SAMAN was a primeval terror. In the 2nd century BCE, the Druids believed that Saman was Lord of the world of death, and who, every night of October 31, would bring out the army of evil spirits. The people of Gaul and the British Isles would await this moment with trepidation. It was said that on this night, spirits would come and knock on the doors of houses where they used to live.

This collective fear produced a ritual—an attempt to