1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Scourge

SCOURGE (Ital. scoriada, from Lat. excoriare, to flay, corium, skin), a whip or lash, especially one used for the infliction of punishment. The typical scourge (Lat. flagellum) has several

thongs or lashes attached to a single handle, as in the modern &ldquo;cat-o'-nine-tails.&rdquo; The scourge or flail, and the crook, are the two symbols of power and domination depicted in the hands of Osiris in ancient Egyptian monuments; these show the unchanging form of the instrument throughout the ages.