I maintain, perhaps regrettably, a morbid curiosity with regards to torture... not surprisingly, primarily with regards to tickling and similar forms of stimulation. While I am not looking to engage in this practice, under any circumstances whatsoever, outside of the occasional purely online fantasy-play, I would like to satisfy said curiosity about the subject and let it go at that.
My current area of fascination is the actual, documented use, whether officially or unofficially, of tickling as torture in any historical period or modern culture (amongst those who are still so primitive and backwards as to practice such a revolting 'art').
Currently, I've come across one case of either; that is, the documented use (both historically, not modern) of tickling in an official capacity and in an unofficial capacity as torture. I've seen repeated references to victims trapped in stocks or the pillory for an extended length of time being tickled by passing townfolk, mischievous children, and so forth... that'd be the 'unofficial' use... usually on the feet and flanks, and often to the extent where permanent trauma was incurred simply due to the duration of the sensation. While I've seen this referenced, both online and in physical books on the subject, repeatedly, I am wondering about one thing which I have never seen referenced one way or the other: Was this ever actually requested, i.e. by those consigning the victim to the stocks in the first place? Was it encouraged, subtly or otherwise? Discouraged? Ignored completely, or taken for granted?
The 'official' use I've seen was the practice engaged in, apparently by American-Colonial Puritans, of soaking a stock-bound victim's feet in salt water and then allowing a goat to lick them. According to the write-up, which actually didn't mention tickling or anything similar, this was done to persuade a person to talk 'out of fear of being bitten,' but one can assume that were it done to a ticklish person that it would have tickled horribly... and that it was probably used specifically on such people for the pleasure of the tormentors. I've only seen this referred to once, and only online... was this as 'general and widespread' as the article in question states it was?
Then, of course, there are all of the stories about ancient and modern Chinese tickling-related tortures, which I'm not quite sure whether to take at face value or not.
Does anybody have any information on this?
My current area of fascination is the actual, documented use, whether officially or unofficially, of tickling as torture in any historical period or modern culture (amongst those who are still so primitive and backwards as to practice such a revolting 'art').
Currently, I've come across one case of either; that is, the documented use (both historically, not modern) of tickling in an official capacity and in an unofficial capacity as torture. I've seen repeated references to victims trapped in stocks or the pillory for an extended length of time being tickled by passing townfolk, mischievous children, and so forth... that'd be the 'unofficial' use... usually on the feet and flanks, and often to the extent where permanent trauma was incurred simply due to the duration of the sensation. While I've seen this referenced, both online and in physical books on the subject, repeatedly, I am wondering about one thing which I have never seen referenced one way or the other: Was this ever actually requested, i.e. by those consigning the victim to the stocks in the first place? Was it encouraged, subtly or otherwise? Discouraged? Ignored completely, or taken for granted?
The 'official' use I've seen was the practice engaged in, apparently by American-Colonial Puritans, of soaking a stock-bound victim's feet in salt water and then allowing a goat to lick them. According to the write-up, which actually didn't mention tickling or anything similar, this was done to persuade a person to talk 'out of fear of being bitten,' but one can assume that were it done to a ticklish person that it would have tickled horribly... and that it was probably used specifically on such people for the pleasure of the tormentors. I've only seen this referred to once, and only online... was this as 'general and widespread' as the article in question states it was?
Then, of course, there are all of the stories about ancient and modern Chinese tickling-related tortures, which I'm not quite sure whether to take at face value or not.
Does anybody have any information on this?
