The gruesome medieval torture instrument worn to deter women from gossiping скачать в хорошем качестве

The gruesome medieval torture instrument worn to deter women from gossiping

Nowadays, there is no particular “cure” or “punishment” for gossiping and gossipers, moreover, in some cultures gossiping is encouraged and used as the best distraction from the real problems. However, in medieval times, gossiping was something only rude women did, and the authorities had a proper instrument to punish them. A scold’s bridle, sometimes called a brank’s bridle or simply branks, was an instrument of punishment used primarily on women, as a form of torture and public humiliation.The device was an iron muzzle in an iron framework that enclosed the head. A bridle-bit (or curb-plate), about 2 inches long and 1-inch broad, projected into the mouth and pressed down on top of the tongue. The curb-plate was frequently studded with spikes, so that if the offender moved her tongue, it inflicted pain and made speaking impossible. Wives who were seen as witches, shrews and scolds, were forced to wear the branks, locked onto their head.