Iron Maiden: Sounds Cool

March 30, 2025 · 1 h 17 min

Show notes

What happens when one of history’s most terrifying torture devices turns out to be almost entirely a lie?

In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan take on the Iron Maiden, the infamous spiked sarcophagus supposedly used to slowly torture and kill prisoners during the Middle Ages.

Except there’s a problem. Almost none of that is true.

We’ll travel from ancient legends and the terrifying Bride of Nabis to the 18th century story that helped create the Iron Maiden myth, then follow the bizarre journey of these supposedly medieval torture machines into museums, exhibitions, and even the 1893 World’s Fair.

But just when it seems the Iron Maiden never tasted blood, we’ll arrive in Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, where an actual Iron Maiden was reportedly discovered at the headquarters of Uday Hussein’s Olympic Committee.

So was the Iron Maiden nothing more than a terrifying historical hoax, or did someone eventually put one to use?

And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their usual dark humor to a story where the biggest torture device might actually be the B.S. surrounding it.

If you’re interested in the Iron Maiden, medieval torture, torture myths, the Bride of Nabis, Uday Hussein, historical hoaxes, and the strange history behind the world’s most infamous torture devices, this episode is going to poke some serious holes in what you thought you knew.

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