Flaying: Human Skin Straw Men

What happens when the punishment isn’t simply death, but having your own skin turned into a warning for everyone else?

In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan explore the horrifying history of flaying, the deliberate removal of a person’s skin, and the very different reasons people throughout history chose to use it.

We’ll begin with Baha-ud-din Gurshasp, a powerful military commander who found himself on the wrong side of his cousin, Sultan Muhammad bin Tughluq. From there, we’ll travel back more than three thousand years to the Neo-Assyrian Empire, where rulers like Ashurnasirpal II used flaying as a terrifying message to anyone thinking about rebellion.

We’ll meet Sisamnes, the corrupt Persian judge whose fate supposedly turned his own skin into part of his replacement’s courtroom chair, and follow the practice through the Ming Dynasty, the Ottoman conquest of Cyprus, and the brutal fate of Venetian commander Marcantonio Bragadin.

But flaying wasn’t always about punishment. We’ll travel to the Aztec Empire and explore the rituals surrounding Xipe Totec, the Flayed One, where human skin played a completely different role in religious ceremony and ideas of death, sacrifice, and renewal.

We’ll also look at the myths, legends, and questionable stories surrounding flaying throughout history, as well as some of the rare modern cases where the practice has appeared in warfare and organized crime. And yes, because there was absolutely no way we were getting through an episode about human skin without mentioning Ed Gein.

And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring plenty of morbid humor to an episode about one of humanity’s oldest and most disturbing ways of making a statement.

If you’re interested in flaying, Ashurnasirpal II, the Assyrian Empire, Baha-ud-din Gurshasp, Marcantonio Bragadin, Sisamnes, the Ming Dynasty, Xipe Totec, Aztec sacrifice, Ed Gein, historical torture, executions, and the darker side of human history, this episode is going to get under your skin.

Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.

The New Website!!!!

The Beard Struggle

PodUp!

Patreon

Merch

Buy Us A Coffee

YouTube

Facebook

Instagram

Blue Sky

Tiktok

The Sassholes Insta!!

Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosity

License code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJY

Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoon

License code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSH

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/bass-vibes

License code: YYUZSRCQDGQROBB4

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/mountaineer/kick-back

License code: QMHHB6U0M6H9WWEN

Read less

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/albert-behar/tickling-the-ivories

Please give us a 5 star rating and review!!

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy