact with spirits is sought.

With this redesigned Ouija board,

some extraordinary messages
have been spelled out.

Assuming the reality
of these events,

one of the most important things to do

is to find out which people are sensitive
to them and how why they are sensitive.

Tests have been devised using dice
and cards.

The subject tries to write down
which dice will come up,

or which card
the tester is looking at.

Their scores are kept
and compared with chance guessing.

Some scores have been so high,

that they cannot
be explained away by chance alone.

Some other, at present
unknown factor, is at work.

The metronome serves both to diminish
the effect of sudden distracting noises,

and also to give an undertow of rhythm.

Rhythm plays a large part
in magic.

The rhythm of sound, drums,
feet on the ground, voices,

the rhythm of light,
flickering of flames,

reflections in water,
the sun through trees...

These rhythms are isolated in the laboratory
and their effects on people studied.

This whirling spiral,
with or without sound,

produces on people a kind of trance state,
often observed in magic.

The dancer's going round
and round.

The stroboscope has
a similar effect

to the flickering of flames,
the fascination of fire.

Witches have
a ritual called scrying,

in which a member of the coven looks
into a mirror and sees the future.

-Hear you all, saints of
the true church of old-time...-

-...now essentially present...-

-...that of you we claim heirship-.

-With you, we claim communion-.

-From you, we claim benediction
in the name of Lucifer-.

Modern witches combine old
and new techniques,

to get the scryer
into the right frame of mind.

Recorded music, projectors,
stroboscopes,

incense, robes, mystical passes,

incantations.

These cords may be broken
by a child.

And these same cords,
duly twisted, may bind a giant.

-As this incense rises,
so let your praise of Lucifer-.

-Hail, Lucifer-.

-Then shall the winds
gather themselves together...-

-...and bear you up,
as it were a little heap of dust...-

-...in a sheet that has four corners-.

-And they shall give it
to the guardian of the Abyss-.

Totally naked, then totally enclosed.

Now again, totally naked,

the scryer is brought
to the stroboscope in the altar.

His senses are constantly switched
from one extreme to the other,

so that he may come to the mirror

with all normal preconceptions
swept from his mind.

Pass over this in silence,

for here is the initiate, enmeshed
in the power which fructifies the Earth.

The god imposes his law upon man.

-Pass through darkness,
Diana's midnight...-

-...to the light, Lucifer,
the sun.-

-If you take but one step
in this path...-

-...you must arrive inevitably
at the end-.

-This path is beyond life and death-.