The Scold’s Bridle-How Men In The Middle Ages Dealt With A Gossiping Wife

4Like the bit placed in a horse’s mouth

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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5Not humiliating enough

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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6Public walk of shame

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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