according to mark 6:21-29, salome was the stepdaughter of herod antipas, and danced before herod and her mother herodias at the occasion of herod's birthday. the new testament suggests that salome caused john the baptist to be executed because his spoke out that herod's marriage to herodias was adulterous. herodias put her up to the demand that john be executed, something the king was initially reluctant to do.