Throughout history, man has used psychological means on one another to extract information. Torture has been one of these methods. It's difficult to imagine that a person could invent such a way to hurt another human being, or that it could be allowed. Unfortunately, this was not always the case, and such methods of torture are still in use today.
Hung, Drawn, and Quartered
This form of torture is especially sadistic and downright evil. Often used on prisoners, they would be led out to the place of execution. They would then be hung, sometimes several times. Their body would be disemboweled, often while still conscious so they could see their insides and members being removed. Their innards would then be thrown into a fire. If they survived, their body would be quartered and buried in various locations dependent on the whims of citizens.The Chair of Torture
While there are many forms of torture chairs, one thing is common in all of them. Embedded in the chairs are hundreds of spikes. Victims are restrained to the chair, sometimes so severely that the slightest bit of movement would cause the person to be penetrated by the spikes. In some versions of the chair, holes were drilled into the chairs bottom. A fire would be lit underneath to cause the victim severe anguish. The chair's primary use was to extract confessions by forcing victims to watch others being tortured in the chair.The Virgin of Nuremburg
On the sarcophagus was carved the face of a beautiful maiden. What lay inside was far more sinister. Fitted inside were strategically placed spikes that pierced the body but none of the vital organs. The victim would be placed inside, and doors on either side would be closed. One door could be opened while the other held the victim in place. The doors could be continually opened and closed, inflicting wounds in the same spot, creating a long and agonizing death.The Saw
This type of torture was vicious in every way. A victim would be stripped nude and tied in an inverted position. This allowed the victim's blood to rush to his/her head. Supposedly this allowed for the victim to be conscious long enough to be sawed in half. Most victims never made it past their navel before dying in excruciating pain.The Judas Chair
This was a not chair used to rest one's weary legs. It was a pyramid shaped chair, whereby the victim would be placed upon it. The point of the chair would be placed into the vaginal canal or anus. The victim would slowly be lowered onto the chair while being suspended. The chair would then either stretch the orifice or cause internal mutilation. Sometimes victims were impaled and died horrible, painful deaths.The Head Crusher
This means of torture is pretty self-explanatory. A victim's head would be placed inside a device, where the chin would rest on a bar, and a cap was affixed to the head. The cap would be slowly screwed down until the victim's teeth and jaw were crushed. The eyes pop out of their socket, while the brains ooze out of what is left of the skull.The Rack
This method of torture was used to stretch the victim beyond all means until joints were dislocated. A victim would be tied on a wooden frame with his limbs being attached to a roller on each end. A handle and ratchet would slowly be turned to cause tension and pull on the victim's body. Slowly his limbs would be pulled in opposite directions. Often times the limbs would be pulled from the socket.The Pear
This device was used on those who were deemed to be sexual deviants, liars, or blasphemers. A pear shaped device with spikes at the bottom would be placed inside an orifice (depending on the crime). It would slowly be opened by a screw on top. The torturer could open the device to either tear the flesh or completely mutilate the victim.Rat Torture
The victim was restrained completely with no way of being able to move. They were usually laid flat on a hard surface. A rat would be placed upon the victim's stomach, and a metallic cage would be placed on top of the rat. The container would be heated, forcing the rat to frantically borough its way through the victim's stomach and intestines. At times a victim would be blindfolded to heighten his sense of fear.Brodequins
There are various foot and leg breakers, but they all have the same concept. Boards would be placed on each side of a victim's leg. Wooden pegs would be placed between the toes. The legs would be tightly bound with a rope until the legs would slowly be crushed. When the victim's legs were unbound, their legs would literally be mush.
