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The Worst Punishment of the Medieval Period
The ‘Pear of Anguish’, a device inflicting unimaginable pain.
Torturing methods, whether they are for the right reasons or not, are considered brutal by everyone. However, torturing instruments are still a topic of interest for many. These instruments make their way to museums, novels, movies, and documentaries. Such devices are well known from the middle-age period, where they were used to punish the wrong-doers, and even on the innocent victims.
The Choke Pear
One of the most famous and horrifying torture instruments is the choke pear, which is also known as the ‘pear of anguish’ or ‘mouth pear’. It is a pear-shaped, metallic device, possibly made of iron, containing 4 lobes, or leaf-like structures, also called petals. These lobes can expand using a key or a spring. Its one end is like a bulbous head while the opposite end is a narrow stem-like structure, which is attached to a screw.
