Dismemberment
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- For the death metal band Dismember, see Dismember (band).
Dismemberment is the act of cutting, tearing, pulling, or otherwise removing, the limbs of the condemned, causing prolonged, painful death. It can be a form of capital punishment, an accident, or possibly a murder or suicide. As opposed to a possible surgical amputation of the limbs, it tends to be fatal.
Carried out in modern times by tying a person's limbs to a chain or other constraint, whereby attaching the restraint to two separate movable entities (eg. a vehicle) and moving them in the opposite directions. Also referred to as disruption, it could be brought about by chaining four horses to the victim's arms and legs, thus making them pull him apart, as was the case with the execution of Queen Brunhilda of Austrasia in 613.
Used in medieval times; trademarked by the rack, where the victim is chained down by their wrists and ankles, on a large bed-like frame, and a wheel is subsequently turned, winding in the chains and causing an immense stretching. Dismemberment is not used by any modern governments as a form of torture or capital punishment.
In horror films, such as zombie films, disembodied limbs become animated and attack people (a disembodied hand tends to strangle).