< h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > swimming test</h1>
The infamous swimming test was when an alleged witch was dragged to the nearest body of water, stripped naked and tied up, and thrown in to see if she would sink or float. Since witches are believed to have rejected the sacrament of baptism, it is believed that water will repel their bodies and prevent them from diving into the water. According to this logic, if an innocent person would sink like a stone, the witch would surface. Victims are usually tied with a rope around their waist so that if they sink, they can be pulled out of the water, but accidental drowning deaths are not uncommon.
The witch swimming test originated in a waterboarding trial, an ancient penal code in which suspects and wizards are thrown into a rushing river and left to God to decide their fate. The practice was banned in many European countries during the Middle Ages, but re-emerged in the 17th century as an experiment in witchcraft and continued in some places until the 18th century. For example, in 1710, swimming tests were used as evidence against the Hungarian woman Dolko Boda, who was later beaten and burned at the stake as a witch.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > prayer test</h1>
Medieval people believed that witches could not speak the Bible aloud, so accused shamans were required to memorize excerpts from the Bible without making mistakes or omissions. Any mistake is considered to prove that the speaker is in collusion with the devil. This distorted test is often used as strong evidence for witch trials. In 1712, it was applied in the case of Jane Venham. Jane Venham, an accused witch, is said to have had difficulty saying during interrogations to "forgive us for our illegal actions" and "guide us from temptation." Of course, even a successful prayer test does not guarantee acquittal. The accused wizard George Brauss recited the prayer perfectly before the execution, but it was considered a trick of the devil, so the hanging proceeded as planned.
< h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > touch test</h1>
The principle of the haptic test is that the victim of witchcraft will have a special reaction to the physical contact of the evil one. When a person is cast a spell, the suspected witch is taken to the room and given to contact, and if there is no reaction to show that they are innocent, but if the victim's body reacts, it is seen as evidence that the suspect has cast a spell on them.
In the 1662 trials of Rose Callander and Amy Danny, haptic tests played an important role. The two older British women were accused of seducing a pair of young girls. The children's fists were clenched so tightly that even the strong men could not open their fingers, and tests showed that whenever Callander or Danny touched them, they opened them easily. To make sure the reaction was real, the judges blindfolded the children and exposed them to the touch of other members of the court, and the girls all let go of their fists, suggesting they were pretending. But even that's not enough to prove that Rose Callander and Amy Danny are innocent. Callander and Danny were later hanged as witches.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > the mark of a witch</h1>
Witch hunters often stripped their suspects of clothing and openly checked for suspicious marks, which were said to be formed by witches after signing a contract with Satan. This "mark of the devil" is said to change shape and color, and is numb and insensitive to pain. Prosecutors may also search for "witches' nipples," which are allegedly extra nipples that are used to breastfeed the witch's helper animals. In both cases, even the tiniest physical defect can easily be labeled as a devil. Moles, scars, birthmarks, ulcers, excess nipples and tattoos can all be eligible, so inspectors rarely find nothing. During witch hunts, desperate villagers sometimes even burn or cut off any suspicious marks on their bodies, with the result that their wounds are labeled as proof that they have made a new contract with the devil.
< h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > stab test</h1>
If witch hunters have difficulty finding a clear "witch mark" on a suspect, they may resort to the horrific practice of "stabbing." Because witch hunting books and teaching manuals state that these marks are insensitive to pain and do not bleed, the examiners repeatedly pierced the suspect's skin using specially designed needles until they found a place where there was no bleeding. In England and Scotland, this torture was carried out by highly paid professionals, many of whom were actually liars who used blunt needles to identify the marks of fake witches.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > spell</h1>
The test is to force the alleged witch to verbally order the devil to revive the possessed victim from their convulsions or trance. The test was used in the 16th-century trial of Alice Samuel and her husband and daughter, who were accused of casting magic on five girls from the wealthy Sorok Morton family. During the trial, the judge forced the Samuels to ask the devil to lift the spell, saying, "Because I am a witch..., so I ordered the devil to restore Mrs. Sloth Morton to health." When the possessed girl recovered immediately, the Samuels were convicted and hanged as witches.