Witch’s Cradle
A witch’s cradle is a means to torture accused witches. A witch was tied up in a sack, string the sack over a tree limb and set it swinging. The rocking motion of this witch’s cradle, as it was called, caused profound disorientation and helped induce confessions. most subjected to this also suffered profound hallucinations, which probably added colour to their confessions (see torture). The term witch’s cradle also applies to modern sensory-deprivation techniques and devices used to induce altered states of consciousness.
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SOURCE:
The Encyclopedia of Witches, Witchcraft and Wicca – written by Rosemary Ellen Guiley – Copyright © 1989, 1999, 2008 by Visionary Living, Inc.
