Pairs are one of the most cruel medieval torture devices. There are three major variants, the oral, vaginal and anal pear. Oral pears are sometimes called Pope’s pears since they were most commonly used to punish blasphemers.
The basic mechanism for all three types of pears is the same. Three solid pieces form a pear shaped structure that is inserted into the appropriate orifice. A long bolt running through the entire length of the toy. Each of the three pieces of the outer shell is connected to a nut that is moving up and down on the threaded bolt as the bolt is turned. This makes the outer shell open up, stretching the orifice as far as possible.
In addition to the stretching effect, the original pears used for torture had several spikes on the outer pieces that would rip the sensitive tissue of the vagina or anus. The resulting bleeding was almost always fatal. Another way of torture was to expand the toy and then attach a rope to the toy. The other end was tied to a horse. The horse was whipped and when running would suddenly yank the toy out of the orifice.
Today’s pears are much less violent. They are designed purely for stretching. The metal has been replaced by somewhat flexible plastic for more even distribution of pressure. Pears can be used for anal or vaginal dilation. Avoid sudden yanking on the toy once it is expanded.