Guillaume Edelin , was a confessed male witch, convicted in 1453, and the first person to confess to have flown on a broom.

Life

Edelin was the

Prior Prior (or prioress) is an ecclesiastical title for a superior in some religious orders. The word is derived from the Latin for "earlier" or "first". Its earlier generic usage referred to any monastic superior. In abbeys, a prior would be l ...

Saint-Germain-en-Laye Saint-Germain-en-Laye () is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris, from the centre of Paris. Inhabitants are called ''Saint-Germanois'' or ''Saint-Ge ...

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Augustinian Augustinian may refer to: *Augustinians, members of religious orders following the Rule of St Augustine *Augustinianism, the teachings of Augustine of Hippo and his intellectual heirs *Someone who follows Augustine of Hippo * Canons Regular of Sain ...

and a

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. He promulgated the idea that it was impossible for the Devil to make pacts or witches to fly on brooms. After being arrested, he confessed that he had signed a compact with the Devil to satisfy his carnal desires, part of this being that he pretend that witchcraft was impossible. The compact was afterwards found upon his person. He also confessed that he had "done homage to the Enemy, under the form of a sheep, by kissing his posteriors," and to having gone to the

Sabbath In Abrahamic religions, the Sabbath () or Shabbat (from Hebrew ) is a day set aside for rest and worship. According to the Book of Exodus, the Sabbath is a day of rest on the seventh day, commanded by God to be kept as a holy day of rest, as G ...

"mounted on a

balai The Balai, Bhalse, Balahi or Bhalay are found in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh in India. Balai means weaver. The bhalse are the upper group from the caste of balai some of the bhalse's are still doing the work ...

", the first reference to the use of a broomstick in connection with witchcraft. After his capture, he repented and was imprisoned for the rest of his life in the city of

Évreux Évreux () is a commune in and the capital of the department of Eure, in the French region of Normandy. Geography The city is on the Iton river. Climate History In late Antiquity, the town, attested in the fourth century CE, was named ...

References

*'' Man, Myth and Magic: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Supernatural''. 1970, edited by Richard Cavendish. {{DEFAULTSORT:Edelin, Guillaume 15th-century French people People convicted of witchcraft Augustinian friars Priors 1453 in Europe 1450s in France Witch trials in France