Talk:Iron maiden

message: This article is written very haphazardly, starting out by saying that the thing wasn't medieval only much later to say that in fact it was.  This needs to be cleaned up.  174.91.7.232 (talk) 12:42, 7 January 2012 (UTC)
replies: text: Where does the article say that the iron maiden was in fact medieval? I agree, however, that it's not a very good article. Why don't you have a go at fixing it? garik (talk) 00:13, 9 January 2012 (UTC)
thread_title:  A very poorly written article 

message: Article states, "The Iron Maiden is often associated with the Middle Ages, but in fact was not invented until the 19th century.[1] No account of the iron maiden has been found earlier than 1793 ...".
If an account exists of the device's existence in 1793, then it must have been invented prior to that time.  Either that or the account is false. DieSwartzPunkt (talk) 19:23, 26 February 2012 (UTC)
replies: text: Excellent point, which I made mention of the sentence after claiming it would have only been used in the twentieth century, with no citation, only a totally unfounded or cited claim. OR the device was used for the first time in the twentieth century, as is claimed in the article. While, I'm dubious on BOTH points, I'm not an expert on the matter, hence my reading of the article tonight, which is rather challenging in temporal sense, to put it mildly. Indeed, to plot out the times of claimed existence, claims of use and claims of witnessing the device, one would absolutely require a time machine to accomplish it! Can someone with knowledge on this subject kindly untangle the history WITHOUT requiring time travel?Wzrd1 (talk) 06:15, 1 March 2012 (UTC)
thread_title:  Dates 

message: I added a number of citations, did some reorganization of the article, but there are still some major problems I could not find a fix for. First, the timeline of the history of the Iron Maiden is very confusing. Second, the bit about "The original 17th century iron maidens may have been constructed as probable misinterpretation of a medieval Schandmantel" needs to be sourced. I did a web search on "Iron Maiden" and "Schandmantel" and found only stuff in German, or stuff obviously sourced from this Wikipedia article. If someone who speaks German happens upon this page, please consider finding a source! Carl Henderson (talk) 03:40, 17 January 2015 (UTC)
thread_title:  Added Cites & Reorganized 

message: The claim that there are no references to iron-maiden devices does not seem to be true. Valerius Maximus, writing in the first century AD, wrote: "The Carthaginians cut off Atilius Regulus’ eyelids, shut him in a machine in which sharp points stood out from all angles, and killed him from lack of sleep and extension of pain..." (Valerius Maximus, Factorum et dictorum memorabilium, 9.2.ext.1). See Crucifixion in Antiquity 24.91.75.78 (talk) 01:06, 16 March 2015 (UTC)
thread_title:  Earlier than 1793 

message: The Iron Maiden was never used in Medieval Europe or by any Catholic institution. It was invented after the Reformation in Protestant Germany. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 168.215.249.197  (talk) 15:52, 10 July 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  The Iron Maiden was never used in the Middle Ages

message: These other devices/implements don't seem to be explained anywhere. Is it worth documenting them perhaps? Presumably on another page, or the main page for this. If so, does anyone or any web page have this information?
2A02:C7D:CA00:B200:F017:6C50:F1D3:D62D (talk) 17:44, 10 December 2015 (UTC)
thread_title:  Other torture devices in picture 

message: It seems as if this article has been confusing people for over 4 years! Someone please fix the history of this device, as it is incredibly confusing. Apparently there are 2 different origins for the Iron Maiden. From Siebenkees' Wiki page: "Siebenkees studied theology, philosophy, and philology at University of Altdorf. In 1791 he became associate professor of philosophy there, and a full professor of languages in 1795. He also taught archeology. It has been suggested that he was responsible for the invention of the iron maiden during this period." Yet this page states that: "The iron maiden is uniquely a Germanic invention, originated in the town of Nuremberg at some point in the high-middle ages (the period with which it is associated[1]); probably in the 14th century." I'm so confused... — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.70.72.75 (talk) 0:25, 6 September 2016 (UTC)
replies: text: Thank you for your suggestion. When you believe an article needs improvement, please feel free to make those changes.  Wikipedia is a wiki, so anyone can edit almost any article by simply following the edit this page link at the top. The Wikipedia community encourages you to be bold in updating pages. Don't worry too much about making honest mistakes—they're likely to be found and corrected quickly. If you're not sure how editing works, check out how to edit a page, or use the sandbox to try out your editing skills.  New contributors are always welcome. You don't even need to log in (although there are many reasons you might want to).  TJRC (talk) 22:41, 6 September 2016 (UTC)
thread_title:  The most poorly written article I have ever read. 

message: Since the iron maiden is a fictional torture device, I put that in the intro.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 104.235.137.101 (talk) 16:44, 30 July 2017 (UTC)
thread_title:  Fictional 

message: Iron maidens are popular in media but it's dubious how accurate they are historically. Is there any new research on the topic? The page feels like it can't decide which way to lean. 2A00:EE2:907:FF00:B036:506E:F515:986 (talk) 01:11, 1 February 2021 (UTC)
thread_title:  Is there any new info on the validity? 

message: If a thing is imaged by someone it has certainly been created or attempted. The creation of something so intricate would be costly. In another direction. Think of this device as an iron chair except you must remain standing. Encased within a upright coffin of spikes. A rather slow torture as one must stand or lean against the spikes when your strength fails and days pass. Maddening. Having the ability to end the suffering  whilst suffering the inability to perform it. 2601:5C2:4380:AC40:A0B6:E85D:9792:50C8 (talk) 07:19, 8 January 2022 (UTC)
thread_title:  Iron Maiden device 

message: The article states that there is no mention of the iron maiden prior to the 18th century, yet the reference (footnote 1) says 19th century. An earlier discussion thread mentions the year 1793, yet that doesn't seem to be in the article anymore. So, to make the statement match the footnote, I'm going to change that to "19th century" till someone can find a reference backing up the 18th-century claim. Mpaniello (talk) 13:49, 11 February 2023 (UTC)
thread_title:  Footnote 1 says 19th century 

message: Bran Stoker in ‘The Squaw’ 1893 gives an account of the Nuremberg Iron Maiden. Though framed as a fictional short story it gives the impression of having been based on an actual visit. The Iron Maiden is described as having a front hinged at the top and being held open by a block and tackle from the ceiling, and therefore closing under its own weight either slowly or when the rope is released (as it is on an American tourist).
See https://www.bramstoker.org/pdf/stories/03guest/03squaw.pdf 80.189.11.222 (talk) 23:06, 1 April 2024 (UTC)
thread_title:  Bran Stoker’s account