The 5 Scariest Medieval Torture Devices | What the Stuff?!

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Back in the Middle Ages, people (usually men) took the time to invent horrific devices to inflict suffering so grotesque… it became an art form. Here are 5 of the scariest torture devices we came up with during the medieval era. Special location thanks to Alkaloid Networks! http://alkaloid.net/ Torture Devices article: http://history.howstuffworks.com/middle-ages/10-medieval-torture-devices.htm Subscribe http://bit.ly/1AWgeM7 Twitter https://twitter.com/HowStuffWorks Facebook https://www.facebook.com/HowStuffWorks Google+ https://plus.google.com/+howstuffworks Website http://www.howstuffworks.com Watch More https://www.youtube.com/HowStuffWorks Video Attribution: The Silence of the Lambs - It Rubs the Lotion https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRqXBsgnYok Braveheart - The Death of William Wallace https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dURiTR5vg4 Transcript: Crushed spines. Pierced eyeballs. Broken jaws. Searing Burns. There were plenty of reasons in the Middle Ages that people inflicted these kinds of punishment on one other. Usually it was religious fervor, legal retribution or some combination of the two. People (usually men) took the time to invent horrific devices to inflict suffering so grotesque… it became an artform. Here are 5 of the scariest torture devices we came up with during the medieval era. According to legend, a Greek named Perillus invented something called “The Brazen Bull” for the tyrant Phalaris of Agrigentum. It was a hollow brass statue of a bull, with a door to seal victims inside it. Fires were lit around the statue so its metal became searing hot, burning its victims alive. Their dying screams and attempts to get out made the “bull” seem alive, while also distancing the audience from actually seeing the brutality inflicted. Reportedly, Perillus was The Bull’s first victim, as a reward for his creativity. A British man named Skevington invented “The Scavenger’s Daughter,” basically an iron hoop with a hinge in the middle. Victims were forced to crouch within the hoop, with the hinge upon their back. A screw would tighten the hoop, crushing them so their ribs and breastbone would crack, and their spine was dislocated. If compressed enough, “The Scavenger’s Daughter” would force blood to gush out from your fingertips and face. Many of these torture devices would make brutal names for metal bands. Obviously the dudes from “Iron Maiden” thought so too, or they wouldn’t have named themselves after such a grisly device. The Maiden was an upright sarcophagus, and its interior was lined with 21 spikes. When a victim was inside and its doors would close, the “Iron Maiden” penetrated their vital organs, including their eyes. The spikes were just short enough however that death took several hours of lingering bleeding. This device was thought to be fictional until researchers found one in Nuremberg, Germany in the 1800s. Ah, “The Rack!” The trite man’s torture device. For say, a “James Bond” or a “Batman and Robin” villain. It works by tying a victim down while a crank tightens the ropes. This slowly stretches their body until their joints dislocate or their limbs are torn off. The more inspired medieval torturers liked to spice up their racks (get it?), by lighting a fire under them, or mounting their victims on something that resembled a horse before pulling their appendages out. Finally, we come to what may be the worst torture device we’ve ever heard of, “The Pear of Anguish.” It was a metal instrument shaped like a pear that opened into four “leaves” when it was cranked on one end. Once inserted into an orifice, “The Pear of Anguish” was slowly opened, causing massive internal damage. If you were a heretic, it was inserted orally. Anal pears and vaginal pears were reserved for those accused of homosexuality or witchcraft, respectively. Okay… now that we’ve covered these morbid and heinous contraptions, I’ve got to ask… which one would you want to be tortured with the least? Tell us all about your fears in the comments below and don’t forget to let us know if you enjoyed this video by liking it or subscribing to our channel. And if you’ve still got the stomach for it, we’ve got even more torture devices for you in our original article at HowStuffWorks.com.