The spikes at the end of the pear were used to tear the skin.
A process known as the strappado was yet another torture technique used in the medieval times. In this process, the prisoner's arms were tied behind his back and he was hung from a high place. The prisoner would be dropped several feet, but his fall would be stopped before he hit the ground, dislocating joints. Weights were sometimes added to the prisoner's feet to make the pain more severe.
Pressing was a common torture, seeing as it was not complicated. The prisoner would be thrown on the ground and placed flat on his stomach or back. Then a heavy board would be placed on top of him. Weights or rocks were added on top of the board until the prisoner was slowly smashed and he eventually died. Thumb screws were a very painful, but usually not life-threatening type of torture. This was mainly used to get prisoners to spill information. This device would crush the thumb between two boards at the tightening of a screw; it was also used on toes as well. .
The Judas Cradle was a horrifying torture device and by far one of the most painful. The prisoner was suspended in the air by ropes and then dropped onto a sharp point. This completely destroyed the genital area of the prisoner. The process was often done with weights on the prisoner's arms or legs, to increase the pressure on their body. In the process, the prisoner's arms and legs were drawn taught by the ropes, preventing him to fall asleep.
Sawing was a torture process that was mainly reserved for those who were thought to be witches. In the process, the prisoner was hung upside down and two people would saw her into two pieces. She would usually die by the time the saw reached her midsection.
Impalement and hanging were very common forms of medieval torture. Impalement was the process of inserting a steak through a prisoner's whole body. The steak was usually jabbed between the legs and pushed until it came out through the mouth of the prisoner.
