Wolf's Head

Is there someone in this wiki who's thinking about this kind of Old English punishment?

...

-does not have a clue what this is about-

If you're a wolf's head, every individual has the right to kill you.

Yes, there is somebody on this wiki who's thinking about it.

It's you.

But no, I'd never heard of it. Interesting. Where abouts was this practiced, and when?

Holy cheese, that sounds like a pretty unpleasant punishment.

So like, they make a public declaration that X person can be killed by anyone who feels like it?

Someone go get Rotti!

Isn't that exactly what "Outlaw" used to mean?

Now you mention it, yes, it is. Never heard it called "wolf's head" before.

Cool.

Horrible, inhumane, and cruel, but cool.

It's kind of an idiotic law though, unless it applies to people that haven't been brought to justice yet. In which case it's just reckless (unless no one has any better options, but still).

A reference to the punishment, which was once in England, that I can think of is Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi.

Oh God I hated about that book and I forgot about it and now you've made me remember it again. I hate you.

I though it was this

I have never heard of it as a form of punishment.

Ha found a reference

Lupinum Caput Gerere

To be outlawed and have one's head exposed like a wolf's with a reward to him who should take it. Google Search from a law dictionary.

Also the phrase

Let his be a wolf's head. Phrase found here

effectively decreeing the individual void of any rights and fit to kill as a dangerous wild animal.

edited 30th Jan '11 9:39:05 PM by TuefelHundenIV

... can someone clarify how "Wolf's Head" is inhumane etc etc?

An outlaw in historical legal systems is a person declared as outside the protection of the law.

This could go very bad places very quickly.

^^ Outlawing was considered one of the harshest punishments you could place on a person. Imagine if everybody had permission to kill you and the law said that you deserved it.

Oic, I was thinking "inhumane" more along the lines of a torture box. If you get a head start I think that's way more fair than a torture box.

Yeah, it wouldn't work very well in a densely populated area where the state has much infrastructural power, but if you already live in a wide-open space with not much law enforcement and low population density it might be workable. Especially if the other persons in your area are unfriendly to the law. I imagine an outlaw can't turn in another outlaw for a reward.

edited 31st Jan '11 2:09:46 AM by melloncollie

Which I suppose they did. Live in open areas with little law enforcement, I mean; even most cities back then were much smaller than they are now.

Probably the severity would depend how many enemies you had and how much effort they were prepared to put into coming after you.

edited 31st Jan '11 2:11:47 AM by BobbyG

Mellon:effectively decreeing the individual void of any rights and fit to kill as a dangerous wild animal. Meaning you could do what ever you wanted to them and get a reward for it.

Bobby: sounds like a traditional bounty system to me.

edited 31st Jan '11 2:12:31 AM by TuefelHundenIV

They called it "free as a bird" here. So, for me there's a romantic notion involved but it's a pretty cruel punishment. Today even more so since information about the persons would be more wide spread and easily accessible.