Torture has been a brutal reality for many unfortunate people. But the most unsettling fact about torture’s brutality isn’t its existence, but the way people have injected a perverted sense of creativity (and even pleasure) into the creation of devices designed to inflict pain.
This is a Heretics Fork
This torture device consisted of a metal piece with two opposed bi-pronged forks attached to a belt or strap. One end of the device was pushed under the chin, the other to the sternum, and the strap was used to secure the victim’s neck to the tool while the victim hung from the ceiling or was somehow suspended so that they could not sleep. Due to pain, the victim would drop his head and the forks would then pierce through the chest and the chin.
The heretics fork was used in the Middles Ages mainly during the Spanish Inquisition. The instrument consists of two forks set against each other that penetrated the flesh under the chin in one end and the upper chest in the other. This instrument didn’t harm any vital points; thus avoiding death and prolonging pain.
One end of the device was pushed under the chin and the other into the sternum and the strap was used to lock the neck to the tool while the victim was somehow suspended so that he did not sleep. If his head dropped, the prongs would pierce their throat and chest.
Abiuro – “I recant” – the latin phrase engraved into the side of this double-ended two-pronged fork, was the only phrase that the prisoner was allowed to speak…….
We hope that you have enjoyed reading our blog on the “From Yesterday to Tomorrow: Exploring the Journey of History”. If you enjoy this blog please let us know in the comments below. If you are interested in history, we recommend you check out our other blogs here on the “World History and Local Gist”. Thank you for reading.
Leave a Reply