chastity belt

The chastity belt is an item that titillates and fascinates in equal measure. The idea of the brave medieval knight locking up his beloved, naively believing a mere padlock would be enough to keep away other men and keep her pure is one that has been parodied in a myriad of mediums. Up The Chastity Belt, The Chastity Belt, and most famously Robin Hood: Men in Tights are all movies that have utilized the concept of the chastity belt to great comedic effect. There are certainly references to chastity belts in Medieval literature and there are even extant examples of the devices, but were they ever really used? And if they weren’t, how did the myth come to be? What