Die “POire the angoisses”, auch known asAnxiety pear, is a creepy artifact, wrapped in the myth of medieval cruelty and is often considered one of the most devilish torture instruments in history. Her dark reputation moves from her alleged use as a torture instrument, which, due to its expansion in the victim’s body, could cause unbearable pain. But the history of the pear is just as much a product of historical imagination as documented reality. This article deals with the origins, myths and the cultural fascination around the Poire d’Angoisse and researches its roots in the medieval language, its alleged invention in the 17th century as well as the blurring border between historical truth and dark imagination.

The linguistic roots of the pear

The term„Anguish pear“For the first time in the France of the 15th century, not as a torture instrument, but as a metaphorical expression. The French poet François Villon, a notorious personality who was often imprisoned because of their misdeeds, referred to the” pear of fear “in his poems. In a poem he thanks Jacques Thibault, the Bishop of Orléans, ironically for his detention and writes: “Thank God and Jacques Thibault, who had me drink so much cold water, (…) / Fearing many pears (…).” An edition of villons works from 1742 declares this as a metaphor for “great despair” or “sad tribulation”. According to theHistorical DictionaryThe expression comes from Alain Rey (Le Robert, 1998)„Anguish pear”from the 15th century and means deep displeasure.

The expression probably comes from a pear type grown in Angoisse, a village in the Dordogne in France, which has been known for the production of high -quality pears since the Middle Ages. These pears were cooked, dried or tooCiderFermented, a slightly alcoholic drink. The name of the village, which causes grief, offered itself for this metaphor. Over time, the phrase became a linguistic basic component, similar to other French phrases related to pears such as “Cut the pear in two “(share the differences) or„Fear the pear”(having a heartily amusement). Pears, a fruit that has been worshiped by personalities such as Homer and Pliny since ancient times, had cultural importance in France and were even offered kings during coronations. However, the jump from a poetic metaphor to a torture instrument is the point where the story takes a darker turn.

The birth of a devilish device

The fear bulb as a physical instrument is first described in two texts from the 17th century, both of which contribute to their fearsome reputation. The earliest report can be found in Théodore Agrippa d’UbignésUniversal history(Geneva, 1626). In 1595, in the middle of the war near Villefranche-sur-Meuse, D’Ubigné describes a captain Gaucher, a female hero and adventurer who invented a “lock in the form of a pear”, the so-calledAnxiety pear. This device, inserted into the mouth of the prisoners and expanded with a key mechanism, brought it to silence and caused obedience by referring them to speaking and eating until it was opened. Gaucher used it to control prisoners and to forced them to wait or starve to return.

A more detailed and often cited report comes from François de CalvisGeneral History of Larrons(Rouen, 1639), a colorful chronicle of 17th century criminals. A chapter deals with Palioly, a torn villain from Toulouse who invented the fear of the fear after a series of thefts in Paris. This small, spring -loaded iron ball, which could expand and locked again, was used to silence victims in robberies. Calvi describes the fate of a “fat citizen” called Eridas, who suffered the torments of the pear when robbers stuffed them into his mouth and he could therefore no longer call for help. The expansion of the pear caused severe pain and only a key could lock them again. Palioly’s invention allegedly terrorized Paris until he fled to the war to Hungary or Germany, where he supposedly came to an end.

A torture instrument or a product of imagination?

Despite its vivid descriptions, the existence of the fear bulb is questionable as a torture instrument. Museums such as the Renaissance Museum in the French Écouen and the Museum of San Gimignano in Italy exhibit artifacts that refer to as an fear pear and are often dated to the 16th or 17th centuries. Curators, such as one in Écouen, admit that this could be falsifications from the 19th century that were created to take advantage of the fascination of the public for medieval cruelty. The Carcassonne torture museum also houses a pear, but authenticity is doubtful. Some researchers argue that the device is unsuitable for torture purposes due to its fragility and that simpler methods such as fabric gags would have been sufficient to silence the victims.

The most sensational assertion about the pear – it was used by the Inquisition to punish women who were accused of witchcraft or sexual deviation by introducing the introduction of body openings. This narrative, which mixes sexual violence with physical agony, probably emerged from the 19th century sensational greed when torture devices such as the iron virgin were invented or exaggerated to attract human crowds at exhibitions. The design of the pear with its screwing mechanism and the extendable petals seems to be created for horror ideas and fuels a collective imagination that longs for grotesque spectacles. As a critic noted, the impracticability of the pear – their costs, their complexity and the risk of fatal injuries – makes their widespread use.

The cultural charm of the pear

The bulb was not because of its historical accuracy, but because it addresses an original fascination for pain and punishment. Their alleged double purpose – to silence victims or to inflict torments – combine physical and psychological horrors, reinforced by their suggestive form and invasive application. This fascination is shown in the modern media, where torture devices captivate the audience – from novels to films. The history of the pear, whether true or invented, reflects the ability of mankind to imagine and fetish.

The confusion of reality and imagination cannot only be observed in the pear. Devices such as the iron virgin, once considered historical, are now considered a dizziness to take advantage of the public curiosity. The origins of the pear as a criminal gag, as described by D’Ubigné and Calvi, may have been decorated over time, which made a symbol of medieval barbarism from a forced means. This transformation illustrates how history can be falsified by those who want to sell a story – be it to readers of the 17th century or to museum visitors of the 19th century.

Diploma

The fear of the fear is on the threshold between truth and myth. It is rooted in a medieval metaphor and is reinforced by rogue stories of the 17th century. Your existence as a criminal tool is plausible, but your reputation as a torture instrument is probably exaggerated, if not invented. The pear’s lasting legacy lies in its ability to cause horror and fascination and to remind us of the complex relationship of mankind pain, power and imagination. How François Villon might have pondered is the true oneBulbNot the iron, but the fear that we create in our heads by nourishing stories of cruelty that blur the border between history and dark Middle Ages.