Blockula

Block mountain is today primarily a different name for the Brocken in the Harz Mountains. Also carry other surveys in Europe or had this name. He will (especially Brocken witches ) are used almost exclusively in connection with witches and witch hunting.

Name

The origin of the name block mountain is the meaning of " block " or " block " for witchcraft; where he plays a big role: block heel block and blocks are names of sorceresses; Bock Hack and hoe block hot games that are related to witches.

In Slavic and German - Slavic there were originally many surveys that were considered witches mountains and carried the name of block mountain. The term was used primarily in the Low German for various mountains that were regarded as meeting place for gatherings of witches.

The first mention of the name is found in 1485 in a Lübeck prayer book as " Blokkesberghe ".

The distribution of this term for the chunks created by the factory block - mountain performing Johannes Praetorius from the 1668.

Development among the witches gathering places

Until the 16th century rarely exact locations of the gatherings of witches were called. First appearing places like the heath of Baraona the country near Bordeaux or rocks as the Puy de Dôme in France, the Dovre in Norway, the Hekla in Iceland, Kyöpelinvuori in Finland and the sea cliff Blåkulla ( " block mountain") in Sweden. In Germany were among others in the Black Forest, especially the candelabra, the Heuberg to Rottenburg am Neckar and the Staffelberg in Franconia as witches mountains. In the 17th century also the Hörselberg be in Thuringia and the goat mountain named in Lower Saxony.

At the time of the persecution of witches tales originated among the people about witches, in which they appear different mountains as gathering places. Over time, these stories differed less and less of each other, so that certain mountains developed to regional witches mountains. In the second half of the 16th century, say so next to the chunks among others, the Venusberg, the Heuberg and Staffelberg.