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Context UsefulNotes / Walpurgisnacht

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1[[quoteright:350:[[Theatre/{{Faust}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/walpurgisnacht.jpg]]]]
2[[caption-width-right:350:''Walpurgisnacht'' by Johann Heinrich Ramberg.]]
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4->''"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.''
5-->-- ''Website/SFDebris'', reviewing ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica''
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7''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. {{UsefulNotes/Wicca|nMythology}}).
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9The {{Myth/Norse|Mythology}} holiday that takes place on 30 April is called "Walpurgisnacht" or "May Eve." It's a summer-celebrating festival in Scandinavia. In every Germanic country, May Eve is seen as a time when witches are particularly active, but -- being a celebration of summer as well -- it is sometimes also seen as equivalent to Valentine's Day, where young couples celebrate their love. Many [[Myth/NorseMythology modern Heathens]] consider [[Characters/NorseMythology Freya]] to hold dominion over this festival, as she is a goddess of both witchcraft and love.
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11The [=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. {{UsefulNotes/Wiccan|Mythology}}s and Satanists celebrate both Walpurgisnacht and Beltane, but not all Pagans do.
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13Note that April 30 is "Walpurgisnacht," "Walpurgis Night," or "May Eve," whereas May 1 is "[[Myth/IrishMythology Beltane]]," "[[UsefulNotes/TheRomanEmpire Floralia]]", "May Day," or "[[UsefulNotes/{{Socialism}} Labor Day / International Workers' Day]]." They are separate celebrations a la Christmas and Christmas Eve and are not necessarily honoring or marking the same thing.
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15In media, when Walpurgisnacht is mentioned, it's usually being set up as the focus for some big occult event to happen at that time, regardless if it has any connection to the actual traditions of the holiday. People and things named after Walpurgisnacht often have demonic or witch-related associations. This drops it firmly into the category of NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast.
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17In many cases, this is the vernal counterpart of UsefulNotes/AllHallowsEve. The trope for significant supernatural events taking place during Walpurgisnacht or Beltane is HorrorDoesntSettleForSimpleTuesday.
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19----
20!!Examples:
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22[[foldercontrol]]
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24[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
25* ''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 its name (which is all anyone calls it, no one knows its real name.)
26* The anime of ''Manga/BetrayalKnowsMyName'' features Walpurgisnacht as a night when various demons and evil beings would be extra drawn to the protagonist, Yuki, causing his protector, Zess, to become extra, well, protective.
27* The {{Hentai}} [[PornWithPlot with plot]] ''Bible Black'' occurs days before, and during Walpurgisnacht, even being referenced in the first series (''Bible Black: [[GratuitousSpanish La Noche de Walpurgis]]''). Also the {{prequel}} (''Gaiden/Origins'') and the {{sequel}} (''Shin Bible Black: [[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion La Lanza de Longinus]]'') occurs 12 years before and after the first series, and also is during Walpurgisnacht.
28* While it is likely not her name origin, Anime/UminekoNoNakuKoroNi 's Lambdadelta references Walpurgisnacht. She is a witch, and her name written as greek numerals translates to thirty-four..which just so happens to be the date of the Walpurgisnacht.
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31[[folder:Comic Books]]
32* ''ComicBook/{{Hellboy}}'' was conceived when his mother, the witch Sarah Hughes, [[HumanDemonHybrid cavorted with the]] [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils demon Prince Azzael]] on Walpurgisnacht.
33* The ''[[Franchise/{{Batman}} Legends of the Dark Knight]]'' arc "Batman: Gothic" has as its climax the BigBad attempting to release a plague across Gotham on the stroke of midnight between Walpurgisnacht and May Day. [[spoiler: That's his deadline for his ''own'' soul, payment for his DealWithTheDevil, and he's trying to substitute it with everyone in Gotham instead. Also he was Bruce Wayne's middle school teacher and killed a bunch of kids twenty years ago, and said Faustian pact was made in the 18th century during the Black Death for eternal youth and vitality. It's complicated.]]
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36[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
37* The opening of the 1931 version of ''Film/{{Dracula|1931}}'' 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.
38* ''Film/WalpurgisNight'' is a 1935 Swedish film that involves a married corporate boss and his SexySecretary going out for a date on Walpurgis Night and falling in love. Celebrants are seen setting a bonfire, while the secretary's father reminisces about taking his late wife out for Walpurgis Night when they were young.
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41[[folder:Literature]]
42* In ''Literature/{{Illuminatus}}'', there is "the ninth trip, or Yesod (Walpurgisnacht rock)". Things... happen. A lot of them.
43* The Creator/BramStoker short story, ''Dracula's Guest'' (which some believe to be re-edited cut material from the first chapter of the ''Literature/{{Dracula}}'' novel) takes place on Walpurgisnacht; the Englishman who serves as the viewpoint character is visiting Munich, ignores warnings to not stay out late and runs into all sorts of unholy trouble.
44-->Walpurgis Night was when, according to the belief of millions of people, the devil was abroad -- when the graves were opened and the dead came forth and walked. When all evil things of earth and air and water held revel.
45* ''Literature/HarryPotter'':
46** The Death Eaters were originally known as the Knights of Walpurgis, though the information comes only through WordOfGod in an [[http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/uk/newsid_3004000/3004878.stm interview]].
47** Per WordOfGod, the climactic Battle of Hogwarts occurs on Walpurgisnacht, with the final blow coinciding with the [[CueTheSun dawn]] of May 1 (May Day). Thus, the "witching hour", i.e. the time of dark magic, is symbolically and literally brought to an end.[[note]]It also helps underscore the parallels between Lord Voldemort and UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler, who killed himself on Walpurgisnacht in 1945.[[/note]]
48* Creator/DennisWheatley played this one to death in his occult horror novels, especially ''Literature/TheDevilRidesOut''. The [[Film/TheDevilRidesOut 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.
49* ''Duisterlingen'' (literally "Darklings"), a Dutch series of childrens horror stories that resolve around 3 children that have special gifts due to being born on Walpurgisnacht, but since all three were born exactly at midnight it remains unclear weather they will use their powers for good or evil.
50* 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]]''.)
51* The climax of Creator/HPLovecraft's "Literature/TheDreamsInTheWitchHouse" involves a witch performing a ritual human sacrifice on Walpurgis Night.
52* ''Literature/TheLittleWitch'' involves the little Witch wanting to join Walpurgis Night despite her young age.
53* In ''Literature/GorkyPark'', Renko talks to a Finnish border guard officer, who tells him at one point that he has a long drive ahead of him in order to get home in time for the upcoming holiday. Renko assumes the Finn is talking about May Day, but the Finnish officer corrects Renko, telling Renko the holiday in question is Walprugis Night, or as he also calls it, "Witches Sabbath".
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56[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
57* ''Series/{{Lexx}}'' had a very weird episode called "Walpurgis Night" which featured the occult... among other things.
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60[[folder:Music]]
61* ''Music/NightOnBaldMountain'' by Music/ModestMussorgsky, later arranged by Rimski-Korsakov, is perhaps the UrExample in music. The musical piece is set during Walpurgis Night when a witches' sabbath is held on top of the mountain, summoned by Satan himself.
62* "War Pigs" from Music/BlackSabbath's ''Music/ParanoidAlbum'' 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 its satanic and occult connotations and opted for a title change.
63* Music/{{GFRIEND}}'s last album is named ''回:Walpurgis Night''. The girl group references the festival a couple of times in their lore as they become witches. Some examples are their song "Apple" and "Time for the Moon Night" being released on April 30.
64* The dramatic cantata ''Die erste Walpurgisnacht'', by Music/FelixMendelssohn based on a text by Creator/JohannWolfgangVonGoethe, takes an Enlightenment-era rationalist approach, in which a plucky (and sympathetic) community of German pagans simply ''impersonates'' demons in order to scare off their Christian oppressors, so that they can worship in peace.
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67[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
68* In the ''TabletopGame/{{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.
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71[[folder:Theater]]
72* ''Theatre/{{Faust}}'': The penultimate scene of the first part of the play is titled ''Walpurgisnacht'' and takes place during said festival, where Mephistopheles arranges to have Faust seduced by witches so he is distracted from the impending doom of his love, Gretchen. In the second part (published much later) an early scene called ''Classical Walpurgisnacht'' portrays a gathering of gods and monsters of ancient Greek myth.
73* The middle second act of ''Theatre/WhosAfraidOfVirginiaWoolf'' is called "Walpurgisnacht". This is the section where George and Martha begin to play cruel games with the guests; it's an allusion to the witches' sabbat, but not spoken aloud onstage.
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76[[folder:Toys]]
77* 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 [[UsefulNotes/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).
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80[[folder:Video Games]]
81* ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'': Nine the Phantom, a powerful witch, was [[SignificantBirthdate born]] on April 30, i.e the Walpurgisnacht. Her theme song is also named "Walpurgisnacht" as well.
82* The game ''VideoGame/ShadowOfDestiny'' went through several titles in development, such as ''The Day and Night of Walpurgisnacht'' and ''Days of Walpurgis''. The game takes place within a German town and revolves around the ambiguously evil Homunculus created by an alchemist in the 1500s. In the 1500s, witchcraft gets thrown around as an accusation toward the alchemist and the time traveling main characters.
83* In ''VideoGame/TheWitchAndTheHundredKnight'', a major part of the story of involves getting Metallia to the Nighttime Soiree, a gathering of Witches that happens at Walpurgis Night.
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86[[folder:Western Animation]]
87* The ''Music/NightOnBaldMountain'' segment of Creator/{{Disney}}'s ''WesternAnimation/{{Fantasia}}'' is set during Walpurgisnacht, featuring Chernaborg, the GodOfEvil, summoning his minions.
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90[[folder:Real Life]]
91* In Sweden, Valborgsmässoafton is a completely innocent holiday with bonfires, fireworks and choirs singing now traditional songs.
92* Nowadays the Brocken and the nearest towns to it are the scene of massive festivities on Walpurgisnacht, attracting a mix of serious neo-pagans, local youths out to party, and tourists.
93* 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 stereotypical witches]] are burned on huge bonfires, preferably on hilltops.
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