A swinging pendulum with a bladed head (typically slowly descending toward someone strapped to a table) is a cliché of dungeons and death traps. How was the pendulum popularised as a means of fantastical execution, and is there an explanation for its commonality in modern gothic/fantasy fiction?

by Byzantine555
itsallfolklore

It comes down to Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849). The celebrated American writer of horror (and other) fiction and poems first published the short story, “The Pit and the Pendulum,” in 1842. The story is set in the Spanish Inquisition and features imaginative ways to terrorize and torture an incarcerated man. His name and his offenses are not disclosed.

The story is likely based on a paragraph from an 1817 publication, The History of the Inquisition of Spain by the Spanish priest, Juan Antonio Llorente (1756-1823). The motif of the bladed pendulum is described second-hand, attributed to a former prisoner. It is likely a fiction or it may have been a misunderstanding about another form of torture. Either way, the motif likely inspired Poe.

Because of Poe’s eternal prestige when it comes to Gothic horror, because of the popularity of this short story, and because of several film adaptations, it is not surprising to find the bladed pendulum as a fixture of the genre.