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Raising the Cross - Which Way?

Which method of Crucifixion arouses the sense more?

  • 1) Nailing feet and wrists to the cross, and then pushing the cross and victim upwards?

    Votes: 164 46.1%

  • 2) Nailing wrists to the crossbeam, and then hoisting the victim up, and then nailing her feet?

    Votes: 192 53.9%
  • Total voters
    356
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The raising will be an extraordinary show if first only the wrists are nailed and the patibulum will be lifted together with the victim to the top of the stipes. Best way is to fix only one rope in the middle above the head of the victim, so the patibulum has the tendency to rock and to vibrate reciprocated. Imagine the victim trying to get balance while using the own muscles to stand on the feet, in this case the victim will do everything to prevent hanging by the nailed wrists. Of course, now starts a writhing and shrieking, if you want, the victim may use a ladder up to the cross, or the feet already leaving the ground, escalation of the tortures is possible when the patibulum will be moved by jerks. When the squirming and the screeches decrease, start with foot nailing, one foot first, then the other foot, watch the movements of the victim, do you prefer nails through the footroot or through the ankle bones? Both is possible, imagine how the already wrist nailed person will squirm and writhe...
 
Marcella said:
View attachment 587102My heart races when I think about being raised up on a tall cross like this . . . and left . . . to hang.

View attachment 587103Wow! Looking down at them as they look up at my naked body! Oh my!

They leave, but I have to stay! As my pain escalates. As strangers walk by to look at me, mock me, insult me . . .

View attachment 587104 But you got to love this way too!
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Shure, the first two ones are arousing at a maximum. To see a tender body nailed to a taller cross which give more structure in the scene and interest to the audience is indeed heart beating. Specially if the small cross is as shown here high about 8´ feet over the ground and the complete construction (cross and victim) must be erased. All is wobbling and it´s hard for the crew to pull the cross upright and in it´s hole without an overturn. In this case the victim have the chance to die quickly by an heavy fall on his head. Such a scene is seen at the end in the film "Jesus of Montreal". But this might be the kick for all if it´s going well. Another point: If you look at the first picture, the spectacular nailing is only seen by a few in this view. If you pull up the body with nailed arms at the beam like #3 up to the stipes it´s seen by all. The body is stretched out at a maximum when hanging in the final position, so you can choose how the feets are nailed. Josephus mentioned that the crucified body was stretched out as a sail in the wind. it might be that the crossbeam was not fixed at the stipes with ropes or thick nails rather a simply fixing from the pull up ropes that the body might swing. In contrast to the normal raising we prefare, the standing stipes can be very high. And the nailed body can be fixed in a high position no one can reach him. Women unreachable are even more desirable. J.J. pointed it out in many of his clips.

004.jpg 005.jpg
 
_CADRE_ said:
I'm having a lot of fun with this thread :devil2:

Here's a few more renders with a quick backdrop story...

Four women have been crucified for collaboration and insurrection. They all writhe and squirm upon their respective cross. Each is so close to the other, that they can hear their pained breathing and moaning. As they turn their head, they can see the sweat dripping down the stretched and strained body of the woman next to them. They can see the emptiness and sorrow in their eyes. Below, the executioners lead the next group of condemned women to the front of the cross. They are forced to remained there - tied and unable to flee. As soon as one of the crucified women breathes her last breath and perishes, the next woman will be made ready to take her place on the cross...
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I imagine climbing a ladder and one by one piercing each of the women's nipples.
 
James 2nd said:
I imagine climbing a ladder and one by one piercing each of the women's nipples.
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Yow!! That would most definitely add a sharp (and humiliating) pain for the condemned women... In a sense, it shows that they have no choice - they cannot resist as each of their limbs are pinned to the wood. And while the pain in the tip of their nipples is fierce, they cannot even begin to assuage it in any way whatsoever. Their bodies are no longer their own, but rather they are more akin to ornaments hung upon their respective crosses for all to see and gaze upon. Their pain is the crowd's pleasure. Their humiliation is the crowd's entertainment. Their suffering is the crowd's spectacle.

I've thought of adding a similar facet to the renders by having one of the guards taunt the crucified women with a cup of water. He holds it just out of the reach of her lips, and makes her struggle to reach it. Though water is hard to do in renders.
 
I like the nailing of hands first to patibula, it would be interesting to see how person's body reacts and moves, then as a person being raised on the cross he is completely stretched and his legs and feet flying in the air as the person tries to get air, and then nailing of the feet.
 
To maximise the number of crucifixtions for the least cost I would make sure the cross could be re-used as many times as possible. Using ropes to haul the cross in the air would cause the ropes to dig in and damage the wood. Have the nails nailed into seperate bits of wood, secured with bolts to the main cross.
Why not get the condemned to help out. For a woman, tie a rope to each breast and then haul the cross upright. The tit stretching would provide extra entertainment and pain at the same time. For a man the base of the cock and balls is a perfect place to tie a rope around, pulled very tight of course. Imagine the pain. What a great spectacle to watch.
 
In good Roman tradition always have the practical aspect in mind: In urban areas where condemned are more plentiful than timber, the stipae (maybe part of a more elaborate construction for frequent application) remain in place and the patibulae are re-used several times. This is the place to work with rope, which should be easily available - to fix the victims as well to raise them, with help of some type of derricks or other constructions. Also, rope is likely to do less damage to the wood of the crosses, crumbling nailholes will make it useless sooner or later. Economy first! The crucified also will last longer just being tied up, giving an extended show where big audience comes along.
If a crucifixion is a more rare event in a rural place where you have lots of timber available, maybe you prefer to build a nice, tall cross for display before use, have the condemned drag it to the ultimate site in a nice procession and give her or him a decent nailing well observed by the not-so-big crowd and have him raised slowly to show everbody the slowly increasing, gruesome effect that the body's weight excerts on the nails. A few men should easily manage to lift the cross up from the ground and let it slide to its final position. Besides that, nailing is done far easier with the cross solidly rested on the ground than hammering to the already upright cross possibly vibrating or swinging. And nobody will be hurt by a wildly kicking condemned with only the arms fixed....
 
barbudo said:
In good Roman tradition always have the practical aspect in mind: In urban areas where condemned are more plentiful than timber, the stipae (maybe part of a more elaborate construction for frequent application) remain in place and the patibulae are re-used several times.
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That’s pretty much how Jedakk visualized it in his various versions of his character Sabina.
 

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barbudo said:
In good Roman tradition always have the practical aspect in mind: In urban areas where condemned are more plentiful than timber, the stipae (maybe part of a more elaborate construction for frequent application) remain in place and the patibulae are re-used several times. This is the place to work with rope, which should be easily available - to fix the victims as well to raise them, with help of some type of derricks or other constructions. Also, rope is likely to do less damage to the wood of the crosses, crumbling nailholes will make it useless sooner or later. Economy first! The crucified also will last longer just being tied up, giving an extended show where big audience comes along.
If a crucifixion is a more rare event in a rural place where you have lots of timber available, maybe you prefer to build a nice, tall cross for display before use, have the condemned drag it to the ultimate site in a nice procession and give her or him a decent nailing well observed by the not-so-big crowd and have him raised slowly to show everbody the slowly increasing, gruesome effect that the body's weight excerts on the nails. A few men should easily manage to lift the cross up from the ground and let it slide to its final position. Besides that, nailing is done far easier with the cross solidly rested on the ground than hammering to the already upright cross possibly vibrating or swinging. And nobody will be hurt by a wildly kicking condemned with only the arms fixed....
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So practical! Barbudo for Emperor! Running on the efficiency and common sense crux platform. All hail! :)
 
Almost forgot. Damian came up with a most plausible permanent framework for capital cases. This is a Damian/Makar collaboration called "Pliny’s Witches."
 

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THE FACE-DOWN ALTERNATIVE

Both versions deserve a second thought having workplace security for the executioners as well as "fun" for the condemned in mind: crucify them face-down lying on their breasts and belly!

The lift-her-up only with the patibulum might be as follows: The convict, being through with rape and flagellation, has the patibulum loaded on her neck and shoulders as usual with the arms well-bound to it. A one inch hole should have been drilled or carved in the center of the patibulum before. After carrying this load to the stipes - or just some tree - she is forced down on her knees directly in front of the upright, with her back to the stipes. Her feet are tied or shackled behind the pole or tree.
Then she is forced forward to fall forward on her breast with the patibulum still on her neck, she coming to lie under it. The executioner can sit comfortable on the patibulum, thus immobilizing the victim, then twist the first arm over it so that the elbow resp. the crook of the arm is on top of the patibulum and then nail her wrist, palm down, to the back of the crossbar. Same procedure on the other side. Now, for a complete nailing, one foot is lifted up, the knee remaining on the ground directly besides of the stipes, and nailed through the heel. The other foot will be nailed the same way, thus both being fixed about 15 inches above the ground on either side of the pole.
A solid nail, at least 12 to 15 inches long, is hammered into the stipes about 6 feet above the ground (or has remained there from earlier occasions), pointing slightly downwards towards the pole and left protruding at least six to eight inches, thus serving as sort of a hook. Now the patibulum is lifted with the victim hanging below, the heels forced to turn upwards on the nails - a more painful way to be lifted on cross might be hardly imaginable. The executioner should manage this lift with help of just one aide. The patibulum is simply set with the hole in its center on the large nail 6 ft above ground. The condemned, with the arms over the patibulum and wrists nailed behind now not only has to dance on the nails and embrace the wood to find the best position for his own weight, but also manage to keep the patibulum more or less horizontal to keep the strain equal on both wrists. A time to enjoy! Of course the same style can be done just using rope, but it will be far less fun.

Of course the classic, complete cross can be used in a similar way with the same advantages. The condemned has to drag it to the execution site with the arms already tied to the crossbeam. Make her come to stand with the lower end of the cross next to hole in the ground where it will be erected, then make her fall forward (gently, we don't want her to get hurt too much, at least not now), with the cross coming to rest on her back. Now nail the arms in the same way (or leave them tied), hands behind the cross and palms to the wood. The feet are nailed at an appropriate height to both sides of the cross, opening to diamond shape for a fine display when upright. Now the cross with the condemned hanging below - might get a bit loud now - is lifted up to vertical, by this way also avoiding to fall forward when gliding into the hole - because that's where it comes from and where the executioners are standing and holding it! Safety first...
 
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