Heretic's fork
The heretic's fork was a torture device, loosely consisting of a length of metal with two opposed bi-pronged "forks" as well as an attached belt or strap.[1]
The device was placed between the breast bone and throat just under the chin and secured with a leather strap around the neck, while the victim was hung from the ceiling or otherwise suspended in a way so that they could not lie down.[2] A person wearing it couldn't fall asleep. The moment their head dropped with fatigue, the prongs pierced their throat or chest, causing great pain.[1][3] This very simple instrument created long periods of sleep deprivation. People were awake for days, which made confessions more likely.[1]
Traditionally, the fork was engraved with the Latin word abiuro (meaning "I recant"), and was used by the various Inquisitions.[4]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c "Instruments Gallery". Historical Torture Museum. http://www.torturamuseum.com/instruments.html. Retrieved 2008-07-15.
- ^ Golub, L. (1985). "About This Artwork - The Heretic's Fork, c. 1985". The Art Institute of Chicago - The Collection. The Art Institute of Chicago. http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artwork/72280. Retrieved 13 January 2010.
- ^ Di Perna, A. (September 2008). "Hurts so good". Tune-Ups - Profiles. http://books.google.com/books?id=APwDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA41&lpg=PA41&dq=heretic's+fork+magazine&source=bl&ots=-1Pm4yi8Bn&sig=Bs3nfJh_WllrfLuw_yqYegOEFLU&hl=en&ei=o9VNS7r2OJCTkAWHg4SpDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CAoQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=&f=false. Retrieved 13 January 2010.[dead link]
- ^ Stocker, T. (2009). The Paleolithic Paradigm. AuthorHouse. p. 64. ISBN 1449022928. http://books.google.com/books?id=jKT1N1tGZRYC&pg=PA64&dq=heretic's+fork&cd=4#v=onepage&q=heretic's%20fork&f=false. Retrieved 13 January 2010.
[edit] See also
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