Bridled Women
Imagine a world where women are hushed. Not hard to do. But hushed by bridling? It happened I the Middle Ages. The Scold’s Bridle was an iron head cage that locked in place. A mouth bit suppressed the tongue. The idea was to silence an outspoken woman, to get her under control like an unruly horse. They were first recorded in Scotland in 1567 and later used throughout Europe. Worn for a few hours or days, moving the tongue to speak would most likely draw blood. Drooling was constant. Some bridles included bells or breathing whistles to announce her arrival. Once in place, she was heavily mocked and assaulted with hurtling garbage. With punishment so severe, it served as a successful means of social control.