Glossary - exWitch Australia (formerly 'Born Again Pagan')

HANON-TRAMP

A name which the German people gave to a certain kind of nightmare. This bad dream generally involves a demon suffocating a person in his sleep.

The French peasantry called this dream "Dianus" and believed it related to a reference in the 91st Psalm that this was "the destruction that wasteth at noon-day" as it was suppose to strike people who were most vulnerable to its attacks at that time of day. The suffocation occurred by a hard pressing on the chest that would prevent the proper functioning of the lungs.

Also, it was thought this kind of nightmare was related to a belief in an Incubus, a demon that is said to have sex with humans in their sleep.

PLEASE NOTE:
One of the major problems with 'defining' Paganism and/or its beliefs and practices is that it is an 'organic' movement, in that it is undergoing constant change and re-evaluation from within, and as such any 'one-size-fits-all' approach to understanding Paganism will be found wanting.

Due to the very 'organic' nature of Paganism, and the many differing Paths and Traditions within it, in many cases no one definition may be universally accepted by all Pagans. Therefore, where such cases of possible conflicting and/or contradictory meanings of certain terms occur I have endevoured to give not only the generally accepted meaning, but also any major 'variations' in belief and/or practice.

Christians who believe this difference in meaning of certain key terms, beliefs and practices to be unique to Paganism need to remember that such conflicts also arise within the Body of Christ - the Church. Take for instance the differing practices amongst Christians concerning Baptism and the different attitudes towards women in the clergy.

- Jean-Luc