In medieval Europe, there was a widespread belief that a murdered corpse would supernaturally bleed from its wounds if brought into the presence of its murderer. This practice, known as ‘cruentation’, was used as a form of divine identification when evidence was lacking.
To perform cruentation, the body of the murder victim was laid out in front of suspects. If blood was seen seeping from wounds, the suspect was presumed guilty. While this was not a legally reliable method, creeds at the time regarded it as divine judgment. This act often occurred during formal inquests or local trials by lay authorities or clergy, particularly in Germanic and Nordic regions.
Sensory elements included visible bleeding and a solemn crowd, invoking fear and reverence for divine justice.
