13. Targeting women suspected of adultery or abortion during the Middle Ages, the “Breast Ripper” would tear the breasts off to mark the guilty for life (if they survived the torture).
The “Breast Ripper”, also known as the “Iron Spider”, was an instrument of torture during the latter years of the Middle Ages. Reserved, unlike many of the items appearing on this list, exclusively for women, the device was predominantly employed against those persons accused of adultery or abortion. As a result, the mechanism was specifically designed to mutilate and destroy the most visible feminine attribute in retribution for the alleged unwomanly crimes: the breasts. In so doing, the individual, should they survive punishment, would be marked for life, unable to breastfeed any future children and thus prevented from fulfilling the chief role of women in Medieval society.
Made from iron and heated to ensure an easier tear, the spikes of the “ripper” would be attached to a convicted woman’s breast. As the device was manipulated, it would slowly but surely shred the breast apart rendering it useless. In many recorded instances, the breast would be ripped clean off, along with a substantial portion of the upper torso, resulting in near-instant death. A similar variant of the implement, the “Iron Spider”, was a less portable alternative. Attached to a spiked wall, the unfortunate woman would be attached to the mechanism and pulled along by her breasts until they were torn from her.