A shrew's fiddle or neck violin is a variation of the

yoke A yoke is a wooden beam used between a pair of oxen or other animals to enable them to pull together on a load when working in pairs, as oxen usually do; some yokes are fitted to individual animals. There are several types of yoke, used in dif ...

pillory The pillory is a device made of a wooden or metal framework erected on a post, with holes for securing the head and hands, used during the medieval and renaissance periods for punishment by public humiliation and often further physical abuse. ...

, or rigid irons whereby the wrists are locked in front of the bound person by a hinged board, or steel bar. It was originally used in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

as a way of punishing those who were caught bickering or fighting.

History

The shrew's fiddle was used in medieval

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

and

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

, where it was known as a , meaning "neck viola" or "neck violin". It was originally made out of two pieces of wood fitted with a hinge and a lock at the front. The shrew's fiddle had three holes: one was a large hole for the neck, and the other two were smaller holes which fastened the wrists in front of the face. A bell was sometimes attached to this portable pillory, to alert townspeople that the victim was approaching so that they might be mocked and otherwise humiliated. Another version was a "double fiddle," by which two people could be attached together face-to-face, forcing them to talk to each other. They were not released until the argument had been resolved.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shrew's Fiddle Physical restraint Medieval instruments of torture European instruments of torture

History

See also

References