willowfall
Senator
Darling if you can think it up, there is an already existing kink for it.
kisses
willowfall
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Galley Slaves Gallery
- Thread starter Crux-Emperor Baracus X
- Start date
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- Tags
- boat male/female row slavery
Darling if you can think it up, there is an already existing kink for it.
kisses
willowfall
Harsh Martinet
Consul
old slave
FELIS RESPICIENS
I love galley slaves, can't get enough of them, but thinking technically for a moment: when a ship is moored, presumably the oars on the quay side of the ship are brought on board? (The oars are 'shipped')
So it's not practical to chain a slave's wrists to the oar?
Still, plenty of other body parts to keep her from wandering.
So it's not practical to chain a slave's wrists to the oar?
Still, plenty of other body parts to keep her from wandering.
J
Jones_Tims
Guest
It would be more practical to chain their legs. That way, they can't run away and their arms have more mobility, in order to better maneuver the oars. Chaining the wrists is rather a symbol of confinement and humiliation... the slave girls become part of the ship once their wrists are chained to the oars. The slave girls that are chained by their legs may sleep under the benches, but the ones that are chained by the wrists have to rest their heads on the oars, the clinking of the chains on their hands waking them up from time to time.
old slave
FELIS RESPICIENS
Good to see you commenting, @Jones_Tims
Why not both? In port you can unchain the hands, but leave the legs shackled.
Kav
Tribune
How a female should be worked
old slave
FELIS RESPICIENS
I was thinking of the poor overseers. All that locking, whipping, unlocking, screwing, locking, whipping, the Union of Whipmasters is getting tetchy about conditions.
willowfall
Senator
Ancient galleys were not tied up to a dock they were too fragile and unstable for that. They were run up on a beach or pulled in to sheds for long term storage (there has been some marvelous reconstructions of the Athenian storage sheds).
Still your point about being chained physically to the oars is well taken. The were probably chained to the benches low enough down so that the chains would not interfere with the motions of the oars.
kisses
willowfall
Well of course, it matters how often you make port.
willowfall
Senator
Row a boat any considerable distance love and you will find out why you wouldn't be chained directly to the oar. Besides, who's breaking a leg chain?
Overkill (extra chains) on a craft with a limited loading capacity and inherent instability would not be welcome. (See the Swedish warship "Wasa").
kisses
willowfall
Good point - twice the chains is twice the weight.
J
Jones_Tims
Guest
Alternatively, the overseers may use only one chain to restrain each pair of slave girls (chaining the right ankle of a girl and the left ankle of the other girl), making sure that the chain's middle point is attached to the floor. That should minimize the costs, saving money that would be spent on chains. To maximize the efficiency, the overseers may offer the privilege of removing the chains for the most obedient and submissive girls.
A smart solution - half the chains for same effect!
In a modern competitive rowing boat, the rowers' feet are held firmly in fixed shoes on the 'stretcher' (foot board), certainly the best way in a galley would be to have a plank set at about 60 degrees with some simple, lockable clamp and leather straps to hold the slaves' feet and ankles.
Would there be any adverse effect to having the feet in such a position permanently?
This one shows the need for a 'stretcher', her feet are at the right angle, but she needs to be able to push against a support, and to flex her legs to push hard - the slaves' leg-muscles provide most of the power, so the stretcher needs to be closer to the bench. And the oar needs some more support at the leverage point - nothing as complex or sophisticated as a 'gate' or rowlock, this 'scalmus', a stout peg with a ring (leather?) to hold the oar against it was apparently the usual way the Romans did it:
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I would think a strong, healthy girl could row all day with her feet locked to the stretcher. Maybe if her ankles have irons on them, they could be released from the clamp overnight with a simple twist of a key, but they'd still be chained together and/or to the stretcher - that would allow her to move them a bit, even stand up have a stretch and a bit of exercise, and then to curl up to sleep probably on the boards, under her bench.
I wouldn't favour chaining the slaves to their oars, in emergencies they'd need to have free movement for the sake of the boat's safety, never mind their own.
For some masters, them sinking with the ship is a plus...
But yes, that sort of arrangement might work. Although it would require manually chaining and unchaining each rower daily. I presume that a punishments could see them left chained in place?