The Dancing Plague of 1518
The event is notable for its mysterious cause and the controversy surrounding the number of deaths, which remains unknown.
- location
- Strasbourg, Alsace, Holy Roman Empire
- known_for
- Dancing mania, mass hysteria
- first_dancer
- Frau Troffea (supported by four of six chronicle accounts)
Lore & Background
According to Ned Pennant-Rea, she started dancing on July 14th outside her half-timbered home without musical accompaniment. She kept up the constant dancing for a week, only stopping to sleep, after which she continued. Victims' movements were described as spasmatic with convulsions, their bodies drenched in sweat, arms thrashing violently, and eyes vacant and expressionless. Blood would pool into their swollen feet, and they would eventually bleed into their shoes. Often, there were cries for help from the affected. If victims did not succumb to a heart attack, they collapsed from extreme exhaustion, hunger, and thirst.
Reader's Guide
Historians disagree over whether and how many deaths occurred, though some claim there were as many as 15 deaths per day during the outbreak’s peak. The main source for the claim of deaths is John Waller, who has written several journal articles and a book on the subject, but the sources he cites that mention deaths were all from later accounts. The event has inspired modern theories, including stress-induced mass hysteria (suggested by Waller) and ergot poisoning, though Waller argues the ergot theory is not tenable because those poisoned could not have danced for days, and not so many would have reacted the same way.
Did You Know?
- The Strasbourg city council initially prescribed that afflicted people 'dance themselves free of it,' which backfired.
- Some sources claim up to 15 deaths per day at the outbreak's peak, but the city's contemporary records do not mention any fatalities.
Frequently Asked Questions
What symptoms did the victims of The Dancing Plague of 1518 experience?
Those affected displayed spasmatic movements, convulsions, and severe exhaustion while dancing. The episode is generally classified as a case of mass hysteria or dancing mania.
Why is The Dancing Plague of 1518 important?
It remains one of history's most perplexing mass-psychological events because its underlying cause was never conclusively identified. The ongoing controversy over how many people actually died keeps it a subject of scholarly and popular debate.
Who started The Dancing Plague of 1518?
Four of the six surviving chronicle accounts name a woman called Frau Troffea as the first person to begin dancing. She set the example that others then followed in what became a weeks-long episode.
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