Torture – that most notorious aspect of medieval culture and society – has evolved into a dominant mythology, suggesting that the Middle Ages was a period during which sadistic torment was inflicted on citizens with impunity and without provocation. Figures like Bernard Gui, presented to the twentieth century as the evil inquisitor of Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose employing his toys of torture with monstrous delight masked by righteous authority, have imprinted this evil institution on the modern mind. Popular museums of medieval torture displaying barbarous implements like the rack, the strappado, the gridiron, the wheel, and the Iron Maiden can be found in many modern European cities. This barbaric image of medieval torture re-emerged within recent discussions on American foreign policy and the introduction of torture legislation as a weapon in the ‘War on Terror’ during the administration of the former President, George W. Bush (2001–2008). The current debate over torture legislation in the United States, and President Barack Obama's reversal of several Bush administration policies regarding ‘enhanced’ interrogation, has again raised questions about the history and reality of torture in the Middle Ages, particularly its proliferation in some medieval literary genres and its relative absence from others.