An upright sarcophagus with a hinged door evoked fear in those who were threatened with being placed inside. The Iron Maiden was often designed to look like a woman on the outside; some were even made to resemble the Virgin Mary. It was the inside that you had to worry about. Small spikes protruded from the back and the door, strategically placed to pierce the eyes and other vital organs, but not long enough to cause instant death. Instead, the victim would be left inside to slowly bleed out over several hours.
While many believe the Iron Maiden was created in the mind of a 19th century scholar named Matthew Peacock, there is other evidence proving it’s validity. Peacock wanted to prove that the modern era was better than the past, and to do so, he collected paintings and torture devices. It is believed that he pieced together an Iron Maiden from different pieces of memorabilia he had collected.
However, in the 1800’s researchers also found one in a castle in Nuremberg, Germany and was from then on, referred to as the Iron Maiden of Nuremberg. There was also documented evidence of its use. Another variation was found in Spain. This one was crafted to look like the Virgin Mary, and included machinery that caused her to “hug” the victim closer until they were penetrated by her spikes.
While there remains little documented evidence of its use, we can certainly look to TIME World News, who reported on Saturday April 19, 2003, that an Iron Maiden was found in the Iraqi National Olympic Committee compound in Baghdad. Uday Saddam Hussein was head of the committee and reportedly oversaw the torture of Iraqi athletes who had not performed as was expected.
So, is it possible that there are still some Iron Maiden’s out there in the world, waiting for their next victim?
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