They were believed to be able to cause miscarriages, to generate malformations in newborns, to brush past sleepers like a breath of wind, and to be the cause of the tightness in the chest sometimes felt when lying down.Â
Janaras, thanks to their incorporeal consistency, entered the house by passing under the door, and for this reason it was customary to leave a broom or salt on the doorway: the witch would have to count all the broomsticks or grains of salt before entering, but in the meantime day would come and she would be forced to leave.Â
Among their customs would have been to braid the manes of horses at night, leaving knots, recurring in magical rituals, as a kind of spell that can bind energies. Other stories report that the janaras, at night, kidnap infants from their cradles to pass them to each other, throwing them on the fire, and once the game is over, they take them back to where they got them. According to tradition, to catch her, one had to grab her by the hair, her weak point. Also, it was said that whoever managed to capture the janara would be offered the janare's protection over the family for seven generations in exchange for freedom.Â
Witches would gather at sabbats, also known as the games of Diana, under the walnut tree of Benevento. where they would take part in banquets, dances, and orgies with spirits and demons in the form of cats or goats.Â
The legend of janare is still strong in Campania, where stories of witches continue to be told.Â