Episode Revisit: Torture

Episode of Morbid · May 14, 2026 · 1 h 21 min

Morbid hosts Ash Kelley and Alaina Urquhart revisit their early episode on historical torture devices, from the brazen bull and iron maiden to flaying.

Summary

This episode re-aired Morbid's thirteenth episode on torture. In a new solo introduction, Ash Kelley explained that Alaina Urquhart was ill, announced the Salem Slicer murder-mystery game developed with Hunt a Killer and available for pre-order at Walmart, and promoted a new Nicholas shirt on the Morbid website.

In the original recording, the sisters began with a true crime update on Joseph James DeAngelo, the Golden State Killer, who had been charged with a thirteenth murder, that of Claude Snelling. Urquhart said she was angered that statutes of limitations prevented him from being charged with the rapes. Kelley then presented her research: the brazen bull attributed to Perillos of Athens and the tyrant Phalaris, the iron maiden and debates over its authenticity (including Matthew Peacock's assembled museum piece and Polybius's account of Nabis's mechanical wife), the torture boots, the scold's bridle used to silence women, and the breast ripper.

Urquhart followed with the head crusher, the Viking blood eagle, the strappado, the rack, the breaking wheel, the heretic's fork, the Judas cradle, rat torture, the Glasgow smile, saw torture, hanging, drawing and quartering (citing William Wallace), and flaying. She explained the physiology of why flaying is so painful and recounted the execution of the alleged werewolf Peter Stumpp in 1589. The episode closed with an announcement of a planned interview with Logan and Daly South of the Vampire Court of Austin.

Chapters

0:01
Solo introduction and announcements
Ash Kelley introduces the revisit alone and announces the Salem Slicer game with Hunt a Killer and a new Nicholas shirt.
4:50
Original episode opening and Golden State Killer update
The hosts discuss a new microphone and Joseph DeAngelo being charged with a 13th murder, lamenting statutes of limitations on rape.
Linked moment · 12:05Skip to 12:05 using a listen link in the info box.
12:05
Brazen bull
Kelley describes the brazen bull built by Perillos for Phalaris and how its inventor became its first victim.
18:36
Iron maiden
Kelley covers the iron maiden, questions about its authenticity, and Polybius's account of Nabis's mechanical wife.
27:11
Boots, scold's bridle and breast ripper
Kelley explains the torture boots, the scold's bridle used against women accused of gossip, and the breast ripper.
36:47
Head crusher and blood eagle
Urquhart begins her list with the head crusher and the Viking blood eagle.
42:51
Strappado and the rack
Urquhart describes the strappado used in the Spanish Inquisition and the rack, including its use to extract confessions from onlookers.
48:01
Breaking wheel, heretic's fork and Judas cradle
Urquhart covers the breaking wheel, the heretic's fork, and the Judas cradle, interspersed with school memories.
59:55
Rat torture, Glasgow smile and saw torture
Urquhart describes rat torture, the Glasgow smile and its link to the Black Dahlia, and saw torture.
1:05:51
Drawn and quartered
Urquhart explains hanging, drawing and quartering and the execution of William Wallace.
1:07:47
Flaying and Peter Stumpp
Urquhart details flaying, the physiology of its pain, church legends of flayed Danes, and the execution of Peter Stumpp.
1:16:32
Vampire Court of Austin announcement
The hosts announce a planned interview with Logan and Daly South, the vampire king and queen of Austin.

Key points

What was said, by whom, with the exact words. Timestamps jump to the moment.

Ash Kelley
Kelley announced that the Salem Slicer game made with Hunt a Killer was available for pre-order at Walmart.
“It's available right now for pre-order at Walmart, which is really freaking cool”
Listen from 2:19 · Salem Slicer (Hunt a Killer game)
Alaina Urquhart
Urquhart expressed anger that the statute of limitations prevented DeAngelo from being charged with the rapes he committed.
“The statute of limitations expired. It just makes me so angry every time I see it. Because he's charged with more than 50 rapes”
Listen from 7:52 · Golden State Killer case
Ash Kelley
Kelley said the brazen bull was designed so that pipes inside converted victims' screams into the sounds of a bull.
“the pipes and whistles that he, like, put inside the bull convert the screams of those inside to sounds of a bull snorting and grunting”
Listen from 15:31 · Brazen bull
Ash Kelley
Kelley noted that the historical authenticity of the iron maiden is debated.
“Sometimes people argue if the Iron Maiden is fact or fiction”
Listen from 21:43 · Iron maiden (torture device)
Alaina Urquhart
Urquhart argued that given human nature, the iron maiden was certainly used if it existed.
“Well, and we're the worst species ever. So I'm certain it was used”
Listen from 21:53 · Iron maiden (torture device)
Ash Kelley
Kelley said collector Matthew Peacock allegedly assembled a museum iron maiden from parts of other devices.
“So he allegedly pieced an Iron Maiden together from pieces of other torture devices slash random devices”
Listen from 25:02 · Iron maiden (torture device)
Ash Kelley
Kelley described the scold's bridle as a device used to stop women from gossiping.
“The scold's bridle was a gruesome torture instrument worn to prevent women from gossiping”
Listen from 31:26 · Scold's bridle
Ash Kelley
Kelley recounted the legend that a man named Chester gave Walton-on-Thames a bridle after losing a fortune to a woman's gossip.
“So the story goes that someone named Chester lost a large fortune because of a lady's gossip”
Listen from 35:00 · Scold's bridle
Alaina Urquhart
Urquhart said some scholars believe the blood eagle was an offering to Odin around battles.
“it's believed by some scholars to be something done as an offering to the Norse god of war, Odin, before and after battles”
Listen from 39:18 · Blood eagle
Alaina Urquhart
Urquhart said the strappado was typically completed within an hour and was not intended to kill.
“Now, usually this torture was completed within an hour and it was not used to cause death”
Listen from 44:07 · Strappado
Alaina Urquhart
Urquhart said the rack was also used to extract confessions by forcing accused heretics to watch others being stretched.
“It was also used as a method of eliciting a confession from accused heretics by having them watch someone else be tortured on the rack”
Listen from 47:01 · The rack (torture)
Alaina Urquhart
Urquhart explained the heretic's fork symbolically forced those who spoke against the church to look up toward heaven.
“the whole thing was very poetic because it's like you spoke out against the church. So now you have to look up at your God that you don't believe in”
Listen from 52:00 · Torture in the Middle Ages
Alaina Urquhart
Urquhart said the Glasgow smile originated in Glasgow and was known in London gangs as the Cheshire grin.
“It's also known as the Cheshire Grin among the London street gangs, but it originated in Glasgow, Scotland”
Listen from 1:03:30 · Glasgow smile
Alaina Urquhart
Urquhart argued William Wallace could not technically have been a traitor since he never swore allegiance to Edward I.
“Even though he never swore an allegiance to him, so it's kind of bullshit. So technically he couldn't be a traitor”
Listen from 1:07:34 · Hanged, drawn and quartered
Alaina Urquhart
Urquhart explained flaying is especially painful because tearing rather than cutting shreds nerve endings.
“Flaying involves tearing the skin away from the muscle, not cutting it”
Listen from 1:11:50 · Flaying
Alaina Urquhart
Urquhart said flaying victims could die of hypothermia or infection because skin regulates temperature and protects the body.
“your skin is the biggest and one of the most vital organs in the human body”
Listen from 1:12:51 · Flaying
Alaina Urquhart
Urquhart recounted that Peter Stumpp, arrested in 1589, confessed under threat of torture to murdering and eating children and pregnant women.
“So when he was caught, he was facing torture. So he confessed to having murdered and eaten, quote, 14 children and two pregnant women”
Listen from 1:14:13 · Peter Stumpp

People

In the conversation

Ash KelleyCo-host of the true crime podcast Morbid
Alaina UrquhartCo-host of Morbid, autopsy technician and author of the Butcher novels

Discussed

Joseph James DeAngeloSerial killer and rapist known as the Golden State Killer
Larry NassarFormer USA Gymnastics doctor convicted of sexual abuse
Perillos of AthensAncient Greek bronze worker credited with inventing the brazen bull
PhalarisTyrant of Acragas in ancient Sicily
PolybiusAncient Greek historian
NabisSpartan tyrant said to have built a spiked likeness of his wife Apega
William WallaceScottish patriot executed by hanging, drawing and quartering in 1305
Peter Stumpp16th-century German farmer executed in 1589 as an alleged werewolf and cannibal
Aaron MahnkeHost of the podcast Lore
Scott KellyAmerican astronaut announced as a future Morbid guest

Topics

From the publisher

Today we are revisiting an oldie! Episode 13: Torture! It's been around since the beginning of time and it used to almost always involve a spike. Today, Alaina and Ash will discuss the various medieval methods of pain and suffering that could only come from the twisted mind of the human species. Strap in, because this is a rough one.

Summary, chapters and key points were generated from the episode transcript on September 28, 2026. Quotes are checked word for word against the transcript.

Categories: History·True Crime·Comedy