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Saul, first King of Israel and Judah, is supposed to have consulted ‘the Witch of Endor‘ the night before the Battle of Gilboa (c.1000 BCE), a battle that went disastrously for him (he looses, has to beg to be killed by his servants and his body is nailed to the wall of Beth-shan by the victorious Philistines).
The interview is mentioned in the First book of Samuel, chapter 28, verses 7 to 25 (see King James version, here). Saul is unable to discern the will of God by “dreams … by Urim, … by prophets” and so he seeks “a woman that hath a familiar spirit”, or “who possesses a talisman” that enables her to call up familiar spirits. Saul asks her to call up Samuel, which she does. Samuel has bad news: “Then Saul fell straightway all along on the earth, and was sore afraid, because of the words of Samuel: and there was no strength in him; for he had eaten no bread all the day, nor all the night”. The witch of Endor suggests Saul eat “a morsel of bread”, Saul refuses; she insists; Saul “arose from the earth, and sat upon the bed”; she kills a calf, makes some bread and Saul “did eat. Then they rose up, and went away that night”.
