Trial By Ordeal

Was your fate decided by fire, water, or a bite of bread? Dive into the bizarre history of trial by ordeal, an ancient method of determining guilt or innocence through dangerous "judgments of God". From the "law of jealousies" in the Mosaic code to practices in ancient Greece, India, and across Europe, this episode explores tests like walking on hot coals, retrieving stones from boiling water, and the fateful morsel of the corsned.

Discover how Anglo-Saxons employed ordeals of fire and water, often with detailed religious ceremonies. Learn about the different types, including the simple and triple ordeals, and how even royalty like Queen Emma faced these tests.

Explore the decline of trial by ordeal, marked by growing skepticism, the prohibition of the ordeal of the cross, and the eventual forbidding of clerical involvement by the Lateran Council in 1215. See how this "superstitious trial" was replaced by other methods but saw a brief revival during the witchcraft craze.

Hear tales of ordeals influencing literature, from the Elder Edda to Shakespeare and Sir Walter Scott. Understand how this once prevalent "judicial proceeding" ultimately faded into history, giving way to modern legal systems.