The medieval ages have been known for their innovations in torture. It’s unclear why the medieval period was so fascinated with torture devices. The medieval period lasted about 1,000 years and was often regarded as the Dark Ages. Different Medieval torture devices were created for men and women. One such medieval torture device invented to be used exclusively for torturing women was the Pear of Anguish. Other devices include the Rack, the Thumbscrew, the Breast Ripper, and the Iron Maiden. Torture devices were seen as a crucial way to extract information or confessions from criminals and political enemies. These devices were designed to cause immense anguish to their victims, and all were ruthless and inhumane.
What is the Pear of Anguish?
The Pear of Anguish, also known as choke pear or mouth pear, is a torture device based on mechanisms of unknown use from the early modern period. The instrument consists of a pear-shaped metal body divided into spoon-like segments that can be spread apart with a spring or by turning a key. The body of the pear device was made of four metal leaves joined at the hook at its top. It was used as a torture device, inserted into the mouth, rectum, or v*gina, and then expanded to gag or mutilate the victim.
How Does The Pear of Anguish Work?
The Pear of Anguish is a medieval torture device used on women. It was inserted into any body opening that you can imagine. The device had a screw mechanism that allowed the torturer to expand the pears wings and increase its volume slowly. This process created incredible pressure inside the body. The Pear of Anguish had pointed prongs, which were ideal for ripping into the throat, cervix, or intestines of the victim, which usually led to death.
Pear Of Anguish – Painful Torture
The Pear of Anguish torture device inflicted a lot of pain, and it didn’t take long to extract a confession from a woman of being a witch or any other crime using this torture device. This medieval torture device was usually made of hard iron. The goal of the device was not to puncture the flesh, which could lead to fatal bleeding. Instead, the device was meant to stretch the anus as much as possible. The more it stretched and ripped the skin, the more it destroyed the sensitive nerve endings and produced searing agony for the victim.
Pear of Anguish usage
The Pear of Anguish tool was primarily used against women who were accused of being witches, the purpose of which was to extract a confession from women. It was widely used throughout the Spanish Inquisition. It was an extremely painful device to punish women accused of inducing a miscarriage and for being liars, blasphemers, and homosexuals. When the woman confessed to being a witch, she was usually burned alive by the stake. The Pear of Anguish tool was brutal, and many women tortured in the castle dungeons would have died from their injuries.
Summary
The Pair of Anguish was a grotesque and sinister tool used to torment women in the middle ages. However, scholars have argued if this device was actually used in the form of torture or not. But, the device found in torture museums throughout Europe, invariably crafted with an artistic flourish, proves that their purpose was to torment.
