5. Scold’s Bridle
This portable instrument of torture was popular in England and Scotland
during the 1500′s, but was seen as late as the nineteenth century. The
scold’s bridle (also known as branks) was a cage that was locked around a
woman’s head as punishment for nagging and gossiping too often. Attached
to this iron muzzle was a curb-plate inserted into a woman’s mouth to,
literally, subdue her treacherous tongue. Most of these metal curb-
plates were spiked, averaging in length of about half an inch to an
inch. The smaller spikes were a mild discomfort while the longer ones
pierced the tongue and caused the victim to bleed continuously.
To make matters worse, some curb-plates had an additional round gag at
the end which, when the device was worn, rested in the back of the
mouth, irritating the throat. Some of these gags were shaped as animal
heads to symbolically refer to her crime (e.g. donkey meant fool).
Wearing the scold’s bridle was far from a private affair. Women were
taken through town, led by a leash, for people to see and know of her
transgressions so that she may be ridiculed for them. If the verbal
assaults weren’t enough, women were stoned and beaten by the
townspeople.
4. Heretic’s Fork
The heretic’s fork, as you may have guessed, was used primarily during
the various inquisitions. The fork was a metal rod with two prongs at
both ends attached to a leather strap worn around the neck. The top fork
was placed on the fleshy part under the chin, while the other end dug
into the bone of the sternum, keeping the neck stretched and the head
erect at all times. Ensuring optimal agony was simple. A person wearing
the heretic’s fork was kept from lying down by either being hung from
the ceiling or suspended in some manner that proved distressing.
Those wearing the device were only able to murmur to their torturers;
any movement of the jaw would force the sharp prongs to further
penetrate their skin. It was effective for long use because neither end
pierced a vital organ, and blood loss was minimal. Victims usually died
of sleep deprivation and fatigue.
3. Thumbscrew
This device, though seemingly simple, is a work of genius (in a cruel
and unusual way, of course). A prisoner would place his thumbs between
two flat metal pieces, connected by one or more screws. The metal bars
had ridges, either smooth bumps
or sharp spikes, that would bore into a victim’s thumbs, trapping him
into the metal mechanism as his bones were crushed. It was a small
torturous device that inflicted extreme pain, without too much effort.
The thumbscrew isn’t as bloody or nightmarish as other items listed
here, but think about an instant when your thumb was caught in the door
or a drawer; magnify the pain and you might then understand just how
horrifically dreadful thumbscrews really were. Similar inventions were
used on toes, wrists, elbows and knees.
2. Tean Zu
If crushing thumbs wasn’t enough, the Chinese tean zu, using a similar
concept, was used on all fingers in a gruelingly long process. A
victim’s fingers were placed on a flat wooden surface, where each finger
was separated by sticks attached to strings. Refusal to answer
questions or offer information resulted in the tightening of the
strings which closed the device onto the prisoner’s fingers, breaking
them slowly.
The tean zu was useful for a number of reasons. It was relatively easy to
create, requiring little mechanical skill to assemble it. Crushing
fingers not only delivered an extreme amount of pain, but the process
could be repeated countless times. The unlucky victim strapped in the
device would suffer for days, each time forcing their bones to crack
again. These bones were damaged so badly, at times, that they protruded
out of the skin from multiple crushings.
1. Spanish Spider
This object had long metal claws, which were heated before it was fixed
onto a woman’s breast. If piercing soft flesh with a searing hot metal
wasn’t enough, the breast was then ripped off a woman’s chest violently.
This was the penalty for adultery or deliberate miscarriage of justice.
Other uses of the Spanish spider were just as inhumane. Victims were
pierced by the heated claws on their breasts, belly or buttocks
(anywhere fleshy) and then hung from the ceiling. Their own weight
caused the wounds and skin to stretch, and bleeding was near impossible
to stop. People died hours after they were first suspended off the
ground.
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