We already brought you part one of our list of the top 10 most gruesome torture methods, and now we’re back with part two! Check out five more fascinating ways in which people have been tortured throughout the years. You might be surprised (and grossed out) by what you learn!
Number Five: German Chair. Trust us – you don’t want to sit in the German chair. To enact the German chair, victims’ bodies are laid across a chair, and then their hands and feet are tied. When the victim’s legs and arms are secure, the chair, whose back is pushed against their lower back, is pushed into the victim’s spine in such a way that causes excruciating pain.
Number Four: Flaying. Flaying, otherwise known as skinning, is one of the most gruesome torture methods of all time. Though it is not commonly used today, it was a popular form of punishment dating back to 883 B.C. The victim’s skin is removed by a knife (usually), and every bit of skin except for the skin on the face is removed. If the victim is still alive, he is then placed in a cauldron or vat and has hot water or oil poured all over his naked body.
Number Three: Impalement. To impale somebody, a victim’s arms and legs are strapped to the ground. An oiled wooden stake is then forced into the victim’s body, usually through the anus. Even infants were not exempt from impalement and would sometimes be impaled through their mother’s body. It takes an impaled victim up to three days to die.
Number Two: Brazen Bull. The brazen bull is a Greek torture device that essentially cooks a person to death. The victim is placed inside a large, hollow brass bull, and a fire is lit below the bull so the person begins to cook. The victim’s screams cannot be heard because of the way the bull is designed, and it can take anywhere from 10 minutes to several hours before the victim dies.
Number One: Judas Cradle. Finally, one of the most gruesome torture methods is the Judas cradle. The Judas cradle is a device that looks like a chair, but instead of a seat, there is just a large point. The victim is lowered onto the point repeatedly until he or she is essentially impaled to death. If they don’t die the first die, victims are taken off of the cradle, allowed to rest, and then put back on the next day.
