7 Strange and Barbaric "Witch Tests" Used in the Salem Witch Trials

Do you know how to spot a witch? You might look for a pointy black hat, green skin, or maybe try to catch them flying on a broom… 

But during the Salem witch trials of 17th-century New England, it wasn't so easy. 

In order to root out the witches believed to be haunting their communities, local "witch hunters", members of law enforcement, and religious leaders concocted numerous “witch tests” intended to reveal the residents of colonial Massachusetts who were living secret lives. 

In total, more than 200 individuals were accused of witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts throughout 1692 and 1693. Suspected witches were subject to all manner of violent, invasive and strange tests to prove they were – or weren’t – witches.

Here are some of the most bizarre methods used to find “witches” during the Salem witch trials.

RELATED: Long Before Witches in Salem, Europe Had 'Werewolf Trials'

1. Swimming Test

In this witch test, perhaps the most famous, accused witches had their hands bound, were stripped down to their undergarments, and then were thrown into the nearest body of water. If the accused sank to the bottom, they were innocent, and if they floated, they were a witch (because it was believed that water itself would reject the witch).

This logic has an obvious flaw: if only innocents sank, then this test was putting non-witches at significant risk of drowning. And though ropes were typically tied around the victim’s waist so they could be retrieved, accidental drownings did occur. 

2. Touch Test

If someone had a spell cast on them, it was believed they would have a reaction to the physical touch of the witch responsible. If the would-be witch touched the possessed person, and they were suddenly cured of their ailment, that was used as proof that they were indeed a witch. If they were touched by the alleged witch and nothing happened, that was proof of innocence.

3. Bible Test

Witches were thought to be frightened by the Bible and would thus be physically unable to read or recite scripture aloud. This test was simple: If the accused could recite biblical passages perfectly, they were not a witch.

Unfortunately, this was all during a time when most peasants were illiterate, meaning they knew little if any scripture by heart, and even the slightest flub would be used as evidence of witchery.

Reciting scripture perfectly did not guarantee innocence, though. When accused witch Reverend George Burroughs was to be hanged in Salem in 1692, he reportedly recited the Lord’s Prayer flawlessly on the gallows. However, his accusers said Satan was dictating the prayer through him, and he was hanged anyway. 

4. Weight Test

This bizarre test (more commonly used in Europe than in colonial America), involved the accused witch being weighed against a stack of Bibles. It was believed that witches were extremely lightweight, so if they weighed less than a stack of Bibles, they were not witches.

There were myriad issues with this method (beyond its basic absurdity). The legitimacy of some weighing sites were called into question, professional weighers were often bribed to skew results, and the individuals accused of witchcraft were often peasant women already weighing very little anyway... so this test often resulted in witchcraft charges.

5. Witch Cakes

We don’t recommend serving this at your next dinner party. When people were suspected of being hexed by a witch, witch hunters would take a sample of the victim’s urine and bake it into a cake made of rye meal and ashes. Then the cake would be served to a dog, which were believed to sometimes be companions or even familiars of witches. According to superstition, the dog would either be able to point the way towards the witch, or the witch might even cry out when the cake was eaten.

In fact, some scholars point to a witch cake as the starting point for the Salem Witch Trials. So the story goes: an enslaved woman was directed by her neighbor to prepare a witch cake to help Elizabeth Parris, the daughter of a local reverend, who was afflicted by illness and convulsions.

Despite this being an old English folk tale to ward off witches, Parris’ father, Reverend Samuel Parris, denounced this in church as devilry. Elizabeth later accused the cake baker and two other women of being witches – leading to panic across the community.

6. Witch Marks

This test was based on the premise that making a pact with Satan would be sealed with a physical mark on one’s body. This practice dates back to the 15th-century but was popularized by Matthew Hopkins, England’s “Witchfinder General,” in the 1600s.

Anything from moles to scars to birthmarks were used as evidence of witchery, and these witch mark investigations were often done publicly, meaning the victim was stripped nude in front of their family, friends, and neighbors in a humiliating public ritual.

One skin blemish that was a surefire sign of a deal with the devil was what was the presence of a supernumerary nipple, a fairly common condition found in up to five percent of the population. Witch hunters called this a “witches’ teat.” Because of the hysteria over these marks, villagers would sometimes burn or cut off their own physical imperfections if they feared they might be accused of witchcraft.

7. Pricking

In the unlikely occasion that witch hunters didn’t find any physical blemishes they could call a witch mark, they’d just make their own.

"Pricking” was a particularly cruel practice where witch hunters would prick or scratch the skin with a specially-designed needle, operating under the belief that witches were unable to feel pain or even bleed from their witch marks. Witch hunters would prick suspected witches all over as they searched for a part of their body which didn’t bleed when pricked, and being pricked dozens or even hundreds of times was common.

RELATED: Wrongly Convicted Salem 'Witch' Could Finally Be Exonerated

What If You Failed a Test?

Failing a test was used as evidence of witchcraft. The accused generally had two options: confess and have their lives spared, or maintain their innocence and risk execution. 

Most of those accused decided to confess, realizing it was their best option. But some people stood their ground – and faced the consequences. In total, 19 people were executed (most by hanging), and six more died in jail. 

As the hysteria came to an end in May of 1693, everyone in custody for witchcraft was pardoned. However, many saw their lives and reputations irreparably altered as a result of the accusations.