![]() Despite the horror of simply being burned at the stake, the torturers of the Inquisition in the Netherlands developed a particularly cruel twist: Prior to being tied to the stake, the victim's tongue would be sandwiched between two hot iron plates. Since the victims had usually been previously tortured with the rack or some other method, the pain must have been unimaginable. It usually took about a half an hour before the victim lost consciousness, but if it was windy and the fire was blowing away from the victim, he or she might have to endure up to two hours of being slowly burned to death. Conceptually, it's a very simple process - create a pile of dry wood with a stake at the center to tie the victim to, and then light it. īeing burned at the stake was usually the last stop for torture victims, because this form of torture was invariably fatal. The victim might be alive for hours, enduring the agony of his or her mangled arms and legs and the relentless sun, not to mention the attentions of crows. Finally, the wheel would be attached to the top of a tall wooden pole and left out in the sun for days. Then, the shattered limbs were threaded through the spokes of a large wheel. The victim would have the bones in all four limbs broken in two places by strikes from an iron bar. One of the most horrible wheel tortures was akin to crucifixion. The difference was likely immaterial to the victims. Instead of swinging, the wheel might turn on an axle. The wheel itself could also have spikes mounted on it, so the pain came from all directions. The victim would be tied to the wheel, and then swung across some undesirable thing below - fire was always a good choice, but dragging the victim's flesh across metal spikes also worked well. A more elaborate method involved a wheel mounted to an A-frame that allowed it to swing freely. Early torturers were fond of tying someone to a large wooden wheel, then pushing it down a rocky hillside. They could be part of a stretching rack, but medieval torturers were far too creative to leave it at that. Wheels were adapted to many torturous uses. Torquemada, the infamous torturer of the Spanish Inquisition, was known to favor a stretching rack known as a potoro. He or she was stretched until his or her joints dislocated, then left there or slackened and allowed to hang underneath the horse while an inquisitor or judge questioned the victim and tried to get a confession. ![]() ![]() Pulleys below tightened ropes affixed to the victim's hands and feet. The victim was tied to a beam on the top (the horse's "back"), facing up. It was a wooden device that vaguely resembled an actual horse in shape. Eventually, the fire was extinguished by the downpour of blood as the victim's limbs were torn free. A fire was lit beneath the wheel, adding to the torture. In one story, a Christian youth was tied to a wheel and his joints destroyed by the stretching. Such torture was known as being "broken on the rack," "racked," or "stretched on the rack." It could be combined with other forms of torture to make things even more painful. Continued pressure could cause the limbs to be torn right off. It came in many forms, but here's the basic idea: The victim was tied down while some mechanical device, usually a crank or turning wheel, tightened the ropes, stretching the victim's body until the joints were dislocated. The rack was used throughout Europe for centuries. By some reports, Phalaris himself became an eventual victim of the bull when his subjects grew tired of his mistreatment. Expecting a handsome reward for his creativity, Perillus instead became the first person placed inside the Brazen Bull. Legend has it that this device was invented by a Greek named Perillus (Perilaus in some sources) for a tyrant named Phalaris of Agrigentum. This effect created additional amusement for the audience, and served the added benefit of distancing them from the brutality of the torture, since they couldn't directly see the victim. The movements and sounds, muted by the bull's mass, made the apparatus appear alive, the sounds inside like those of a real bull. As the victim succumbed to the searing heat inside, he would thrash about and scream in agony. Victims were placed inside, usually with their tongues cut out first. The Brazen Bull was a hollow brass statue crafted to resemble a real bull.
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