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 30 Mar 05, 2:31 PM. The full history of this entry will show any more recent versions.

Collars

Collars can vary widely - from the decorative to the purely function. In [BDSM] the wearing of a collar generally signifies that the wearer is a submissive.

History

Collars were used as part of metal restraints in ancient times. (For example, the well-preserved "chain for six slaves" on display in the Manchester Museum from the 1st century BC.) However, iron collars were also used by the Romans to identify slaves and even give instructions for their return:

:I am Asellus, a slave of Praeiectus an official of the prefect of the grain harvest. I have gone outdoors, beyond the walls. Hold me fast, because I have run away. Return me to the barber's shop near the temple of Flora. (CIL 15.7172)

Collars were also used in the 18th century to identify slaves in Britain (even though the legality of slavery on English soil, at least, was hotly disputed during this period), and to some extent in American plantation slavery.

It is likely that these historical precedents led to the association of slavery with collars in subcultures like Old Guard leather and in BDSM fiction, such as the Story of O and the Gor series.

(This entry in the BDSM Dictionary incorporates text from the Collars 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.