Just a Little Torture

Today, we leave Amsterdam! We have had a blast. We have shopped. I've found a few of the types of gifts I have been looking for. I have a new favourite shop. Pylones. I think it is a French store. But it is filled with quirky gifts of stationery and house items. I bought a bit! Not as much as I wanted, but what I could fit in.

Jayllee has added to her water colour collection, so she is happy. And I managed to visit the Torture Museum. Excellent place. I mean anyone can go and visit the wonderful art museums but I thought you'd like to know about this dark little spot in human history. The museum covers around five hundred years of human misery and suffering. Really, in today's age, in Western society it is hard to believe what people did to others. And even though I'm not so naive as to think that somewhere in the world people aren't still dreaming up ways to hurt each other, for the moment, it is nice to think we are beyond that. But, it is so amazing to see what they used to do to encourage people to confess their indiscretions or change their religions.

Really thumb screws, stocks, pillars and body compressions are just so yesterday. Any old witch would confess under the pressure of a whole body press of nasty little pointy things on a big wooden chair. The eye-pluckers and hand-choppers were rather innocent looking when compared to the pyramid which they used to encouraged men to recant their sins. Imagine a two foot wooden pyramid, up on a five foot stool, with the unfortunates posterior positioned over the highest point and his body held there with a nice selection of ropes. And just to make sure they really pressed their point home,very heavy stone weights were strapped to their feet. Yep, would have worked for me. Whatever they wanted - I'm pretty sure I would have told them. The fire grill, which looked pretty much the same as one we use on our bbq, would not have been fun to be on, neither would the plank which people were tied to and then crushed with a big carriage wheel.  I was impressed to see that the plank which they tied and burnt witches on, also had a nifty little point which they pressed into the top of a person's neck, basically breaking their neck, before they burnt them.

The chastity belt was a classic accessory. A lovely metal belt which hinged between the legs, with two very convenient openings so one could relieve oneself. Gosh, bet they had a real top of the market seller with this little gem. I was fascinated to hear that this could, and they only state could, have been used in times when communities were under attack. So, it was used to help prevent the women from being raped. Now this is a very acceptable use of it for me. I am, however, trying to imagine a hero in a story doing this.... Castle under attack, heroine about to run for her life, hero comes in swinging a sword in one hand and a chastity belt clutched in the other. "Darling let me strap you in..." The mind boggles.....