benhall.1 wrote:
Wow. What a weird contraption. Was that really a thing?
I've never seen it before, either. But I wouldn't be surprised; I see it as information, rather than merely the perverse whim of bored and creative hands: Back in the day when public punishment was common - emphasis on "public" - if you were illiterate or simply a fresh passerby you could in this instance know immediately what the offense was and, if you were so inclined, tailor your taunts accordingly. The
Scold's Bridle would no doubt have served in much the same way. As such, they also served as very specific warnings to all who might qualify for a similar fate.
Note also that the punishment wasn't only shaming: there was light torture involved. The iron neck ring is fixed to the handheld part in such a way that if the arms dropped from fatigue, the ring would be at an angle that could press into the base of the skull, and I'm guessing it could bite down on the collarbones, too. Ouch. To me it looks as if there's some room for you to vary your torments so you won't get bored. Wickedly ingenious.
But we don't do that sort of thing anymore. Nowadays B&D's shifted to the private sector, where a Flute of Shame's a bit too campy even for the most tricked-out dungeon. Simple clamps are fine, thank you; much easier to clean, too.
