# Torture! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 7, 2001, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/torture/86004 "2001-10-07T23:20:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2001, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/torture/86004/1 "2001-10-07T23:20:40Z")
How did the Iron Maiden and other famous torture devices REALLY work? Links would be nice, if possible :). ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2001, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/torture/86004/2 "2001-10-07T23:29:45Z")
They went into the studio, made really godawful shit-metal albums, and inflicted them upon the public. Thank god we live in more enlightened times, and such methods of torture are largely abandoned. ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2001, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/torture/86004/3 "2001-10-08T00:10:26Z")
This might contain what you seek… [http://www.fidnet.com/~weid/torture.htm](http://www.fidnet.com/~weid/torture.htm) ---
**Author:** ![geepee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ebca7d/32.png) [@geepee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/geepee)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2001, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/torture/86004/4 "2001-10-08T00:29:26Z")
ah a specialty of mine shame the daily radar’s 20 knarliest torture devices of all time has been 404’d but lets see some of the best i remember from various sources #1 iron maiden - (medevil) the spikes were on the inside of a coffin and the coffin closed with the victim inside , thing is the spikes were not all that long so they would jab into your flesh fairly deep say 2-3 inches but not enough to do lethal damage #2 Spiked boots (Medevil) shoes made from steel with flat bits at the toes which you had to balance upon , if you balanced on the heel a steel plate with a spike on it would jab your heels #3 The Saw (Medevil) Victim was hung upside down from rafters of a tree , the theory being that blood would rush to the head and keep you concious longer , then saw was used from the groin downwards towards the midsection until victim died , occasionally the saw would get to the middrif before the person expired #4 POW water torture (WWII) Japanese men would force feed a POW water lots and lots then tie a gag to his face and jump up and down on his belly causing internal rupture #5 Camel water torture a Camel would be dehydrated heavily and poor prisoner would be tied to its body , then camel would be allowed to drink , its belly would expand so much the prisoner was torn apart #6 Chilli burns (sourced some mens magazine) (modern) They’d put you in boiling water until you were scaled badly then roll you around in chilli powder , then they would put you in a freezer closing your pores and sealing in the chilli to the flesh #7 The Boots 2 Ever see Misery the film ? where she broke his ankles? , well in medevil (yes med EVIL) times they would put perforated wooden planks around your legs in a box shape then thru the holes hammer in wedges of wood , breaking your legs , more and more would be hammered into until your legs were no more than mush #8 the cage (tame) they stick you in a tight cage and let you die of exposure #9 Spiking you’d be thrust analy onto a spike , and left there to rot #10 rack obvious #11 Trial by fire (not strictly torture but interesting) they’d get a red hot iron ring and make you hold it for a bit , after 2-3 weeks if it healed you were innocent (god healed you) if it didn’t you were guilty (since they used nasty bandages and penicilin was a good few hundred years off you were buggered) #12 Torture chair (can’t recall the proper name) sharp pyramid of steel you sit onto , torturer hold you up with wires and lowers you onto it at his discretion #12a Torture saddle (ditto) same but triangular prism arrangement and you were pulled down by weights around the ankles #13 Sjambok (mens mag source) (modern south african) A whip made from leather that can cut flesh deeply with each stroke , with notice “not for discipline of horses” but ok for humans aparently pre 1990s favourite weapon of SA police other than guns #14 Cleansing of the soul (medevil) prior to any of the medevil above they would feed you hot coals to purify your soul etc #15 Dunking stool (med) testing of witches - tame , dip you in if you drown you are not guilty of being witch , if you float you are going to be executed (nice) #16 Tieing off (modern i think) get a limb of yours and tie it off a bit and wait till it goes all rotten or dies or get gangrene #17 Chilli stick (modern , sourced mens magazine) Police get stick , cover end with green chilli paste , proceed to insert this into you #18 The pear (medevil) a wind up device where you turn the handle at the base of the pear and it expands , pear was inserted into anus or vagina and handle was turned opening up the spikey pear inside you. all i can remember at the moment , prison these days is far far too easy