A Shrew’s fiddle is a variation of a yoke or rigid irons whereby the wrists are locked in front of the bound person by a hinged board or steel bar. The name Shrew’s fiddle derives from the fact that if the device is made from wood it can be shaped to look like a violin. You can find building instructions in our resources
Yokes are bondage devices which hold the captive’s wrists a fixed distance either side of the neck. They are sometimes constructed of wood (similar to the traditional milk-maid’s yoke) but are more readily available in steel – for example as part of Fetters’s range of pre-19th century irons.
The stocks were originally a device used for public humiliation, punishment, and torture in the middle ages. The stocks are similar to the pillory and the pranger, as both consist of large, hinged, wooden boards. The difference is that in the stocks, the boards are placed around the legs or the wrists, whereas in the pillory they are placed around the arms and neck. However, the terms can be confused and many people refer to the pillory as the stocks.
In the stocks, an offender’s ankles would be placed and locked through two holes in the center of the board. Either before or after this the offender would have his shoes and socks removed, exposing his bare feet. Typically, a person confined to the stocks would be subjected to a variety of abuses, ranging from paddling and tickling of the feet to being stoned to death.
Stocks are used occasionally in bondage scenes but the position that the stocks hold the submissive makes it more difficult to punish or sexually “abuse” the slave than other more common bondage positions. To get around this problem it is possible to buy stocks specially designed for BDSM play which expose the captive in a much more sexual manner.
Box stocks are a variation on the basic stocks design. They consist of a floor-standing box which has holes for the wrists and ankles. The captive is forced to stand upright bending over with their hands on the floor. This puts them in an ideal position for spanking, flogging, and caning.
The hunched-over position that the stocks forces on its captive can become uncomfortable after a time. The position might also cause some victims to faint; this can be dangerous as should the captive fall, they could break a wrist or ankle.
A piece of furniture that is specifically designed to make for it easier for the Femdom Domme to do the spanking. Various designs all allow for maximum access to the posterior region.
Another feature can be restraints, so as to tie down the spankee in case the pain would cause him to move by reflex.
The standard spanking bench is very much like a trestle table or a small gymnasium-horse, the recipient being bent over with their bottom thus exposed. Modern variations allow for a kneeling on all fours type position.
The term caning bench is used when the spanker intends to apply the spankings by cane.
The rack is a torture device. It consists of a rectangular, usually wooden, frame, with a roller at one, or both, ends. The victim’s feet are manacled to one roller, and the wrists are chained to the other. Gradually, one or both rollers are gradually turned, using a handle, with a ratchet causing a stepwise increase the tension on the chains, which induces pain as the victim is slowly stretched.
In past times, this was a gruesome torture device, often used to the point where joints would be pulled apart with excruciating agony. Modern versions of racks are available for Femdom / BDSM play. They are designed to put the sub’s body under tension, instilling a sense of helplessness and vulnerability.
A pillory (pranger in German) is a punishment device designed to hold a submissive in a fixed place by the neck and wrists. A Mistress may choose to use pillory to keep her submissive still.
It has a horizontal board mounted several feet off the ground on a wooden post or frame (the name comes from the Latin for pillar). The board is in two parts, with holes through which the victim’s head and hands are placed, then the two parts of the board are closed, clamping the person in, without direct pressure on the body parts. Instead of a board, hinged iron rings can also be used. Pillories can be designed either to hold the captive standing or kneeling. In the standing position the pillory can be combined with stocks to hold the captives feet apart.
A captive in a pillory is more exposed than someone in the stocks, which hold a person by similar means. With hands trapped, they are unable to protect themselves or to move out of the way of any flagellation.
For BDSM play pillories need to be designed with solid and stable bases. If the scene is intense it is likely that the captive will struggle; if the pillory is not properly constructed there is a risk that it will topple over, causing serious neck and wrist injury.
Variations
A variation on the pillory made common in Spain has the boards horizontal. The prisoner’s head and hands are therefore upright. This exposes the breasts more and tends to be far less comfortable unless the height is adjustable to suit the person’s height. An interesting variation of this is the table pillory
A very small version of the pillory is the finger pillory. Once common for domestic punishment, they hold the fingers at the second joint. Another variation is a horizontal pillory holding the neck only. This pillory requires that the hands are secured by other means. Designs vary but commonly force the captive into a squatting position .
A whipping post is vertical post or pole to which someone can be bound in order to secure them for punishment or some other torture. At its most basic, a whipping post is merely a vertical beam fixed top and bottom to make it immovable. Portable versions are available where the post is fixed to a large base providing stability during its use. More sophisticated versions incorporate stocks or spreader bars to secure the feet and fixing points for ropes and chains. Other variants have movable rods set at right angles to the main beam to allow someone to secure the bound person’s waist and to stress the body to enhance the person’s feelings of helplessness and vulnerability
The St Andrews cross is one of the most common pieces of SM equipment and can be found in virtually every Femdom dungeon and club. It is simple to construct, relatively cheap, and very effective in securing someone. Crosses can be made from either metal or wood and can be free standing or fixed to a wall. All crosses will have attachment points at the extremities for wrist and ankle cuffs; the more sophisticated versions will have adjustable foot rests allowing people of different heights to be bound. Waist, arm, and thigh straps are sometimes added to further restrict the sub’s movement.
Submissives can be bound either facing the cross, suitable for whipping, or bound facing out, suitable for genital or nipple torture.
The St Andrews cross is a very effective piece of kit. Properly bound, the sub will have very little scope for movement. By pulling the arms and legs away from the body the position becomes very open and exposed; they will be unable to protect themselves from whatever the dominant wants to do to them. For this reason, there is a very strong D/s element to any bondage involving a St Andrews cross.
The disadvantage of a St Andrews cross is the tendency of the bound person when tired to hang from their wrists. This makes extended scenes involving a cross problematic. The use of thigh cuffs and crotch ropes can help support the bound person’s weight and mitigate this problem to some extent.
A seated cross combines elements of a bondage chair and a St Andrews cross and is found in the dungeons of many clubs. The chair is designed to hold the captive immobile in a seated position whilst allowing easy access to their genitals. As captives are seated, it allows them to be left bound for a greater length of time that would be possible on a cross.
smotherbox (or smothering box) is a type of dungeon furniture similar to a queening stool. It may be used in facesitting, where a man or woman acting in a Dominant role sits upon the face of a person acting in a submissive role, to emphasize the superiority setting. This may include receiving oral sex from the submissive person.
A smotherbox has two openings in it. One is in a vertical side of the box for the neck of the person who has her/his head inside the smotherbox. The other is on top of the box to expose the face of the person who has their head in the box. The inside of a smotherbox is often padded to provide support for neck of the person in the box, and to prevent their head from moving. The padding may also muffle noises from outside of the box, thereby relaxing the one being sat upon and leaving more room in his/her mind for other senses
Usage
The smotherbox is placed on a stable surface. The cover (top half of the smotherbox) is open while the submissive lays down on his back placing his head in the box. When the submissive is in position, the cover is closed. (The cover can have hinges or it can be a separate part.) Locks may be used to emphasize the submissive position of the person in the box.
A smotherbox may make facesitting more comfortable for both parties. For the sitter it gives a stable edge to sit upon. It also takes lots of weight away from the neck of the submissive. This may allow more prolonged sessions. Other people may dislike smotherboxes if they wish for the full weight of the top or Dominant person to be felt by the bottom or submissive person.
Smotherbox can be used in breath control play. Even if smotherboxes are usually not made airtight by purpose, the only opening for breathing is the one in the middle of the seat. The sitter can thus prevent the one being sat on from breathing by covering the opening with his/her body. Breath control is a potentially dangerous sexual activity.
A smotherbox gives facesitting a more dramatic aspect. Smotherboxes are usually custom made pieces of furniture that may have a special significance for their users. They are often made out of precious woods, with leather used for the seat. Many custom smotherboxes are done in baroque style and may look very dignified.
Smotherboxes are available commercially from makers of dungeon furniture.
Similar devices
Smotherboxes are not to be confused with similar furniture used in human toilet play. While it is possible to use a smotherbox in such an act, the top deck of furniture designed for that cause is usually higher. This makes distance from the submissives face to the dominant person longer. Body parts of human toilet furniture users may not even touch, while in case of smotherboxes such physical connection is a requisite. Human toilet furniture often also has a different look. They may be equipped with a standard toilet seat, as a psychological hint for the intended use.
A queening stool is a device which is used to facilitate the act of queening. It is a low seat which fits over the submissive face and contains an opening to allow oral-genital and/or oral-anal stimulation of the Domme whilst seated.
Since the dawn of time, lovers have used their ingenuity to bring erotic pleasure into each others lives, so it’s not just a Femdom toy. First illustrated in Egyptian hieroglyphs, queening stools for “face sitting or smothering” have down the ages, brought pleasure to millions. There are many new ranges of queening stools. Hand-made, unique and luxurious, each one an original. Enjoy the sensuality and comfort of soft upholstery, pillows and supports. Choose wood, in classic antique styles or 21st century steel. Whichever your choice make sure, the stool will take the strain, and give you hours of effortless enjoyment. Beautifully designed and solidly constructed, queening stools come in various styles and sizes, and for those outside the box, there are queening thrones. Stylish, exciting and versatile
A bondage wheel is one of the largest (and most expensive) pieces of SM equipment found in a Dungeon. It consists of a large vertically mounted, rotating wheel to which the victim is strapped. In this respect it is similar to a St Andrews cross, the victim can either be strapped facing the wheel (suitable for whipping) or facing out (for CBT genital torture). The difference is the bondage wheel can be rotated allowing the victim to be turned upside down.
The wheel body has various straps for restraint and normally also attachments for extra rope bondage. There may also be foot rests, hand holds and a head support.
