The Dancing Plague of 1518

The Dancing Plague of 1518: When Hundreds Danced Themselves to Death

In the summer of 1518, something truly bizarre and terrifying happened in Strasbourg, a city in what is now modern-day France. People started dancing uncontrollably in the streets, and this strange, almost nightmarish phenomenon would later be known as the **Dancing Plague of 1518**. Hundreds of people joined in, unable to stop, dancing for days on end. Many collapsed from sheer exhaustion, and some tragically died from heart attacks or strokes. To this day, no one knows for sure what caused this mass hysteria, but it remains one of the most mysterious and chilling examples of collective madness in history.

How It All Began

It all started in July 1518 when a woman named **Frau Troffea** suddenly began dancing in the street. This wasn’t a joyful, carefree dance—she seemed almost possessed, moving wildly with no music playing and no apparent reason. She kept going for hours, despite the heat and her growing exhaustion. Strangely, she didn’t stop.

Over the next few days, others began to join her, until dozens of people were frantically dancing alongside her in the streets of Strasbourg. By the end of the week, the number of dancers had swelled to hundreds. It was as if the city was gripped by a strange, contagious madness.

City Officials’ Strange Solution

Understandably, the city’s officials were freaked out. They didn’t know what was causing the outbreak and initially thought it might be a fever or perhaps even a curse. In a desperate attempt to stop the dancing, they hired musicians and professional dancers, thinking that maybe if they played along, the dancers would tire themselves out and stop. But this plan backfired—big time. Instead of calming things down, the music seemed to fuel the madness, and even more people joined in.

At the peak of the outbreak, around 400 people were caught up in the frenzied dancing.

Doctors and Priests Try to Help

With the situation spiraling out of control, the authorities called in doctors. Back then, medical knowledge was pretty limited, and the physicians diagnosed the dancers with what they called “**hot blood**,” believing their bodies were overheated and that the only way to cool them down was by letting them dance until they recovered. Unfortunately, this just made things worse, and the dancers continued to collapse, some even dying from their relentless, non-stop movements.

When the medical interventions didn’t work, the city turned to the Church. Some religious leaders thought the plague was a sign of divine punishment or perhaps a curse from **St. Vitus**, the patron saint of dancers. In response, the city organized religious processions and built a shrine to St. Vitus, hoping that prayer might put an end to the bizarre outbreak. They also banned all public music and dancing, figuring that without the beat of the music, the dancers might stop.

What Caused the Dancing Plague?

The true cause of the Dancing Plague has puzzled historians and scholars for centuries. While there’s no definitive answer, there are several theories.

One popular explanation is that it was a case of **mass hysteria**, where people, overwhelmed by stress, fear, or trauma, start experiencing the same strange symptoms as others around them. In 1518, the people of Strasbourg were under immense pressure due to a series of hardships, including famine, disease, and political instability. Some believe that the intense stress of these conditions may have caused the mass dancing as a kind of psychological release.

Another theory is that the dancers were victims of **ergot poisoning**, caused by eating bread made from rye infected with a fungus that can cause hallucinations and strange physical symptoms. Ergot contains chemicals similar to LSD, which might explain why people felt compelled to dance. However, ergot poisoning also typically causes severe pain and gangrene, which makes it unlikely that people would have danced so willingly for so long.

Finally, some believe the Dancing Plague might have been tied to **religious superstition**. In medieval Europe, people strongly believed in the power of saints and curses. The fear of being cursed by St. Vitus, combined with the intense religious fervor of the time, might have driven people to dance as a form of penance or out of fear, in a kind of trance-like state.

The Plague Finally Ends

The Dancing Plague lasted for about two months before finally subsiding in September 1518. It’s unclear what exactly made the dancing stop, but it likely had something to do with the authorities’ decision to ban music and dancing, as well as the removal of the afflicted to the St. Vitus shrine. There, dancers were dressed in red shoes and underwent religious rituals to break the so-called curse. Gradually, the dancing died down, and the city returned to normal.

Though the Dancing Plague was the most infamous event of its kind, it wasn’t the only instance of mass dancing in medieval Europe. Similar outbreaks occurred in other parts of the continent, though none were quite as large or as well-documented.

### **The Legacy of the Dancing Plague**

The Dancing Plague of 1518 remains one of history’s most mysterious events. It’s a striking example of how social and psychological factors can cause people to behave in strange and unexplainable ways. It also highlights the limitations of the medical and religious understanding of the time, showing how people in the 16th century tried to make sense of something that was, quite literally, beyond reason.

Today, the Dancing Plague is often used as a case study for **mass psychogenic illnesses**—situations where groups of people suddenly exhibit strange symptoms with no clear medical cause. It’s a reminder of the powerful role that stress, fear, and belief can play in shaping human behavior, sometimes leading to outcomes that defy all logic.

In the end, the story of the Dancing Plague is a haunting reminder of the complexities of the human mind and how, even in the strangest of moments, our actions reflect the deeper pressures and fears of society.