Human branding orstigmatizing is the process by which a mark, usually a symbol or ornamental pattern, is burned into the skin of a living person, with the intention of the resultingscar making it permanent. This is performed using a hot orvery coldbranding iron. It therefore uses the physical techniques oflivestock branding on a human, either with consent as a form ofbody modification; or under coercion, as apunishment or to identify anenslaved, oppressed, or otherwise controlled person. It may also be practiced as a "rite of passage", e.g. within a tribe, or to signify membership of or acceptance into an organization.

The English verb "to burn", attested since the 12th century, is a combination ofOld Norsebrenna "to burn, light", and two originally distinctOld English verbs:bærnan "to kindle" (transitive) andbeornan "to be on fire" (intransitive), both from theProto-Germanic rootbren(wanan), perhaps from aProto-Indo-European rootbhre-n-u, from base rootbhereu- "to boil forth, well up". InDutch,(ver)branden mean "to burn",brandmerk a branded mark; similarly, inGerman,Brandzeichen means "a brand" andbrandmarken, "to brand".

Sometimes, the wordcauterize is used. This is known in English since 1541, and is derived via Medieval Frenchcauteriser fromLate Latincauterizare "to burn or brand with a hot iron", itself fromGreek καυτηριάζειν,kauteriazein, from καυτήρkauter "burning or branding iron", from καίεινkaiein "to burn". Howevercauterization is now generally understood to mean a medical process – specifically to stop bleeding.

The origin may be the ancient treatment of aslave (often without legal rights) aslivestock.

• European,American, and other colonial slavers branded millions of slaves during the period of theAtlantic slave trade. Sometimes there were several brandings, e.g. for the Portuguese crown and the (consecutive) private owner(s), an extra cross after baptism as well as byAfrican slave catchers.
• Ancient Romans marked runaway slaves with the lettersFVG (forfugitivus).
• In modernSudan, there are reports of branding of slaves.^[1]
• An intermediate case between formal slavery and criminal law is when a convict is branded and legally reduced, with or without time limit, to a slave-like status, such as on thegalleys (in France branded GAL or TFtravaux forcés 'forced labour' until 1832), in apenal colony, or auctioned to a private owner.

Incriminal law, branding with ahot iron was a mode of punishment consisting of marking the subject as if goods or animals, sometimes concurrently with their reduction of status in life.

Brand marks have also been used as a punishment for convicted criminals, combiningphysical punishment, as burns are very painful, withpublic humiliation (greatest if marked on a normally visible part of the body) which is here the more important intention, and with the imposition of an indeliblecriminal record.

Robbers, like runaway slaves, were marked by the Romans with the letterF (fur); and the toilers in the mines, and convicts condemned to figure in gladiatorial shows, were branded on the forehead for identification. UnderConstantine I the face was not permitted to be so disfigured, the branding being on the hand, arm or calf.

TheActs of Sharbel record it applied, amongst other tortures, to a Christian between the eyes and on the cheeks inParthianEdessa at the time of the Roman EmperorTrajan on a judge's order for refusal to sacrifice.

In the 16th century, GermanAnabaptists were branded with a cross on their foreheads for refusing to recant their faith and join theRoman Catholic church.^[2]

In the North American colonial settlements of the 17th and early 18th centuries, branding was a common punishment for those found guilty of crimes. The type of brand differed from crime to crime. Men and women sentenced foradultery were branded with anA letter on their chest,D fordrunkenness andB forblasphemy orburglary,T on the hand forthief,SL on the cheek forseditious libel,R on the shoulder forrogue or vagabond, andF on the cheek forforgery. Those convicted of burglary on theLord's Day were branded upon their forehead.^{[3][4][failed verification]}

During the early stages of theAmerican Revolution, someLoyalists were branded on the face with the lettersG.R (forGeorge Rex, i.e.King George) byPatriots as punishment for perceived servility to the Crown.^[5][6]

In late 18th century England the letter used would indicate the type of crime committed, egSS (Sower of Sedition),M (Malefactor),B (Blasphemer),F (Fraymaker) andR (Rogue), for example.^[7]

The mark in later times was also often chosen as a code for the crime (e.g.,D fordesertion andBC for bad character in Canada. Most branded men were shipped off to apenal colony).^{[citation needed]} Branding was also used by theConfederate Army during theAmerican Civil War.

Until 1832 inFrance, various offenses carried the additional infamy of being branded with afleur de lis andgalley slaves could be brandedGAL or, once the galleys were replaced by thebagnes on land,TF (travaux forcés, 'forced' labor, i.e.hard labour) orTFP (travaux forcés à perpetuité, hard labour for life).^{[citation needed]} In most of the German-speaking states, however, branding people was unlawful.

Following theConspiracy of the Slaves of 1749 inMalta, some slaves were branded with the letterR (forribelli) on their forehead and condemned to thegalleys for life.^[8]

Branding tended to be abolished like other judicial mutilations (with notable exceptions, such as amputation undersharia law), sooner and more widely thanflogging,caning, and similar corporal punishments, which normally aim 'only' at pain and at worst cause stripe scars, although the most severe lashings (not uncommon in penal colonies) in terms of dosage and instrument (such as the proverbialknout) can even turn out to cause death.

In Pennsylvania, thehorse theft law "An Act to Increase the Punishments of Horse Stealing" was passed in 1780 and repealed in 1860, which stated people guilty of such a crime should be branded. The law ran as follows; "the first offense [the convicted] shall stand in the pillory for one hour, and shall be publicly whipped on his, or her [bare] backs with thirty-nine lashes, well laid on, and at the same time shall have his or her ears cut off and nailed to the pillory, and for the second offense shall be whipped and pilloried in like manner and be branded on the forehead in a plain and visible manner with the letters H. T."^[9]

This punishment was referenced inCormac McCarthy's novelBlood Meridian as the character Toadvine is branded with the letters H. T. on his forehead. H stands for Horse, T for Thief and F for Felon; "On his forehead were burned the letters H T and lower and almost between the eyes the letter F and these markings were splayed and garish as if the iron had been left too long. When he turned to look at the kid, the kid could see that he had no ears."^[10]

In Louisiana, there was a "black code", orCode Noir, which allowed the cropping of ears, shoulder branding, andhamstringing, the cutting of tendons near the knee, as punishments for recaptured slaves. Slave owners used extreme punishments to stop flight, or escape. They would often brand the slaves' palms, shoulders, buttocks, or cheeks with a branding iron.^[11]

Branding was sometimes used to mark recaptured runaway slaves to help the locals easily identify the runaway. Micajah Ricks, a slave owner inRaleigh, North Carolina, was looking for his slave and described, "I burnt her with a hot iron, on the left side of her face, I tried to make the letter M."^[12][13]

Most slave owners would use whipping as their main method, but at other times they would use branding to punish their slaves. Another testimony explains how a slave owner inKentucky around 1848 was looking for his runaway slave. He described her having "a brand mark on the breast something like L blotched".^[14] In South Carolina, there were many laws which permitted the punishments slaves would receive. When a slave ran away, if it was the first offense, the slave would receive no more than forty lashes. Then the second offense would be branding. The slave would have been marked with the letter R on their forehead signifying that they were a criminal, and a runaway.^[15]

Ceremonial branding is an integral part of religious initiation for some Hindus. References to this practice can be traced in texts such as Narad Panchratra, Vaikhnasagama,Skanda Purana, etc.^[16] This practice remains prevalent among some Hindus ofKarnataka inIndia, who brand small marks on both shoulders (for men) or forearms (for women).^[17][18] This practice is not without controversy; a Hindu temple inSugarland, Texas was sued by the father of an eleven-year-old boy who was branded during a religious ceremony there.^[19]

The punishment was adopted by theAnglo-Saxons, and the ancient law of England authorized the penalty. By theStatute of Vagabonds (1547) underKing Edward VI,vagabonds andRoma were ordered to be branded with a largeV on the breast, and "brawlers" withF for "fraymaker".Slaves who ran away were branded withS on the cheek or forehead. This law was repealed in England in 1550.

From the time ofHenry VII, branding was inflicted for all offences which receivedbenefit of clergy. Branding of the thumbs was used around 1600 at theOld Bailey, to ensure that the accused who had successfully used benefit of clergy, by reading a passage from the Bible, could not use it more than once. It was abolished for such in 1822.

In 1655,James Nayler, aQuaker, was accused of claiming to be theMessiah, and was convicted ofblasphemy in a highly publicized trial before the Second Protectorate Parliament. He had his tongue bored through and his forehead brandedB for "blasphemer". In 1698 it was enacted that those convicted of petty theft orlarceny, who were entitled to benefit of clergy, should be "burnt in the most visible part of the left cheek, nearest the nose". This special ordinance was repealed in 1707.

In the Lancaster Criminal Court, a branding iron is preserved in the dock. It is a long bolt with a wooden handle at one end and anM for malefactor at the other. Close by are two iron loops for firmly securing the hands during the operation. The brander would, after examination, turn to the judge exclaiming "A fair mark, my lord." Criminals were ordered to hold up their hands before their sentence, to show if they had been previously convicted.

In the 18th century, cold branding, or branding with cold irons became the mode of nominally inflicting the punishment on prisoners of higher rank. "When Charles Moritz, a young German, visited England in 1782 he was much surprised at this custom, and in his diary mentioned the case of a clergyman who had fought aduel and killed his man inHyde Park. Found guilty ofmanslaughter he was burnt in the hand, if that could be called burning which was done with a cold iron". From Markham'sAncient Punishments ofNorthants, 1886.

Such cases led to branding becoming obsolete. It was abolished in 1829, except in the case ofdeserters from the army, who were marked with the letterD, not with hot irons but bytattooing with ink or gunpowder.^{[citation needed]} Notoriously bad soldiers were also branded withBC (bad character). The BritishMutiny Act 1858 provided that thecourt-martial might, in addition to any other penalty, order deserters to be marked on the left side, 2 inches (5.1 cm) below the armpit, with the letterD, such letter to be not less than an inch long. In 1879 this was abolished.

Offenders in Australia were subject to branding in accordance with British law. In 1826, in Hobart, Joseph Clarke was charged with manslaughter and 'sentenced to be burnt in the hand'. In 1850, in New South Wales, deserter Daniel O'Neil was tattooed with the letter 'D'.^[20]

Branding in Russia was used quite extensively in the 18th century and the first half of the 19th century. Over time, red hot iron brands were gradually replaced by tattoo boards; criminals were first branded on the forehead and cheeks, later on the back and arms. Branding was totally abolished in 1863.^[21]

Forced and enslaved prostitutes have often been tattooed orbranded with a mark of their owners. Women and girls being forced intoprostitution would have their boss's name organg symbol inked or branded with hot iron on their skin. In some organizations involved with thetrafficking of women and girls like themafias nearly all prostitutes are marked. Somepimps andorganisations use their name or well-known symbol, others are using secret signs.^[22]

The branding is both painful andhumiliating for the victim, especially when done with abranding iron, and may be also a form ofpunishment and ofpsychological submission for the prostitutes.

Some years ago the brands were usually small,^{[citation needed]} only recognized by other pimps, sometimes hidden between theinner vaginal lips, though other instances show that pimps have no issue with larger, more noticeable brands.^[23]

• 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 (rite of passage) and a permanent membership mark, seen asmale bonding. Branding is also practiced as a form ofbody art, and sometimes inBDSM relationships. Branding is thus practiced:
  • By somestreet gangs
  • In organized crime as "stripes" to signify a violent crime that the person committed. Typically on the upper arm or upper torso.
  • Inprisons
  • Sometimes as an extreme initiation in the increasingly less common tradition of painfulhazing (otherwise mostlypaddling).
  • Some members of collegefraternities and sororities voluntarily elect to be branded with their fraternity/sorority letters. This is far less common in sororities than fraternities and is especially prevalent in some historically African-American fraternities, such asOmega Psi Phi.^[24]
  • As avoluntary body decoration – a form of permanent body art rather like manytattoos.
  • In someconsensual BDSM relationships, with a dominant branding their name or symbol onto their submissive.^[25]

In symbolic solidarity withCalf 269, protesters inIsrael subjected themselves to branding on World Farm Animals Day (Gandhi's birthday): October 2, 2012. This act was emulated by others in England and the Czech Republic. An English protester who was interviewed justified the extremism as a reaction to the extreme cruelty perpetrated by the dairy industry such as shooting calves at birth.^[26]

Strike branding

Similar to the process used to brand livestock,^[27] a piece of metal is heated and pressed onto the skin for the brand. Historically it was used to claim ownership of slaves or to punish criminals, but as a form of body art, strike branding is less preferable to other types because it is not precise and tends to spread greatly on healing, and is not advisable for curved areas of the body. More successful is the multi-strike brand; it is done piece-by-piece rather than all at once. For example, to get a V-shaped brand, two lines would be burned separately by a straight piece of metal, rather than by a V-shaped piece of metal.^{[citation needed]}

Cautery branding

This is a less common form of branding. It uses a thermalcautery tool^[27] with a heated wire tip to cause the burns.

Laser branding

"Laser" branding is a marketing term coined bySteve Haworth, who pioneered its use in body modification. The technical term is "electrosurgical branding". Though it is technically possible to use a medical laser for scarification, this term refers not to an actual laser, but rather to anelectrosurgical unit which uses electricity to cut and cauterize the skin, similar to the way anarc welder works. Electric sparks jump from the hand-held pen of the device to the skin, vaporizing it. This is a more precise form of scarification, because it is possible to greatly regulate the depth and nature of the damage being done to the skin. Whereas with traditional direct branding, heat is transferred to the tissues surrounding the brand, burning and damaging them, electrosurgery branding vaporizes the skin so precisely and so quickly that little to no heat or damage to the surrounding skin is caused. This means that pain and healing time after the scarification is greatly lessened.^{[citation needed]}

Cold branding

This rare method of branding is the same thing as strike branding, except that the metal branding tool is subjected to extreme cold (such asliquid nitrogen) rather than extreme heat. This method will cause the hair on the brand to grow back white and will not causekeloiding. This process is also used in livestock and calledfreeze branding in that context.^[28]

• Criminal tattoo
• Number of the beast
• Scarification for details on cosmetic branding

• Human Branding and Scarification Article
• Branding at the BME Encyclopedia
• The Hot Iron Database
• Scarification BlogArchived 2017-06-10 at theWayback Machine at Scarwars.net