User:Renee. Beaumont/Incubus

Witchcraft
During the Witch trials, many European records indicated the idea of being physically stuck during the night by a supernatural energy or by witches. The victims of the instances all reported the same assaults' within the night. Thus began the use of the word "nightmare" as a way for English authors to name the experience and as the 21st century has begun, sleep-paralysis is another explanation of this phenomenon. While this experience or phenomenon has been categorized properly during this century, many other explanations clouded the populations judgement.

Placing the Blame
While the witch trials were growing in popularity during the 16th and 17th century, so was Christian demonology as Christianity began to spread among different parts of European and American countries. As many authors would describe the peoples description of such experiences by stating, "They provided legitimate descriptions of the nature of witchcraft in the religious worldview of the early modern era." (Kristoff, 2019). It was popular belief that witches worked in a partnership with the devil, whether it be spiritual or physical and that would then lead to the tournament of others to which these witches would pull their power from. These devils or demons the witches were working alongside with would then be characterized as the succubus (male version) or Incubus (female version).