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For the folk metal band of the same name, see Skyclad (band).

Depiction of nude witches from the 16th century. by Hans Baldung Grien

In Wicca and Wicca-based Neopaganism, the word skyclad is used to refer to ritual nudity. Many Wiccan groups, or covens, perform some or all of their rituals skyclad. While nudity and the practice of witchcraft have long been associated in the visual arts, contemporary ritual nudity is typically attributed to either the influence of Gerald Gardner or to a passage from Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches.

Gardner's Witchcraft Today was published in 1954. The book claimed to report on the contemporary practice of Pagan religious witchcraft in England, which had supposedly survived as an underground religion for centuries. Ritual nudity was included as a regular part of Wiccan practice, and remains associated with Gardnerian Wicca. The "Charge of the Goddess", a part of Gardnerian ritual liturgy, instructs Wiccans to practice ritual in the nude.

Historian Ronald Hutton traces the origins of this instruction to Charles Godfrey Leland's book, Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches.^[1] The following speech by Aradia appears at the end of the book's first chapter;

"And as the sign that ye are truly free,

Ye shall be naked in your rites, both men

And women also: this shall last until

The last of your oppressors shall be dead;"^[2]

Doreen Valiente, one of Gardner's priestesses, recalls Gardner's surprise at Valiente's recognition of material from Aradia in the original version of the "Charge" that she was given.^[3]. Valiente later rewrote the "Charge", preserving the lines from Aradia. Valiente's version was then widely circulated and reprinted.

Accepting Aradia as the source of skyclad practice, Robert Chartowich points to the 1998 Pazzaglini translation of these lines, which read "Men and Women / You will all be naked, until / Yet he shall be dead, the last / Of your oppressors is dead." Chartowich argues that the ritual nudity of Wicca was based upon Leland's mistranslation of these lines by incorporating the clause "in your rites".^[4]

Not every Wiccan coven practices skyclad, and ritual nudity is not exclusive to traditional Wicca. Other Neopagan traditions also practice skyclad. Amongst those groups that do, only some rituals may involve ritual nudity. The Arician tradition, as an example, practices skyclad for six months of the year, and performs their ceremonies in ritual robes for the other half of the year.^[5]. Within, and especially outside of, Wicca, reasons other than tradition may be given to explain a preference for skyclad worship. Starhawk states in Spiral Dance, "nudity establishes a closeness and honesty among coveners and 'is a sign that a witches loyalty is to the truth before any ideology or any comforting illusions.'"^{[citation needed]}

Digambara, one of the major traditions of the Jain faith of India, is often called "sky-clad" or "space-clad" on account of priestly nudity in their sect, which they hold to be closer to the original teachings of Mahavira.^[6] This may have been the source of the Wiccan skyclad practice began by Gardner, who spent several years in India. ^[7]

1. ^ Hutton, Ronald (2000). Triumph of the Moon. Oxford University Press, p. 225. ISBN 0-500-27242-5. 
2. ^ Leland, Chapter I
3. ^ Valiente, Doreen, quoted in Clifton, Chas (1998). "The Significance of Aradia", in Mario Pazzaglini: Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches, A New Translation. Blaine, Washington: Phoenix Publishing, Inc., 73. ISBN 0-919345-34-4. 
4. ^ Chartowich, Robert (1998). "Enigmas of Aradia", in Mario Pazzaglini: Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches, A New Translation. Blaine, Washington: Phoenix Publishing, Inc., 453. ISBN 0-919345-34-4. 
5. ^ Stregheria.com FAQ. Retrieved on June 27, 2006.
6. ^ Religion and Ethics:Jainism, Monks and Nuns. Retrieved on 18 March, 2007.
7. ^ Llewellyn Encyclopedia and Glossary: Skyclad. Retrieved on 18 March, 2007.