Saul and the Witch of Endor

1526

Fearing the outcome of a battle, Saul, king of the Israelites, consulted the fortune-telling witch of Endor. On hearing that he would lose, the king threw himself on his sword. His suicide – in the middle background – is a warning against witchcraft. In the foreground is a Witches’ Sabbath: the fortune-teller sits within a chalk circle, surrounded by other witches, satyrs and imaginary figures.