History UsefulNotes / Walpurgisnacht

* ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'': Walpurgisnacht is the BigBad, city-destroying NighInvulnerable witch that the climax of the series revolves around. It has been suggested in supplementary material that Walpurgis is a fusion of several other witches, hence it’s name (which is all anyone calls it, no one knows it’s real name.)

* ''ComicBook/{{Hellboy}}'' was conceived when his mother, the witch Sarah Hughes, [[HumanMomNonhumanDad cavorted with the]] [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils demon Prince Azzael]] on Walpurgisnacht.

* The ''Music/NightOnBaldMountain'' segment of Creator/{{Disney}}'s ''Disney/{{Fantasia}}'' is set during Walpurgisnacht, featuring Chernaborg, the GodOfEvil, summoning his minions.

* In UsefulNotes/TheCzechRepublic there's a folk tradition associated with April 30 called ''čarodějnice'' ("the witches") or ''pálení čarodějnic'' ("[[BurnTheWitch burning of the witches]]") where straw effigies of WitchClassic [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin are burned]] on huge bonfires, preferably on hilltops.

* UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler, who was [[{{ghostapo}} very much into the occult]], shot himself on April 30, 1945.

* UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler, who was very much into the occult, shot himself on April 30, 1945.

* In the UsefulNotes/TheCzechRepublic there's a folk tradition associated with April 30 called ''čarodějnice'' ("the witches") or ''pálení čarodějnic'' ("[[BurnTheWitch burning of the witches]]") where straw effigies of WitchClassic [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin are burned]] on huge bonfires, preferably on hilltops.

* ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'': Walpurgisnacht is the BigBad, city-destroying NighInvulnerable witch that the climax of the series revolves around.

* Creator/DennisWheatley played this one to death in his occult horror novels, especially ''The Devil Rides Out''. The film adaptation is set around Walpurgis Eve. Wheatley's use of Walpurgisnacht as a festival of evil sacred to the Devil (in a novel written in the 1930's) may count as the UrExample.

In many cases, this is the vernal counterpart of AllHallowsEve. The trope for significant supernatural events taking place during Walpurgisnacht or Beltane is HorrorDoesntSettleForSimpleTuesday.

* Clawdeen Wolf, the [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent werewolf girl]] from ''Toys/MonsterHigh'' has her birthday on April 30th, [[WordOfGod stated by MH's official Twitter account]]. Previously was stated originally on MH books as October 30th, a day before [[AllHallowsEve Halloween]], but later was deconfirmed by the Twitter account as said before (but the date was used anyway as [[OurGhostsAreDifferent Spectra Vondergeist]]'s birthday).

''Walpurgisnacht'', or Walpurgis Night or Hexennacht, was originally the German festival of Saint Walpurga, an 8th-century abbess responsible for converting a lot of pagans to Christianity. Despite the origin of the name, it has become a festival more associated with Paganism and, more specifically, Satanism. Most of the Pagan religions that celebrate Walpurgisnacht either have origins in Europe (e.g. {{Myth/Norse|Mythology}} or {{Myth/Irish|Mythology}}) or are eclectic religions (e.g. {{Myth/Wicca|nMythology}}).

The [=LeVayan=] branch of UsefulNotes/{{Satanism}} adopted Walpurgisnacht as one of their major holidays along with Halloween. It officially begins on April 30 and can stretch to May 1, which is also known as Beltane. {{Myth/Wiccan|Mythology}}s and Satanists celebrate both Walpurgisnacht and Beltane, but not all Pagans do.

[[quoteright:350:[[Theatre/{{Faust}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/walpurgisnacht.jpg]] ]]

->''"Walpurgisnacht" is from German, translating literally as "Oh fuck me, '''run!'''" Walpurgis Night is a gathering of witches that occurs six months after Halloween, so a witch named after a gathering of witches sounds like pretty bad news. It'd be kinda like playing basketball against a guy named Mr. NBA."''

!!Examples

[[AC:{{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]]

[[AC:ComicBooks]]
* ''{{ComicBook/Hellboy}}'' was conceived when his mother, the witch Sarah Hughes, [[HumanMomNonhumanDad cavorted with the]] [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils demon Prince Azzael]] on Walpurgisnacht.

[[AC:{{Film}}]]
* The opening of the 1931 version of ''[[Film/{{Dracula1931}} Dracula]]'' has a group of people riding in a coach. One passenger asks the driver to slow down because the poor roads are making the ride uncomfortable, and another passenger objects, noting that it is Walpurgis Night that evening and insisting it would be unsafe for them to be on the road after dark.

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]

* ''Literature/HarryPotter''

[[AC:LiveActionTelevision]]

[[AC:{{Music}}]]

[[AC:TabletopGames]]

[[AC:{{Theatre}}]]

[[AC:{{Toys}}]]

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[[AC: WesternAnimation]]
* The ''Music/NightOnBaldMountain'' segment of {{Creator/Disney}}'s ''Disney/{{Fantasia}}'' is set during Walpurgisnacht, featuring Chernaborg, the GodOfEvil, summoning his minions.

[[AC:RealLife]]

* "War Pigs" from Music/BlackSabbath's ''Music/{{Paranoid}}'' was originally going to be called "Walpurgis Night" and it still shows in the lyrics, where mention of "witches in black masses" is made. The studio executives didn't like the title though, because of it's satanic and occult connotations and opted for a title change.

* ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'': Walpurgisnacht is the big, city-destroying NighInvulnerable witch that the climax of the series revolves around.

* Clawdeen Wolf, the [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent werewolf girl]] from ''Franchise/MonsterHigh'' has her birthday on April 30th, [[WordOfGod stated by MH's official Twitter account]]. Previously was stated originally on MH books as October 30th, a day before [[AllHallowsEve Halloween]], but later was deconfirmed by the Twitter account as said before (but the date was used anyway as [[OurGhostsAreDifferent Spectra Vondergeist]]'s birthday).

* In the ''TabletopGames/{{Shadowrun}}'' Germany sourcebook, one of the fictional advertisements is for the annual dance on the Blocksberg (real name "Brocken"), a mountain site in Germany closely related to the Walpurgisnacht. In-universe, the event is a primary venue for awakened witches and neo-pagans.

* The Rick Cook novel, ''Mall Purchase Night'' is a pun off of "Walpurgis Night", although the plot itself does reference the night (Cook said that the original title was ''[[Theatre/AmahlAndTheNightVisitors A Mall and the Night Visitors]]''

* Creator/DennisWheatley played this one to death in his occult horror novels, especially ''The Devil Rides Out'. The film adaptation is set around Walpurgis Eve. Wheatley's use of Walpurgisnacht as a festival of evil sacred to the Devil (in a novel written in the 1930's) may count as the UrExample.

* In Sweden, Valborgsm&228;ssoafton is a completely innocent holiday with bonfires, fireworks and choirs singing now traditional songs.