Coven
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2008-07-17T00:33:08Z
AnnaFrance
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/* The coven in modern witchcraft */ disambiguated wikilink to "congregation"
{{Two other uses|covens in witchcraft|the film|Coven (movie)|the band|Coven (band)}}
'''''Coven''''' or ''covan'' was originally a late medieval [[Scots language|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 language|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'.<ref name="MurrayWitchCult">Murray, Margaret (1921). ''The Witch Cult in Western Europe: A Study in Anthropology''.</ref>
== The coven in modern witchcraft ==
In [[Wicca]] and other similar forms of modern [[neopaganism|neopagan]] [[witchcraft]], a '''coven''' is a gathering or community of [[witch]]es, much like a [[Wiktionary:congregation|congregation]] in [[Christianity|Christian]] parlance. It is composed of a group of believers who gather together for ceremonies of [[worship]] such as [[Drawing down the Moon (ritual)|Drawing Down the Moon]], or celebrating the [[Wheel of the Year|Sabbats]].
The number of persons involved may vary. Although thirteen has been suggested{{Who|date=July 2007}} as the optimum number (probably in deference to [[Margaret Murray|Murray]]'s theories), any number above and including three can be a coven.{{Fact|date=April 2007}} Two would usually be referred to as a working couple (in any combination of sexes.) Within the community, many believe that a coven larger than thirteen is unwieldy, citing unwieldy group dynamics and an unfair burden on the leadership.<ref name="KCovenCraft">K, Amber (2002). Coven Craft: Witchcraft for Three or More. Llewellyn Publications.</ref> When a coven has grown too large to be manageable, it may split, or "hive". In Wicca this may also occur when a newly made [[High Priest]] or [[High Priestess]], also called [[Wicca#Organisation within Wicca|3rd Degree]] ordination, leaves to start their own coven.
Wiccan covens are generally jointly 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 with a rotating leadership.
==Covens in literature and popular culture ==
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 (Burns poem)|Tam o' Shanter]] and in [[Goethe]]'s play [[Faust]]. Movie portrayals have included, for example, ''[[Rosemary's Baby]]'', ''[[The Covenant (film)|The Covenant]]'', ''[[Underworld (2003 film)|''Underworld'' (2003 film)]]'' and ''[[Underworld: Evolution]] , ''[[The Craft (movie)|The Craft]]'' and ''[[Coven (film)|COVEN]]''. In television, covens were portrayed in the U.S. [[supernatural]] [[drama]], ''[[Charmed]]''.
==Covens in a Sanguinarian context==
Coven can be a term used to describe a group or community of [[Sanguinarian]]s, especially those who communicate only over the internet. Its origins almost certainly come from the Wiccan usage of coven.
==References==
{{reflist}}
*''Drawing Down the Moon'' Margot Adler (Penguin Books; 2006)
*''The Spiral Dance'' Miriam Simos (HarperSanFrancisco, 1999)
*''A Witches' Bible: The Complete Witches Handbook'' Janet and Stuart Farrar (Phoenix Publishing, 1996)
==External links==
*[http://www.witchvox.com/vn/vn_index/xgroups.html List of Covens by Location] at Witchvox
*[http://www.draknet.com/proteus/Findcovn.htm Choosing a Coven] by Judy Harrow
*[http://www.beliefnet.com/story/107/story_10758_1.html Choosing a Coven] (advice on) by Lisa Mc Sherry
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