Today society is much more refined in terms of social ostracization although it may be rampant in pockets around the world such as rural areas and where illiteracy rates are low. But, you’ll be surprised that even among the higher echelons of society, you will get that occasional gossip monger and regardless of being a man or woman, you would give anything to shut that trap once and for all. Had you been living in the medieval ages, you would have got your wish, because gossip mongers were given special treatment and if you learn what it is, then you may end up shocked.
In the middle ages, women who loved gossiping were considered a threat to society and were publically humiliated by the husbands. They were forced to wear what was called a Scold’s Bridle. However, the use of such a painful contraption then led to it being forced upon women who spoke their views against the church.
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Like today’s all women night at pubs, in the medieval ages, women also got together to gossip, but in all probability, the gossip then had major repercussions and had the potential do much social damage to individuals and families. The topic of a medieval chit chat was nothing more than a ripping apart of an individual’s character or the reputation of families through lies and slander. Women were sometimes made to undergo the worst possible corporal punishment and that was public shaming by wearing a Scold’s Bridle which was essentially a trap to keep a woman’s mouth shut.
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It was an item that proves how different the lives of women are today as compared to the Middle Ages. The Scold’s bridle consisted of several iron strips surrounding a muzzle that would then be placed over a woman’s mouth and strapped tight like a mask. An iron piece known as the bridle bit would then be placed inside her mouth and this would be pressed on the tongue to prevent the woman from speaking.
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The bridle was based upon the same bit placed in a horse’s mouth which is used to control a horse. In macabre cases, the bit also had a spike on it that would puncture the tongue when a woman attempted to speak. If a woman’s husband found out that his wife was gossiping or indulging in gossiping, he would make the woman wear the Scold’s Bridle to teach her a lesson
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That wasn’t all and sometimes men weren’t satisfied with the humiliation, they sought to inflict more punishment and even as I write this, I presume that more than teach the woman a lesson, the practice may have also been a source of sadistic pleasure for men watching a woman in pain. Usually, it is a man’s insecurity or someone with a lack of libido who would harbor such sadistic thoughts as a form of revenge against the opposite gender; perhaps even women who had affairs were made to undergo the same inhuman torture.
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This calls to mind Cersie’s own nude walk in GOT but it wasn’t by far as painful as this was. A woman would be made to walk in public wearing the Scold’s Bridle. Not just that, a leash would be tied to her and she would be pulled along by her husband who would encourage spectators to insult and spit on her. Sometimes even a bell would be fixed on the bridle to attract even more attention.
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The origins of the Scold’s Bridle are debatable. The phrase is archaic and needs explaining. Scold meant a derogatory term for a woman who always seemed displeased. The bridle, of course, is a headpiece worn by horses for riding. The origins of the Scold’s Bridle rose from a distorted sense of religion at the time when fundamentalistic Christianity believed that a woman would gain forgiveness from her sins of gossiping if she was made to undergo torture and humiliation.
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Believe this or not but as lithographs prove, the practice was followed as recent as the late 19th century by Christians in America where society believed that a woman could regain innocence after pain and suffering. The bridle was a type of mirror punishment and since the crime was committed from the mouth, hence the Scold’s bridle. One shudders to think what if the crime was sleeping with someone else??
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The 18th century was a time when gossip and slander were loosely defined and the Scold’s bridle was considered a reduced form of punishment for which you could have also been burned at the stake for so much as uttering a pagan belief too. Burning witches were common in that time.
The scold’s bridle could also apply to women who were accused of speaking against the church and through pain and understanding she would reconsider and atone for her sins.
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The earliest use of the bridle on record was in Scotland in 1567. It was most probably being used in Wales and England at the time. The victim was Bessie Tailiefier who was accused of slandering a person named Bailie Hunter over a dispute of land.
The piece soon became common in Germany where the bell was then added as an enhanced humiliation method in the walk of shame. With the coming of the pilgrims to America, the Scold’s Bridle was then used extensively by Colonial Americans namely the Puritans who were known for their severe forms of punishment.
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The Scold’s Bridle may have gone out of fashion for women in America and saw a decline in use by the 16th and 17th century but the practice evolved as a punishment for slaves in America. Throughout the 18th and 19th century, the Scolds Bridle was used for torturing slaves from Trinidad and Tobago to South America and North America.
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The forms of female humiliation for sins like gossip and adultery were mellowed in use of physical means but they remained in emotional forms such as the Scarlet Letter made famous in the book by the same name by American Author Nathaniel Hawthorne. Set in 17th century Puritan, Massachusetts It narrates the story of Hesther who gave birth to a daughter after having an affair. She was imprisoned and then set free but was made to wear a scarlet Letter sewn on her blouse. It was a simple letter “A’ that stood for “adulteress.”It is a romance that details her struggle in the midst of social shame and the attempt to regain her dignity.
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