Feb 20 2009
Paganism, Ghost Hunting, and The Witching Hour
The Witching Hour commonly refers to 12 a.m., 3 a.m., or the time between 12 and 3 a.m. I heard one of the guys on Ghost Adventures refer to it during an investigation, prompting me to do a bit of investigation of my own about its meaning.
Aside from a Wikipedia article with a serious lack of citations, there isn’t much out there on the web about the witching hour. This article does of course mention that the witching hour isn’t a new concept, and points to earlier uses, including one in Shakespeare’s work, when he wrote in Hamlet: “Tis now the very witching time of night.”
Popular culture has, however, taken over use of the phrase. There are several books, bands, websites, and forums now called ‘The Witching Hour.’ This includes a work by Anne Rice.
More intresting was my discovery of the witching hour’s connections to ghost hunting. Arguably, ghost hunting is most effective at night due to the common belief that ghosts have less difficulty manifesting in darkness. I’m not sure if this is something said for effect or if it’s really true, but that is what I have heard on shows about hunting ghosts.
Fiona Broome and Hollow Hill did write a piece entitled Ghost Hunting and the ‘Witching Hour,’ a recommended read. Broome points out that radio stations are easier to hear at night, which makes me think about the transmission of energy in those late hours. Broome also describes how to actually determine the witching hour (it’s based on planetary, not set hours).
From the little available information, I gather that the witching hour has little to do with witches or paganism. Instead, it carries a broader paranormal meaning, asserting that paranormal events and entities are more likely to occur or appear at night and during these times.
Vampires and werewolves, in theory, must prowl the world at night. Vampires can’t exist in sunlight and werewolves change during the full moon.
My assumption is that this is reflective of an overall fear of night.
Why do we fear night and this witching hour? Is it logical and/or natural?
