15 Most Infamous Covens in Occult Lore

Covens – close groups connected by promises, ceremonies, and hidden knowledge – have captured people’s imaginations for centuries. From historical court documents to today’s renewed interest in witchcraft and its portrayal in movies and books, these groups have always been fascinating. Here are fifteen covens that frequently appear in stories, historical accounts, and legends – some were accused of wrongdoing in famous trials, others are believed to have started new magical practices, and still others are infamous groups featured in novels and films.

North Berwick Coven

Between 1590 and 1592, Scottish officials investigated a group around North Berwick, accusing Agnes Sampson, a midwife, and others of plotting against King James VI. Through torture, they obtained confessions detailing the use of magic to create storms, secret meetings in graveyards, and deals with the devil. Sensationalized accounts quickly spread throughout Britain, making this one of the most famous witch hunts in British history. The case significantly influenced how people wrote about witchcraft and how the royal court handled witchcraft trials.

Auldearn Coven

As a longtime fan of Scottish folklore, I’ve always been fascinated by the story of Isobel Gowdie and the Auldearn coven. Back in 1662, Isobel gave some truly incredible confessions – she talked about turning into different shapes, flying around at night, and using detailed charms. What’s really amazing is she named the spirits she worked with and described specific spells! Even today, experts argue about whether her stories were just old tales, wild imagination, or pieces of actual magical rituals. But one thing’s for sure – those confessions from Auldearn became super important for anyone trying to understand what people believed about witchcraft in Scotland back then.

Pendle Witches

In 1612, two feuding families in Lancashire—linked to women known as “Old Demdike” and “Old Chattox”—were accused of being rival groups of witches. The highly publicized trials focused on claims of curses, supernatural companions, and gatherings at Malkin Tower. An official report by clerk Thomas Potts kept the story alive, making the Pendle witch trials one of the most famous cases in English history. This story continues to shape the region’s identity and how we understand the past.

Zugarramurdi Coven

In the early 1600s, the village of Zugarramurdi in the Basque region was the site of Inquisitorial trials detailing ‘akelarre’ – nighttime gatherings held in caves and fields. Witnesses described these events as involving masked dances, the use of ointments, feasts, and a figure with horns. The subsequent trials in Logroño made Zugarramurdi famous as a center of Basque witchcraft stories. Now, visitors can explore the caves and a local museum to learn about the historical truth and legends surrounding these events.

Labourd Witches

In 1609–1610, royal investigator Pierre de Lancre led a large-scale persecution in the French region of Labourd. He described supposed witches’ gatherings on the coast and accused whole towns of practicing heresy, dancing rituals, and poisoning. De Lancre’s accounts combined travel writing with beliefs about demons, establishing Labourd as a place known for witchcraft. Today, historians believe the crackdown was driven by a combination of political, social, and cultural factors.

Brocken Witches

The Brocken, a peak in Germany’s Harz Mountains, became famous as a gathering place for witches, especially around Walpurgis Night. Stories told of witches flying to the top for wild parties and rituals, a theme that became well-known through books and art. People traveling in the area reported seeing bonfires and celebrations that mixed local traditions with a reputation for the supernatural. Even today, the Brocken is strongly linked to the image of witches’ gatherings in European folklore.

New Forest Coven

As a critic of the esoteric and the historically dubious, I’ve spent a lot of time looking at the origins of Wicca, and Gerald Gardner is always at the center of it. He claimed to have been initiated into a coven in the New Forest back in the late 1930s, a group he said held onto very old witchcraft traditions. He then went on to publish a lot about their rituals and how they were organized, and that really formed the basis of what we now know as Wicca in Britain. Now, whether this coven was actually as ancient as Gardner claimed is still up for debate, but there’s no question he was a key figure in sparking the modern witchcraft movement. And you can’t talk about the early days without hearing the story of ‘Operation Cone of Power’ – it’s become one of the defining legends of the craft.

Clan of Tubal Cain

The Clan of Tubal Cain, started in the 1960s by Robert Cochrane (also known as Roy Bowers), became a unique branch of Traditional Witchcraft. It focused on storytelling, mythology, the Horned God, and personal spiritual experiences, rather than the strict rules found in Gardnerian Wicca. Through letters, rituals, and the people they influenced, the Clan’s ideas spread to other groups. Even today, its symbols and stories are important to many witchcraft traditions that aren’t Wiccan.

The Sanderson Sisters’ Coven

The Sanderson sisters, featured in New England-inspired stories, are a close-knit group of witches who practice folk magic, use flying potions, and cast spells to stay young. Their home, spellbook, and rituals borrow from classic American ideas about witches. The sisters’ story is especially popular around Halloween, and their symbols – like brooms, a black candle, and magic salt – are now instantly famous.

The Three Mothers’ Coven

Italian occult horror often features three powerful, ancient witches—Mater Suspiriorum, Mater Tenebrarum, and Mater Lachrymarum—who each lead a secret coven in a different European city. These groups hide in plain sight, operating within prestigious schools and complex buildings, and combine dance, alchemy, and dark rituals in their practices. The stories surrounding these witches are connected, sharing locations and imagery. This suggests the covens aren’t isolated groups, but part of a larger, continent-wide conspiracy.

Church of Night

This imaginary witch church is structured like a ranked network, led by a High Priest. Members practice rituals, including special ceremonies, and new recruits train at an academy. The group’s traditions blend formal magical practices with elements of traditional folklore. Internal conflicts, power struggles, and divisions create much of the story’s tension. Their rituals are visually defined by altars, symbolic designs, and imagery inspired by dark ceremonies.

The Charmed Ones

This coven, composed of three sisters whose combined powers are key to their magic, focuses on family history and a spellbook called the Book of Shadows. They practice a blend of elemental magic, potion-making, and lore about whitelighters. The sisters often face challenges from warlocks and demons who try to break their bond. The show emphasizes the sisters’ close family relationship as the heart of their magical practice, rather than viewing the coven as a larger group.

The Craft’s Coven

A group of modern American high school students forms a coven and begins practicing witchcraft, focusing on a sea deity named Manon. They experiment with spells involving illusion, magical bonds, and controlling the elements. The story shows how flawed balance and unclear intentions can lead to unexpected and distorted results in their rituals. Practices like establishing the ritual space and making solemn promises with blood are central to their work. The narrative also introduced now-iconic imagery – like the ‘light as a feather’ and levitation scenes – that became popular within teen occult communities.

New Salem Coven

In Marvel comics, New Salem is a secret town in Colorado inhabited by witches who have chosen to live apart from the rest of the world. A powerful group of witches governs the town, prioritizing both secrecy and long-held traditions, and it’s connected to characters like Agatha Harkness and Franklin Richards. The town is run through competitions and magical duels for power. New Salem isn’t just a group of families, but a fully independent, self-governing magical society.

Thessalian Witches

Ancient writings, from Roman literature to texts about magic from late antiquity, consistently portray Thessaly as the origin of potent witchcraft. These accounts describe Thessalian witches as capable of incredible feats like summoning the moon, creating powerful potions, and performing rituals involving the dead. A figure like Erictho embodies the region’s infamous reputation for dark magic. While there wasn’t one specific group, the idea of a “Thessalian coven” remains a lasting symbol of ancient witchcraft.

Share which coven you think best captures the mood of occult lore in the comments!

2025-11-05 17:47