History Main / StarkNakedSorcery

->''"Most books on witchcraft will tell you that witches work naked. This is because most books on witchcraft are written by men."''

* ''ComicBook/JLA1997'': During the "Obsidian Age" arc, the regular Justice League was seemingly killed on a mission, and thus a team of alternates were brought in to cover for them. During his time on the team, Jason Blood decided to beef up the mystical wards on the Watchtower, which required him to strip down, much to the delight of newcomers Hawkgirl and Faith.

* ''ComicBook/TheBooksOfMagic'': When [[FutureMeScaresMe Sir Timothy]] recalls summoning demons to sell his childhood memories to, we see that he apparently did so naked. Since Sir Timothy is... [[GeekPhysique not the most physically impressive man,]] this is just another thing that serves to make him look pathetic despite his magical power.

-->''Not actually naked, or skyclad as it was rather delightfully called, because Magrat had no illusions about the shape of her own body and the older witches seemed solid across the hems, and anyway that wasn’t absolutely necessary. The books said that the old-time witches had sometimes danced in their shifts. Magrat had wondered about how you danced in shifts. Perhaps there wasn’t room for them all to dance at once, she’d thought.''

-->''Most books on witchcraft will tell you that witches work naked. This is because most books on witchcraft [[AllMenArePerverts are written by men]].''

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragonsThirdEdition'': There is surprisingly little of such magic in the third-party ''Book of Erotic Fantasy''. The one exception has a good reason for this: the ''life shell'' spell creates a barrier around the caster preventing any non-living matter from going through, be they weapons or clothes, magic or not. Logically, one has to be naked in order to cast it.

* ''WesternAnimation/RobotChicken'': In a sketch parodying ''WesternAnimation/{{Cinderella}}'', [[FairyGodmother the Fairy Godmother's]] wand isn't working, so she decides to use dark magic, complete with her taking her clothes off to reveal her [[FanDisservice elderly and sagging body]], and her (censored) breasts flapping about. It turns out [[ShaggyDogStory her wand was just turned the wrong way and she didn't need the dark magic]].

* ''Literature/Skyclad2018'': As the title implies, the main character is only able to use her abilities while naked.

* ''ComicBook/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica'': During the "Obsidian Age" arc, the regular Justice League was seemingly killed on a mission, and thus a team of alternates were brought in to cover for them. During his time on the team, Jason Blood decided to beef up the mystical wards on the Watchtower, which required him to strip down, much to the delight of newcomers Hawkgirl and Faith.

** When the dark wizard Abaris attempts to [[SuperhumanTrafficking kidnap Witch Mabel in order to]] [[ManaDrain steal her Essence]] to power his own spells, the ritual used requires him to be skyclad (supposedly). When the spell seizes the non-magical mutant Tink instead, she immediately dubs him Pervert Man.

** Downplayed example: [[https://whateley.academy/index.php/story/even-murphy-s-law-has-loopholes-chapter-3 when]] Kodiak (Wyatt Cody) loses contact with his Avatar spirit, he turns to Professor Grimes for help. While Grimes herself remains clothed, Wyatt needs to enter a [[GeometricMagic protective circle]] wearing only a loincloth in order to summon The Primal Kodiak, who appears in a separate circle.[[https://whateley.academy/index.php/story/even-murphy-s-law-has-loopholes-chapter-3]]

** When the dark wizard Abaris attempts to [[SuperhumanTrafficking kidnap Witch Mabel in order to]] [[ManaDrain steal her Essence]] to power his own spells, the ritual used requires him to be skyclad (supposedly). When the spell seizes the non-magical mutant Tink instead, she immediately dubs him Pervert Man.[[https://whateley.academy/index.php/story/even-murphy-s-law-has-loopholes-chapter-3]]
** Downplayed example: when Kodiak (Wyatt Cody) loses contact with his Avatar spirit, he turns to Professor Grimes for help. While Grimes herself remains clothed, Wyatt needs to enter a [[GeometricMagic protective circle]] wearing only a loincloth in order to summon The Primal Kodiak, who appears in a separate circle.[[https://whateley.academy/index.php/story/even-murphy-s-law-has-loopholes-chapter-3]]

->''''Most books on witchcraft will tell you that witches work naked. This is because most books on witchcraft are written by men.''''

->''Most books on witchcraft will tell you that witches work naked. This is because most books on witchcraft are written by men.''

* During the "Obsidian Age" arc of ''ComicBook/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica'', the regular Justice League was seemingly killed on a mission, and thus a team of alternates were brought in to cover for them. During his time on the team, Jason Blood decided to beef up the mystical wards on the Watchtower, which required him to strip down, much to the delight of newcomers Hawkgirl and Faith.

* In ''ComicBook/TarotWitchOfTheBlackRose'', one of the many covens is the Skyclad Coven, which does all of its magic in the buff.
* In ''ComicBook/YoungJustice'', Empress performs a skyclad ritual to try and divine the location of who killed her father.

-->Not actually naked, or skyclad as it was rather delightfully called, because Magrat had no illusions about the shape of her own body and the older witches seemed solid across the hems, and anyway that wasn’t absolutely necessary. The books said that the old-time witches had sometimes danced in their shifts. Magrat had wondered about how you danced in shifts. Perhaps there wasn’t room for them all to dance at once, she’d thought.

* In ''Literature/TheTraitorSonCycle'': Ghause Muriens is an expy of [[Myth/ArthurianLegend Morgause and Morgan Le Fay]] and one of the most powerful sorcerers in the series. At 50 years old, though not the WorldsMostBeautifulWoman of her youth, Ghause has a figure and face that still puts almost every other woman to shame and she loves to flaunt it by doing magic skyclad.

* A sketch on ''Series/NotTheNineOClockNews'' dealt with Satanism in suburban Britain. [[https://youtu.be/EWa3LyvFOdc?si=IhT9heGzz3ltmIFi&t=96 An interviewer speaks to two Satanists]] in their living room.

* PlayedForComedy in a single panel cartoon in ''Magazine/{{Playboy}}'' in which a young girl comes into the kitchen to find her mother kneeling on the floor, completely naked. There's a pentagram on the floor in front of her, with [[CandlelitRitual lit candles at the five points]]. The caption beneath the cartoon reads: "Not now, sweetie. Mommie's casting a spell on Robert Redford."

* In ''TabletopGame/MageTheAwakening'', like most of everything, skyclad casting can be used to help spellcasting if it has the correct symbolism for the spell. Furthermore, the Sodality of the Tor, a Legacy based on British witchcraft, uses skyclad dancing as part of its initiations and rituals.

* Some productions of ''Theatre/TheRiteOfSpring'' feature the young girls doing a NudeNatureDance while performing the pagan ritual to summon spring.

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* Appears (sort of) twice in ''Webcomic/ArthurKingOfTimeAndSpace'', once when all the main characters are involved in a ritual arranged by Merlin (represented by stick figures to keep the strip family friendly) and once when we just see their reaction to an off-panel ritual they've interrupted, with Guinevere asking "Why is it never people you'd ''want'' to see naked?"
* {{Justified|Trope}} in ''Webcomic/WaywardSons''. Cassandra has the power to invoke prophetic holograms, which generate huge amounts of heat. Thus, she does her prophecy stuff [[http://waywardsons.keenspot.com/d/20100713.html in the water, naked.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/RobotChicken'': In a sketch parodying ''WesternAnimation/{{Cinderella}}'', [[FairyGodmother the Fairy Godmother's]] wand wasn't working, so she decides to use dark magic, complete with her taking her clothes off to reveal her [[FanDisservice elderly and sagging body]], and her (censored) breasts flapping about. It turns out [[ShaggyDogStory her wand was just turned the wrong way and didn't need the dark magic]].

* ''WesternAnimation/RobotChicken'': In a sketch parodying ''WesternAnimation/{{Cinderella}}'', [[FairyGodmother the Fairy Godmother's]] wand wasn't working, so she decides to use dark magic, complete with her taking her clothes off to reveal her [[FanDisservice elderly and sagging body]]. It turns out [[ShaggyDogStory her wand was just turned the wrong way and didn't need the dark magic]].

-->'''Satanist:''' Well, every full moon we do go up to the Heath at midnight, and we do strip ourselves completely naked, and we do passionately ravage each other till dawn.\\

The term ''skyclad'' -- meaning, "wearing only air" -- is often applied, especially in recent works. While nudity has long been associated with magic and witchcraft, this word actually comes from modern neo-paganism, specifically the mid-20th century works of Gerald Gardner (the founder of UsefulNotes/{{Wicca}}). Gardner probably got the term from a direct translation of the Sanskrit word ''Digambara'' (literally 'sky wearing'), referring to a sub-sect of Jainism in which monks are discouraged from having any possessions, including clothing.

* ''WesternAnimation/RobotChicken'': In a sketch parodying ''WesternAnimation/{{Cinderella}}'', [[FairyGodmother the Fairy Godmother's]] wand wasn't working, so she decides to use dark magic, complete with her taking her clothes off to reveal her [[FanDisservice elderly and sagging body]]. It turns out [[ShaggyDogStory her wand just wasn't turned on and didn't need the dark magic]].

* Some productions of ''Theatre/TheRiteOfSpring'' feature the young girls doing a NudeNatureDance while performing the ritual to make spring come.

[[folder:ComicBooks]]

* ''Film/PracticalMagic'': Discussed and implied when Sally has to leave her daughters with her aunts during the summer solstice, when they (supposedly) have an obligation to attend a witch celebration where nudity is involved. Becomes a BrickJoke later when the daughters mention doing exactly what their mother didn't want them to do.

[[folder:{{Literature}}]]

** Downplayed example: when Kodiak (Wyatt Cody) loses contact with his Avatar spirit, he turns to Professor Grimes for help. While Grimes herself remains clothed, Wyatt needs to enter a [[GeometricMagic protective circle]] wearing only a loincloth in order to summon The Primal Kodiak, who appears in separate circle.[[https://whateley.academy/index.php/story/even-murphy-s-law-has-loopholes-chapter-3]]

[[folder:TabletopGames]]

[[folder:VideoGames]]

[[folder:WebComics]]

* ''Series/XenaWarriorPrincess'': [[AmazonBrigade The Amazons]] have a spiritual purification ritual where they heal their emotional wounds and cleanse their souls. It's performed in a "purging hut" where they lay naked on a table while other (clothed) women perform various rituals. Gabrielle undergoes it in "[[Recap/XenaS03E12TheBitterSuite The Bitter Suite]]" as she's grieving for the death of her child. In "[[Recap/XenaS04E02AdventureInTheSinTradePartII Adventures in the Sin Trade II]]", Xena reminisces on how she once ambushed the Amazon Queen Cyane while she was undergoing said ritual, thinking she'd be easy prey in such a vulnerable position. She was wrong and ended up being on the end of a FullFrontalAssault, in which Cyane not only defeated Xena but [[ShamefulStrip also stole her clothing in the process]], forcing [[DefeatByModesty Xena to flee in the buff]].

-->''Most books on witchcraft will tell you that witches work naked. This is because most books on witchcraft are written by men.''

The term ''skyclad'' - meaning, 'wearing only air' - is often applied, especially in recent works. While nudity has long been associated with magic and witchcraft, this word actually comes from modern neo-paganism, specifically the mid-20th century works of Gerald Gardner (the founder of UsefulNotes/{{Wicca}}). Gardner probably got the term from a direct translation of the Sanskrit word ''Digambara'' (literally 'sky wearing'), referring to a sub-sect of Jainism in which monks are discouraged from having any possessions, including clothing.

Compare FullFrontalAssault, PosthumanNudism. Contrast to ArmorAndMagicDontMix, where a specific type of apparel cannot be worn by wizards if they wish to cast spells, and MagicalBarefooter, in which the lack of footwear indicates a tie to nature. Depending on the reason involved, it may be a form of ConditionalPowers.

This only applies to mages from societies/species with a nudity taboo, so examples such as unicorns in ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', don't count.

* ''Series/XenaWarriorPrincess'': [[AmazonBrigade The Amazons]] have a spiritual purification ritual where they heal their emotional wounds and cleanse their souls. It's performed in a "purging hut" where they lay naked on a table while other (clothed) women perform various rituals. Gabrielle undergoes it in "[[Recap/XenaS03E12TheBitterSuite The Bitter Suite]]" as she's grieving for the death of her child. In "[[Recap/XenaS04E02AdventureInTheSinTradePartII Adventures in the Sin Trade II]]", Xena reminisces on how she once ambushed the Amazon Queen Cyane while she was undergoing said ritual, thinking she'd be easy prey in such a vulnerable position. She was wrong and ended up being on the end of a FullFrontalAssault, in which Cyane not only defeated Xena but [[ShamefulStrip´also stole her clothing in the process]], forcing [[DefeatByModesty Xena to flee in the buff]].

* ''Literature/WhateleyUniverse'': When the dark wizard Abaris attempts to [[SuperhumanTrafficking kidnap Witch Mabel in order to]] [[ManaDrain steal her Essence]] to power his own spells, the ritual used requires him to be skyclad (supposedly). When the spell seizes the non-magical mutant Tink instead, she immediately dubs him Pervert Man.[[https://whateley.academy/index.php/story/even-murphy-s-law-has-loopholes-chapter-3]]

* PlayedForComedy in a single panel cartoon in ''Magazine/{{Playboy}}'' in which a young girl comes into the kitchen to find her mother kneeling on the floor, completely naked. There's a pentagram on the floor in front of her, with lit candles at the five points. The caption beneath the cartoon reads: "Not now, sweetie. Mommie's casting a spell on Robert Redford."

* {{Justified|Trope}} in ''Webcomic/WaywardSons''. Cassandra has the power to invoke prophetic holograms, which generate huge amounts of heat. Thus, she does her prophecy stuff [[http://waywardsons.keenspot.com/d/20100713.html in the water, naked]].

[[folder:Film - Live Action]]

[[folder:Live Action Television]]

[[AC:ComicBooks]]
* In ''ComicBook/YoungJustice'', Empress performs a skyclad ritual to try and divine the location of who killed her father.

-->'''Faith:''' Now ''that's'' something you don't see every day.
-->'''Hawkgirl:''' Though you'd like to.

[[AC:Film - Live Action]]

--> '''Sally:''' Fine, but I do ''not'' want them dancing naked under the full moon.
--> '''Aunt Jet:''' Of course not, dear. The nudity is entirely optional, [[NoodleIncident as you well remember]]!

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]

--> Standing nude
--> [...]
--> she lit the candles, drew the outer circle, summoned guardian spirits

[[AC:Live Action Television]]

-->'''Satanist:''' Well, every full moon we do go up to the Heath at midnight, and we do strip ourselves completely naked, and we do passionately ravage each other till dawn.
-->'''Interviewer:''' And this helps summon up the forces of Evil, does it?
-->'''Satanist:''' Who cares?

[[AC:Magazines]]

[[AC:TabletopGames]]

[[AC:VideoGames]]

[[AC:WebComics]]

[[AC:Western Animation]]

* ''WesternAnimation/RobotChicken'': In a sketch parodying ''WesternAnimation/{{Cinderella}}'', [[FairyGodmother the Fairy Godmother's]] wand wasn't working, so she decides to use dark magic, complete with her taking her clothes off to reveal her [[FanDiservice elderly and sagging body]]. It turns out [[ShaggyDogStory her wand just wasn't turned on and didn't need the dark magic]].