A virge or verge () is a type of rod, made of
wood
Wood is a structural tissue/material found as xylem in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulosic fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin t ...
.
Etymology
Originally it was one or more branches (the French often use ''verges'', the plural of its equivalent, as the normal word for a rod, the rarer singular ''verge'' rather indicates a
switch
In electrical engineering, a switch is an electrical component that can disconnect or connect the conducting path in an electrical circuit, interrupting the electric current or diverting it from one conductor to another. The most common type o ...
) used as an instrument for
corporal punishment
A corporal punishment or a physical punishment is a punishment which is intended to cause physical pain to a person. When it is inflicted on Minor (law), minors, especially in home and school settings, its methods may include spanking or Padd ...
, or as a
riding crop
A crop, sometimes called a riding crop or hunting crop, is a short type of whip without a lash, used in horse riding, part of the family of tools known as riding aids. This can also be commonly used in abusive ways, but used correctly can have goo ...
. It later became a symbol of civil office, used in ceremonies of swearing
fealty
An oath of fealty, from the Latin (faithfulness), is a pledge of allegiance of one person to another.
Definition
In medieval Europe, the swearing of fealty took the form of an oath made by a vassal, or subordinate, to his lord. "Fealty" also r ...
(from which the legal term ''tenant by the verge'' is derived). Further deriving from this use is the sense of a measurement, and so boundary or border, of land, or generally a margin of space.
Modern practice
In modern times it is best known as the ceremonial staff of the Anglican and Episcopal lay church officers known as
vergers (or originally ''virger'' – the title derives from ''virge''), who originally used it as a 'weapon' to make way for the ecclesiastical procession (compare the Catholic
Swiss Guard
The Pontifical Swiss Guard,; ; ; ; , %5BCorps of the Pontifical Swiss Guard%5D. ''vatican.va'' (in Italian). Retrieved 19 July 2022. also known as the Papal Swiss Guard or simply Swiss Guard,Swiss Guards , History, Vatican, Uniform, Require ...
), and occasionally to chastise unruly
choristers.
References
External links
* {{cite web , title=What is a virge? , series=FAQ , number=5 , website=vergers.org , publisher=Vergers Guild of the Episcopal Church , url=http://www.vergers.org/about/FAQ#5
Corporal punishments
Christian religious objects