The German Iron Maiden Posted by Constanze on Jun 16, 2016 in Language, Music
Guten Tag!
Part of learning a language involves stumbling upon interesting little facts you didn’t know about before. This is what happened to me the other day. I was reading a book that mentioned the Iron Maiden – I had no idea this was a German invention! So I decided to do some reading about it and bring the facts to you here.
So when I say Iron Maiden you might think of a band. But the torture device they are named after is not!
The German Iron Maiden
The original iron maiden was a torture device said to have originated in 14th century Nürnberg (Nuremberg). It was a tall, coffin-like structure with hinged doors, tall enough to shut a human inside it. Its interior was full of spikes, so that when the person was inside it and the doors closed, the spikes would pierce their organs and other body parts, causing a slow, painful death.
The iron maiden is called the Eiserne Jungfrau in German. The word ‘Jungfrau’ means virgin. The iron maiden had a female face resembling the Virgin Mary. This torture device is said to have been a misinterpretation of the earlier Schandmantel – ‘coat of shame’ – which was to be worn for public humiliation.
Pretty gruesome, right?
*Bonus fact!*
In German (and in fact, in many European languages) there is a phrase: sich wie gerädert fühlen, which literally means ‘to feel like you’ve been wheeled’. This phrase is in reference to the Breaking Wheel, also known as the Catherine Wheel, another medieval torture device on which victims were placed to have their limbs crushed. Though not German in origin, the Germans have the phrase sich wie gerädert fühlen as a direct reference to the Wheel, as a way of describing physical exhaustion and intense discomfort.
“Ich fühle mich wie gerädert” – I am exhausted/in pain/’done in’.
Vocabulary (underlined words in text above):
torture – die Folter (noun), foltern (verb – to torture)
device – das Gerät
coffin – der Sarg/der Totenschrein
spike – der Nagel/der Spieß, aufspießen (verb – to impale)
to pierce – durchstechen
body part – der Körperteil
death – der Tod
Virgin Mary – die Jungfrau Maria
humiliation – die Erniedrigung
gruesome – gruselig/grauenhaft/grausig
victim – das Opfer
limb – das Glied
exhaustion – die Erschöpfung
discomfort – die Beschwerden
Build vocabulary, practice pronunciation, and more with Transparent Language Online. Available anytime, anywhere, on any device.
About the Author: Constanze
Servus! I'm Constanze and I live in the UK. I'm half English and half German, and have been writing about German language and culture on this blog since 2014. I am also a fitness instructor & personal trainer.
Comments:
rosette v:
what? what if the iron maiden was to be introduced today?
love this informative article
thankyou
sunshine:
To each his own. This topic is a “guy” topic perhaps but even though historical it does not have a wide appeal to me. What do you all think? So many good topics out there especially given how cruel life can be these days with all the wars. I would suggest more hopefulness for future choices. Danke
Nicole:
I found this very interesting and I remember seeing things like this in museums when I was in Europe. Danke Constanze!
Constanze:
@Nicole Glad you enjoyed it, Nicole! History truly is fascinating!
Snehal:
Hello, thank you for sharing this. I found this info very intresting and your other sharing related German language is very helpful.
Danke sehr!