The breast ripper, known in another form as the Iron Spider or simply the Spider, was supposedly a torture instrument used on women, usually who were accused of an array of negative attributes decided by male inquisitors. The instrument was allegedly designed to rip the breasts from a woman and was made from iron, which was usually heated. It was used in the Middle Ages, but similar concepts were used in ancient Rome. Christian martyrs Agatha of Sicily and Saint Barbara both had their breasts torn off as torture before being killed.
