The Heretic’s Fork
With the four sharp points rammed deep into the flesh under the
chin and into the bone of the sternum, the fork prevented all movement of the
head and allowed the victim only to murmur, in a barely audible voice,
“abiuro” (“I recant”, engraved on one side of the fork). If instead he
still refused, and if the Inquisition was the Spanish one, he was held to be an
“impenitent heretic” and, dressed in the characteristic costume, was led to
the stake, but with the consolation of the sacrament if extreme unction; if
instead it was the Roman one, he was hanged or burnt, without the benefit of the
pretty costume but still with that of proper Christian rites.Information and
photographs in this virtual exhibition proceed from the book Torture
instruments; a bilingual guide to the exhibition Torture Instruments form the
Middle Ages to the Industrial Era presented in various cities in the world in
1983-2000.
