10 Worst Ways People Have Been Tortured To Death

Upon first glance, the Judas Cradle isn't necessarily a horrific device. It was most commonly a simple stool with a metal pyramid at the top. The reason the Judas Cradle was such a feared method of torture was what the executioner did with that pyramid.

The victim was placed atop the pyramid, which was often spread with olive oil, with the point inserted into the anus or vagina. Brass weights would then be fastened to the victim's legs and gravity would take over.

This method of torture was primarily meant to humiliate the victim. Granted, there was immense pain with the pyramid's passage into the body, but death rarely resulted from the device itself. More often than not, an infection would arise due to the many "leavings" spread across the Judas Cradle, which was never cleaned.

Another similar device, the Spanish Donkey, was a long board carved into a wedge. The victim was placed straddling the board with weights about their legs. They were slowly pulled down onto the wedge, which split them apart at the pelvis. Death came slowly and usually as a result of blood loss or infection.