Reference to Tickle Torture of the goatish kind

StockedAndGagged · Mar 17, 2004

Was surfing the web this morning, and while looking for any new sites I might catch before the TMF does

D ), I stumbled upon this reference.

"A bizarre torture practised in Medieval France called for the victim to be tied to a bench and their feet bathed in salt water. A goat was brought to the poor unfortunate prisoner and allowed to lick their feet. The rough tongue against the sensitive soles with the fear of being bitten, soon brought a confession."

Couple things caught my attention about this.

1. I would venture a bet that many people on this site would not consider themselves "poor" or "unfortunate" to be the prisoner in that situation.

2. Would have it been so hard for them to mention that it might tickle just a bit? That really seems like the torture to me, not that the prisoner might be bitten at some point.

Any thoughts?

Christian

Double T · Mar 17, 2004

Perhaps at first there might be some tickling, but....

In a book I was reading about tortures, this was mentioned only in the context that goats, having very rough tongues, would eventually lick the soles of the victims feet raw, at which point I'm sure was very painful! I know we don't like to think that, bucause, if it WAS just tickling, probably 80% of the community would be out committing petty crimes! (I know this isn't mideval France, but work with me here.) While it is true that some people consider bondage tickling a form of torture, the book, which I found pretty comprehensive, only mentioned it in passing.

$Tickletorturer · Mar 18, 2004

A question

Now the whole licking till the foot is raw makes sense to me. But really, a goat is a herbavoire, meaning a vegetarian. Which means that a goat doesn't need and probably doesn't have sharp teeth. So all things considered how bad could a goat bite be?

desdemona · Mar 20, 2004

As a vet, having put my hand into goats' (and other herbivores) mouths...

Their teeth may not be as "lethal" as a carnivores, but they have to tear/grind/crush vegetation. And the points of their teeth (which keep "growing" throughout their life until they fall out) can be quite sharp. That's why horses have to have their teeth floated...but I digress.

Incidentally, it is NOT healthy for any animal to consume that much salt (just like it isn't healthy for us...). Without water to counter the electrolytes, it can lead to a toxicity that causes brain swelling and death. Just an FYI.

Myst · Mar 20, 2004

Different mixture for the feet being licked raw, it was an acidic liquid that caused the skin to become EXTREMELY soft and loose, so much that the tongue would rip and peel the skin off....

That I read...

Also, i've had my feet licked by a goat before, and it tickles like HELL...and my feet turned out fine...so...well...you get the idea.

feetlover.fr · Mar 24, 2004

____________________________________________________________
Also, i've had my feet licked by a goat before, and it tickles like HELL...and my feet turned out fine...so...well...you get the idea.
______________________________________________________________

Hello,

You had your feet licked by a goat, can you tell a little more about it (conditions, how minutes...).
I like this type of tickling. If someone has video or picture...

the_Baron · Mar 24, 2004

desi -

i love how you turn this folly into a rewarding learning experience.

but i too, digress!

grippedchimp · Mar 30, 2004

desdemona said:
Incidentally, it is NOT healthy for any animal to consume that much salt (just like it isn't healthy for us...). Without water to counter the electrolytes, it can lead to a toxicity that causes brain swelling and death. Just an FYI.

Of course, you could use honey or grease, which proves just as effective! Anyway, where did all this info come from? Get us an address, will you?

desdemona · Mar 31, 2004

Gripped...

I'm a vet...this is text book info. And since most seem lacksidaisical about it at best, indifferent at worst, I'm not wasting time finding a source that every brain can understand. Sorry. Email or IM if you want specifics and I'll be happy to provide info.

desdemona · Mar 31, 2004

Since I can't resist a challenge and since I do want to educate those who are interested, check out the following webpage (compliments of Cornell University extension).

salt poisoning

We see this condition more commonly in swine. It's especially common in winter when water supplies have a tendency to freeze. But I thought I would comment on it since many take it for granted that this is a benign thing for an animal to do.

And you do have to use care with carbs and fats, also. Unless you've checked with the livestock owner, use caution. Ruminants have sensitive stomachs. Just my take on things.

nerobob · Mar 31, 2004

I remembergetting quite excited by a large reference to goat torture in a history book. It talked about the victims being tickled, and nothing about soles being licked off, but then again, it was for kids. Sadly, the (drawn) picture involved a man in the stocks, suffering the torture, but that's life.

ShadowTklr · Mar 31, 2004

There is also a reference to the historical use of "Torture of the Goats Tongue" in a book called "The Smart Dope" (Ballantine Publishing). It speaks of prisoners being tied to scafolding outside in the sun and having Brine smeared on the soles for the purpose of goats licking the brine from the victims feet.

The tickling gives way to excruciating pain as the skin of the feet is slowly stripped away by the roughness of the Goats' tongues. Also, several goats were used, so the salt poisoning thing wasn't too much of an issue, I would imagine.

The victim was left to die slowly over many hours from pain and exhaustion (probably heat stroke and/or dehydration, as the book mentions specifically that they were tied under the hot sun)

I believe that I also saw reference to tickling used in Germany in the 15th century (The Book Of Torture). It mentioned that victims were put in the stocks, and then had a harness of some kind strapped around their chest very tightly to constrict breathing. Then, their feet were tickled as the band was gradually tightened more and more.

Either way, they're both miserable torments, I'm sure.

Reference to Tickle Torture of the goatish kind

StockedAndGagged

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Double T

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$Tickletorturer

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desdemona

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Myst

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feetlover.fr

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the_Baron

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grippedchimp

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desdemona

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desdemona

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nerobob

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ShadowTklr

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