This article is about covens in witchcraft. For the band, see Coven (band).

Coven or covan was originally a late medieval Scots word (c1500) meaning a gathering of any kind, according to the Oxford English Dictionary. It derives from the Latin root word convenire meaning to come together or to gather, which also gave rise to the English word convene.

The first recorded use of it being applied to witches comes much later, from 1662 in the witch-trial of Isobel Gowdie, which describes a coven of 13 members.

The word coven remained largely unused in English until 1921 when Margaret Murray promoted the idea, now much disputed, that all witches across Europe met in groups of thirteen which they called 'covens'.

The Coven in modern Wicca

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In Wicca and other similar forms of modern neopagan witchcraft, a coven is a gathering or community of witches, much like a congregation in Christian parlance. It is composed of a group of believers who gather together for ceremonies of worship such as Drawing Down the Moon, or celebrating the Sabbats.

The number of persons involved may vary. Although thirteen has been suggested as the optimum number (probably in deference to Murray's theories), any number above and including three can be a coven. Two would usually be referred to as a working couple (in any combination of sexes.) It is commonly said that a coven larger than thirteen is unwieldy, as group dynamics tend to grow more difficult.

Covens are generally led by a High Priestess and a High Priest, though some are led by only one or the other. In more recent forms of neopagan witchcraft, covens are sometimes run as democracies.

Covens in literature and popular culture

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An intermediate view is often portrayed in fantasy stories and popular culture. In this usage, a coven is a gathering of witches to work spells in tandem. Such imagery can be traced back to Renaissance prints depicting witches and to the three 'weird sisters' in Shakespeare's play Macbeth. More orgiastic witches' meetings are also depicted in Robert Burns' poem Tam o' Shanter and in Goethe's play Faust. Movie portrayals have included, for example, The Craft and COVEN (pronounced ko ven or ku ven) (documented in the movie American Movie). In television, covens were portrayed in the U.S. supernatural drama, Charmed.

Covens in a Sanguinarian context

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Coven can be a term used to describe a group or community of Sanguinarians, especially those who communicate only over the internet. Its origins almost certainly come from the Wiccan usage of coven.

External links

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• Finding a Coven
• Working in a Coven - notes from a lecture
• Choosing a Coven by Judy Harrow
• Carlford Coven: a coven in Suffolk, England

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