Gillian
| Re: martinet or tawse | February 21 2003, 6:05 PM |
From Thy Rod and Staff by Edward Anthony (Abacus, 1996):
Two main kinds [of tawse] were in use. One was broad and flat and fairly wide; the other was thin, cruel and bifurcated into two slender tails which gave it something of the effect of a short whip the famous Lochgelly pattern tawse, a true descendant of the Roman thong, and widely regarded as the most painful incarnation of this ancient weapon.
The thinner the striking surface of a strap, the faster it will move through the air for the same output of force and the more painful will be the result. Moreover, the added flexibility of the thinner straps will produce a lashing or wraparound effect unless extreme care is taken. The broader straps are more like paddles in their effect; less flexibility and a more diffused blow put them at the milder end of the severity scale.
Generally speaking, the multi-tailed varieties [of whip] like
the martinet are less likely to lacerate than other kinds. The lashes, often flat ribbons of leather, fall in a body, often entangled, and may even hinder each others effectiveness: the stroke of a martinet is seldom an elegant fanning out of all nine leather strips into a broad catchment area, but all too often a heavier smack as they arrive in a body.
| |
|