18. Both the “Heretic’s Fork” and “Neck Traps” were designed to place the victim in positions of sufficient discomfort and suffering to eventually induce a confession without the need to inflict direct bodily pain.
The Spanish Inquisition, lasting from 1478 until 1834, existed for a sufficiently long period of time to incrementally perfect the art of torture. Although women were excluded from these practices and doctors were required to be present, the Inquisition nevertheless enjoyed near limitless authority to inflict suffering upon those entrusted to their custody. Centuries before the United States of America would adopt the use of sleep deprivation and enforced standing to entice confessions and acquire intelligence, the Inquisition developed two ruthless mechanisms to achieve the same end: the “Heretic’s Fork” and “Neck Traps”.
The former, a bi-pronged fork attached to a belt around the victim’s neck, unflinchingly secured the angle of the head. Should the victim fall asleep or allow their head to droop, then the sharp prongs would begin to pierce their throat and neck. Similarly, “neck traps” prevented the victim from adjusting the angle of their neck to a more comfortable position. Individuals locked into the device would find themselves unable to eat, sleep, or even lie down. Both were commonly inscribed with the Latin phrase “abiruo” – “I recant”: an objective often achieved due to the eventual breaking of the subject’s will.