The Unsolved Mystery of the Dancing Plague of 1518

In the sweltering summer of 1518, the city of Strasbourg, then part of the Holy Roman Empire, was gripped by a most peculiar and disturbing phenomenon: the dancing plague. It began with a single woman, Frau Troffea, who inexplicably started to dance in the street. Her movements were not joyful or celebratory; they were convulsive and uncontrolled. Little did anyone know, this was the spark that would ignite a frenzy affecting hundreds of people, transforming the city into a stage for an unsettling and largely unexplained historical event.

What started with Frau Troffea quickly escalated. Within a week, dozens more were seized by the same irresistible urge to dance. They danced day and night, seemingly without rest or respite. The city authorities, initially perplexed, became increasingly alarmed as the numbers swelled. Doctors were consulted, and theories abounded, yet none could offer a satisfactory explanation or a cure for this bizarre affliction.

The most chilling aspect of the 1518 Dancing Plague was its deadly toll. The afflicted danced until they collapsed from exhaustion, dehydration, or even stroke and heart attack. Eyewitness accounts spoke of people dying at a rate of around 15 per day during the peak of the epidemic. The unrelenting nature of the dancing, combined with the lack of understanding about its cause, created an atmosphere of terror and despair within Strasbourg.

Theories and Historical Clues

Over the centuries, numerous theories have been proposed to explain the 1518 Dancing Plague. One of the most prominent, and perhaps the most unsettling, is the theory of mass psychogenic illness, also known as mass hysteria. This suggests that the dancing was a collective reaction to extreme stress and hardship. Strasbourg in 1518 was a city grappling with poverty, famine, and disease. The psychological strain of these conditions may have manifested as a physical outbreak, with dancing serving as a form of release or escape, however destructive.

(Painting illustration, Strasbourg street, 1518)

Another theory suggests that the dancing was a result of ergot poisoning. Ergot is a fungus that grows on rye and other grains, and it can produce hallucinogenic effects when consumed. However, this theory has largely been dismissed because ergot poisoning typically causes seizures and other symptoms that were not observed in the Strasbourg dancers. Furthermore, it is unlikely that ergot poisoning would have affected such a large number of people simultaneously and consistently.

A more intriguing explanation points to a religious or cultic context. During the Middle Ages, dancing was sometimes associated with religious rituals and ecstatic experiences. It's possible that the dancing in Strasbourg was a manifestation of a religious fervor or a form of protest against the Church's authority. Some scholars argue that the dancers were participating in a pagan ritual, perhaps unknowingly, or that they were possessed by evil spirits. The historian John Waller notes in his book, "A Time to Dance, a Time to Die: The Extraordinary Story of the Dancing Plague of 1518," that similar outbreaks of dancing mania had occurred throughout Europe in the centuries prior, often linked to religious beliefs and anxieties.

(Painting illustration, 16th century)

Regardless of the true cause, the 1518 Dancing Plague remains one of history's most baffling medical and sociological mysteries. The event serves as a chilling reminder of the power of the human mind and the potential for collective behavior, particularly in times of stress and uncertainty. The Strasbourg dancers have become a symbol of the strange and often inexplicable forces that can drive human actions.

Intrigued by historical mysteries? Share this article and let us know your theories on the Dancing Plague of 1518!