It began with a single woman on a sweltering July day in Strasbourg. Frau Troffea stepped into the street and started to dance. Her movements were wild and uncontrolled, her face twisted in what appeared to be agony rather than joy. She danced for hours without rest, her feet bleeding from the constant impact against the cobblestones. Most disturbing of all, she could not stop.
Within a week, 34 others joined her manic dance. They moved without music, without purpose, and without the ability to control their own bodies. The streets of Strasbourg filled with the haunting sounds of feet stomping and bodies collapsing from exhaustion. Local physicians watched helplessly as the number of dancers grew exponentially, their medical knowledge proving useless against this bizarre affliction.
Historical depiction of the dancing plague victims. Credit: Wikipedia
By August, more than 400 people had fallen victim to this mysterious dancing fever. The city authorities, desperate to contain the situation, made a decision that seems bizarre by modern standards. They built wooden stages and hired musicians, believing the afflicted would dance better with proper music. This choice proved devastating as dancers began dying from heart attacks, exhaustion, and strokes.
Artists interpretation of the dancing plague victims. Credit: Postcards and Places
The desperate city council sought answers everywhere. Some blamed hot blood and prescribed bleeding the victims. Others pointed fingers at supernatural forces, particularly St. Vitus, whose curse was believed to bring such dancing punishment. The local church held special masses while physicians debated whether the summer heat had boiled people’s brains into madness.
Modern historians and scientists have proposed various explanations for this mass dancing phenomenon. Some suggest ergot poisoning, a fungus that grows on rye and causes hallucinations. Others point to mass psychogenic illness, a condition where physical symptoms spread through groups under extreme psychological stress. The region had suffered failed harvests, devastating famine, and disease outbreaks, creating perfect conditions for mass hysteria.
Yet no single theory fully explains the events of 1518. Similar dancing outbreaks had occurred across Europe, though none reached the scale of Strasbourg. The dancers moved until they could no longer stand, some for days without sleep or rest. Many collapsed, their feet swollen and bleeding, only to rise and continue their involuntary dance when their bodies allowed.
The dancing plague eventually subsided as mysteriously as it began, leaving behind a traumatized city and countless questions. The event remains one of history’s most bizarre and well-documented cases of mass hysteria. It serves as a chilling reminder of how collective fear and stress can manifest in extraordinary and devastating ways.
References:
What Was the Dancing Plague of 1518? | HISTORY – link
Dancing plague of 1518 – Wikipedia – link
Strasbourg’s Dancing Plague of 1518 – link
Categories: Do you know, Historical Mysteries, Mass Hysteria, Medieval History, Unexplained Phenomena, Urban Legends
Tags: Dancing Plague, historical mystery, Mass Hysteria, Medieval History, St. Vitus dance, Strasbourg, unexplained phenomena
Religion: Christianity
Country of Origin: France, Germany, World
Topic: Historical Mystery
Ethnicity: European
