Origin People believed that the devil gave certain humans (witches) powers to hurt others, began in Europe in the 14th century. Salem Witch Trials The witch trails began in the spring of 1692. It all started with a group of girls that said they were possessed by the devil, and the girls accused several woman of witchcraft. Shortly after this a hysteria broke out through Salem accusing people of witchcraft. The first convicted witch was Bridget Bishop, after being accused as a witch she was hung. Towards the end of the trials 150 men, woman and children were accused of witchcraft. The Tests Swimming Test- The accused witch was bound then thrown in a body of water to see if they would sink or float, If they floated they were a witch. Prayer Test- Accused witches were made to recite certain selections from the Bible ( mainlythe lords prayer), without making any errors or any mistakes. If the person made a mistake they were seen as the witch being nervous and seen as guilty. Touch Test- If a possessed person fell under a spell, the people who thought they were guilty would bring the accused into a room and asked them to touch them. A no reaction meant they were innocent, but if the victim came out in a fit, they were found guilty. Witch Cakes - A dessert used to identify witches, in case or possession a witch hunter would take a sample of the victims urine and mix in to rye-meal and ashes and bake it into cakes. Then they would feed it to the accused witches pets to see if they would tell them if there owner was guilty. Modern Day Witches A modern witch today could be consider a Wicca. A Wicca is a person who dose not worship the devil but the earth instead. Witchcraft and Wicca's are not similar.