The Brazen Bull

Torture Devices from History

People complain about cancel culture but in ancient times, you would get thrown into the BRAZEN BULL for speaking out against society and yet people still did. In terms of freely expressing one’s thoughts, the stakes have never been lower than they are today. You have no excuse.

What’s the Brazen Bull? I’m so glad you asked.

Birthed from the ancient Greek penchant for creativity—usually celebrated through art and philosophy—here it took a detour into the realms of torture.

It was ancient Greece’s answer to the question no one asked: “How can we make death both excruciatingly painful and theatrically on-brand?”

Enter The Brazen Bull, the Iron Maiden’s hotter cousin.

The Iron Maiden was an iron cabinet with a hinged front and spike-covered interior designed to enclose a human being. Once shut, the spikes penetrated various parts of the body, but not vital organs, prolonging agony as death slowly ensued from blood loss.

The Brazen Bull was was of a hollow brass statue of a bull, within which victims were placed. Beneath it, a fire was ignited, heating the metal until the person inside was roasted alive.

But here’s the best part: the device was engineered with a horn that transformed their screams to mimic the sound of a bull’s roar—a gruesomely macabre feature that would almost be admirable if it weren’t so profoundly horrifying.

Consider the sheer audacity it took to speak out in the times of the Brazen Bull.

Imagine lamenting to a time traveler from ancient Greece that you’re afraid to speak your mind because CANCEL CULTURE :( The worst you will face is being metaphorically roasted.

It serves as a reminder of the price that has historically been paid for the luxury to speak your mind.