Gruesome Torture Devices

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.