Whip

Overview

A whip is a long rope-like weapon, usually made from woven strips of leather (the thong). The whip includes a handle at one end so that it can be swung with one hand. A common bullwhip can range from 3 to 20 feet in length. Other whips may be made of tiny interlocking metal rings, or a thin, flexible stick (more commonly known as a "riding crop.") Another type is the cat o' nine tails, a whip with multiple thongs attached; this type is more commonly used as an instrument of torture or punishment, rather than to issue commands to an animal. Some whips may also include a small blade or sharpened bone at the tip, intended to cause severe lacerations to the victim.

Recreational Use

Besides their utility as a tool and as a weapon, whips have also emerged as an icon of sexual fetishism, especially in sadomasochism and among dominatrices (see sexualized women.)

Whips and Whip-Users in Games

Whips have appeared in a multitude of video games, especially ones where combat is a focus. The broad range of the whip includes beat-em-up games, role-playing, adventure games, and fighting games. Remarkably, video game characters who specialize in whips often rise to a high level of popularity: many of the heroes of the Castlevania series have swung a whip against the armies of Dracula, beginning with Simon Belmont in the original game; Ivy from the Soul Calibur series uses an exotic hybrid of a sword and a whip; whips have been an available weapon in the Final Fantasy series since the first game, but were best utilized by Quistis in Final Fantasy 8; finally, one of the most famous whip-crackers of all time, Indiana Jones, used his whip as both for defense and as a multipurpose tool throughout the movies and video games that bear his name.

TRIVIA

The crack of a properly swung bullwhip is a tiny sonic boom.