A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z
This entry is part of the BDSM Dictionary hosted by Informed Consent.
This is the version from 19 Jul 10, 7:31 PM. The full history of this entry will show any more recent versions.
ICcode for "Branding"

[b]Branding[/b] refers to refers to the use of the same physical
techniques as in livestock branding on a human, notably the
scarification of the body by a hot ( or sometimes cryogenically cold )
object.  Persons are branded either with consent as a form of
[about=body modification]body modification[/about]; or under coercion,
as a [about=punishment]punishment[/about] or imposing masterly rights
over a [about=slave]slave[/about] or other legally subservient inferior.
 It can also happen accidentally, for example from careless use of a
[about=violet wand]violet wand[/about], or purposely to create a
[about=slave]slave[/about] mark.

For a more general coverage of this topic read the wikipedia article on
[about=wikipedia:Human_branding]human branding[/about]. 


[heading]BDSM practice

Branding is usually done with a hot metal object to scar the body. It is
sometimes seen as an ultimate act of
[about=submission]submission[/about] and commitment, to slavery if not
to the relationship.  A brand will be with the slave for many years, and
is likely to show a mark for the rest of the person's lifetime.  Brands
are normally placed high on the outer thigh, on the belly just above the
[about=crotch]crotch[/about] or on the [about=breast]breast[/about].

A mark, normally indicating identity or
[about=ownership]ownership[/about], is burned into the skin just as
might be done on the hide of a animal, with a hot iron.  The human skin
is much more fragile than, say, a bull's rawhide and a lot more care
needs to be taken. A human branding mark is normally much smaller than
one for cattle, so care needs to be taken with the design as something
too complex is unlikely to work or last.

For some slaves and [about=owner]owner[/about]s, branding is an intense
desire, indicating total commitment and psychologically stamping the
slave as property so the slave truly feels owned and wanted.

Branding is a common issue in [about=Gorean]Gorean[/about] slavery,
since it is often talked about in John Norman's "Chronicles of 
[about=Gor]Gor[/about]" series of science-fiction novels.  On the planet
Gor, a brand never specifically indicates a slave's individual owner,
but is simply a generic mark of overall slave status; the vast majority
of slaves on Gor are branded with either a [about=Gorean Kef
symbol]k-like "kef" symbol[/about] (which stands for the first sound of
the words [about=Kajira]kajira[/about]/kajirus) or a floral "dina"
symbol.  The remaining, less-common, brands on Gor sometimes provide an
indication of where someone was initially enslaved, but not personal
ownership:

[item]"...the mark is an impersonal designation; when she is marked she
understands herself not to be marked by a given man for a given man, to
be uniquely his, but rather, so to speak, that she is marked for all
men; to all men she is a slave girl (usually, of course, only one among
them, at a given time, will be her master). The brand is impersonal, the
collar is intensely personal: the brand marks her [as] property, the
collar proclaims whose property she is, who it is who has either taken,
or paid for, her." -- [b]Tribesmen of Gor[/b]

Note that the branding methods described in Norman's books would not
work in the real world to produce the desired results in any consistent
or reliable manner that would hold up over the long term.

For those with a low pain tolerance or just wanting to pretend about
branding, a mark can be applied with an ink marker.  Cheat 'brands' can
also be applied with [about=tattoos]tattoos[/about].

Branding is not part of [about=play]play[/about]; serious branding
should not be considered as a '[about=scene]scene[/about]' but should
only be done by a knowledgeable practitioner. It can be quite dangerous,
and in particular there is a risk of infection if everything is not kept
sterile and the burn mark is not properly treated.

[heading]Other practices

[item] Generally voluntary, though often under severe social pressure,
branding may be used as a painful form of initiation, serving both as
endurance and motivation test ([about=rite of passage]rite of
passage[/about]) and a permanent membership mark, mainly in violent
'macho' circles. Branding is thus practiced:

[item]* by some street gangs

[item]* in prisons 

[item]* as an extreme fraternity initiation in the (now marginalised)
tradition of painful [about=hazing]hazing[/about] (otherwise mostly
paddling); it has been widely reported (even in a BBC feature) that U.S.
president George W. Bush, while president of the Delta Kappa Epsilon
chapter at Yale, was involved in introducing a practice in which pledges
had to strip to be branded on the buttocks with a hot coat hanger bent
into the shape of a capital delta  
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2004/7/15/11529/7365, a surprising
practice among the richest families' privileged youth in an Ivy League
college

[item] Branding can be used as a strictly voluntary, even decorative,
permanent [about=body modification]body modification[/about] rather like
many [about=tattoo]tattoo[/about]s.

[heading]External Links


[item][url=http://www.dreamstrike.com/brand.html]The Branding[/url] -
including pictures

[item][about=bmezine:Branding]Branding article[/about] on
[about=BMEzine]BMEzine[/about] wiki

[heading]See Also

[item][about=Scarification]Scarification[/about] for details on cosmetic
branding

[item][about=Tattoos]Tattoos[/about]

[item][about=Body modification]Body modification[/about]

[item][about=Piercings]Piercings[/about]

[item][about=Master/Slave]Master/Slave[/about]

[item][about=Gor - Dictionary]Gor - Dictionary[/about]

(This entry in the BDSM Dictionary incorporates text from the
[url=http://www.londonfetishscene.com/wipi/index.php/Branding]Branding[/url]
article in Wipipedia.)
This entry is published under the terms of the GFDL. People with profiles on Informed Consent can improve this entry: see the BDSM Dictionary help page for details.