Scourge
From Free net encyclopedia
- For other uses, see Scourge (disambiguation).
A scourge (from the Italian scoriada, ultimately from the Latin excoriare = "to flay" and corium = "skin", is a whip or lash, especially one used in order to inflict corporal punishment. The typical scourge (in Latin: flagrum; flagellum is the English derivative) has several thongs or lashes attached to a single handle, as in the Scottish tawse (equally leather, but usually only two or three) and the naval cat o' nine tails (which is made from thick rope).
Arguably, the most famous event in which scourging played a role was the punishment inflicted on Jesus Christ prior to his crucifixion.
The scourge or flail, and the solid crook, are the two symbols of power and domination depicted in the hands of Osiris in ancient Egyptian monuments; these show the unchanging form of the instrument throughout the ages.
Adapted from the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica
The adjective scorching, meaning burning through or extremely painful, derives from it
Semi-literal usages such as "the scourge of God" for Attila the Hun (i.e. "God's whip to punish the nations with") led to metaphoric uses to mean a severe affliction, e.g. "the scourge of drug abuse". As a result, some people forget its literal meaning and seem to imagine a connection with "scour".
"The Scourge" As used by Modern day Wiccans, ( specifically Gardnerian and New Arthurian ), as an instrument to create and return from an Altered State of Consciousness. During Rituals, these sub-groups of Wiccans will bind an initiate, have them kneel with their heads upon the floor, and they will strike the tailbone at the base of the spine for a specified number of times in order to induce an Altered State of Consciousness. Furthermore, the scourge has been used to help an initiate return from such an Altered State as well. See also; Catholicism, Arwythur's Wicca 101.Template:Weapon-stub