350:
373:, both near England's border with Scotland, had chambers in their gatehouses which have often been interpreted as oubliettes. However, this has been challenged. These underground rooms (accessed by a door in the ceiling) were built without latrines, and since the gatehouses at Alnwick and Cockermouth provided accommodation it is unlikely that the rooms would have been used to hold prisoners. An alternative explanation was proposed, suggesting that these were strong-rooms where valuables were stored.
430:
47:
286:
487:(1983–1989), King Casmir of Lyonesse commits Prince Aillas of Troicinet, who he believes to be a vagabond, to an oubliette for the crime of having seduced his daughter. After some months, the resourceful prince fashions a ladder from the bones of earlier prisoners and the rope by which he had been lowered, and escapes.
321:
in a variety of contexts. Dungeons, as a whole, have become associated with underground complexes of cells and torture chambers. As a result, the number of true dungeons in castles is often exaggerated to interest tourists. Many chambers described as dungeons or oubliettes were in fact water-cisterns
195:
The use of "donjons" evolved over time, sometimes to include prison cells, which could explain why the meaning of "dungeon" in
English evolved over time from being a prison within the tallest, most secure tower of the castle into meaning a cell, and by extension, in popular use, an oubliette or even
336:
However, the tiny chamber that is described as the oubliette, is in reality a short shaft which opens up into a larger chamber with a latrine shaft entering it from above. This suggests that the chamber is in fact a partially back-filled drain. The positioning of the supposed oubliette within the
341:
arrangement within medieval buildings. These factors perhaps point to this feature being the remnants of a latrine rather than a cell for holding prisoners. Footage of the inside of this chamber can be seen in episode 3 of the first series of
361:
A "bottle dungeon" is sometimes simply another term for an oubliette. It has a narrow entrance at the top and sometimes the room below is even so narrow that it would be impossible to lie down but in other designs the actual cell is larger.
229:, with most prisoners awaiting an imminent trial, sentence or a political solution. Noble prisoners were not generally held in dungeons, but lived in some comfort in castle apartments. The
951:
333:'s Caesar's Tower, in central England. The access hatch consists of an iron grille. Even turning around (or moving at all) would be nearly impossible in this tiny chamber.
130:. The earlier meaning of "keep" is still in use for academics, although in popular culture, it has come to mean a cell or "oubliette". Though it is uncertain, both
944:
774:
Brears, Peter (2011), "The
Administrative Role of Gatehouses in Fourteenth-Century North-Country Castles", in Airs, M.; Barnwell, P. S. (eds.),
752:
937:
225:
keeps in
English castles originally contained prisons, which were more common in Scotland. Imprisonment was not a usual punishment in the
726:
349:
269:(1417–1430). Purpose-built prison chambers in castles became more common after the 12th century, when they were built into
1475:
699:
1336:
701:
Understanding the Castle Ruins of
England and Wales: How to Interpret the History and Meaning of Masonry and Earthworks
250:
329:
An example of what might be popularly termed an "oubliette" is the particularly claustrophobic cell in the dungeon of
736:
709:
672:
651:
594:
525:
basement dungeon labyrinth in the narrative's climactic scene, where the killer is described as having an oubliette.
808:
Carroll, Shiloh (Fall 2009). "The Heart of the
Labyrinth: Reading Jim Henson's Labyrinth as a Modern Dream Vision".
517:
317:, along with their association to common human fears of being trapped underground, have made dungeons a powerful
1382:
1245:
1240:
1225:
1465:
1235:
835:
Messent, Peter (1 December 2000). "American Gothic: Liminality in Thomas Harris's
Hannibal Lecter Novels".
540:
1392:
616:
305:
Although many real dungeons are simply a single plain room with a heavy door or with access only from a
266:
1387:
1316:
1311:
1286:
534:
31:
365:
The identification of dungeons and rooms used to hold prisoners is not always a straightforward task.
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or mural towers. Some castles had larger provision for prisoners, such as the prison tower at
213:
in 1819: "The place was utterly dark—the oubliette, as I suppose, of their accursed convent."
1281:
1220:
492:
447:
246:
171:
538:, the term "oubliette" is used to refer to a trash disposal much like the "memory holes" in
186:, meaning "to forget") is a basement room which is accessible only from a hatch or hole (an
66:
in which prisoners are held, especially underground. Dungeons are generally associated with
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8:
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Room or cell in which prisoners were held, usually during the Middle Ages and
Renaissance
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1188:
929:
848:
529:
451:
media. In this context, the word "dungeon" has come to be used broadly to describe any
370:
258:
234:
874:
Berti, Paolo; De
Vincentis, Stefania; de Seta, Gabriele, eds. (2023). "Megadungeon ".
1131:
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301:; the commentary speculates that this may in fact have been built for storage of ice.
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Hoggle, who defines it for her as "a place you put people... to forget about 'em!"
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was near the beginning of the 14th century when it held the same meaning as
1261:
1121:
479:
204:
162:
139:
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still refers to a "keep", and the
English term "dungeon" refers mostly to
122:", the main tower of a castle. The first recorded instance of the word in
1439:
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75:
63:
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in French dates back to 1374, but its earliest adoption in
English is
1207:
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338:
323:
270:
188:
94:
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is a basement room which is accessible only from a hatch or hole (an
778:, Rewley House Studies in the Historic Environment, pp. 204–208
381:
Oubliettes and dungeons were a favorite topic of nineteenth century
1162:
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1016:
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990:
437:
Dungeons are common elements in modern fantasy literature, related
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37:
This article is about places of imprisonment. For other uses, see
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magazén: International Journal for Digital and Public Humanities
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is portrayed gloating over a victim in the oubliettes of the
398:
1096:
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558:
501:
295:
Dictionary of French Architecture from 11th to 16th Century
119:
337:
larger dungeon, situated in a small alcove, is typical of
959:
873:
313:
in the floor of the room above, the use of dungeons for
433:
A "dungeon" map created for a tabletop roleplaying game
585:. Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster. 1991. p.
289:
Diagram of alleged oubliette in the Paris prison of
578:
455:complex (castle, cave system, etc) rather than a
1457:
30:"Oubliette" redirects here. For other uses, see
397:power. Usually found under medieval castles or
837:Journal of American & Comparative Cultures
581:The Merriam-Webster new book of word histories
945:
83:
638:
636:
445:. The most famous examples are the various
389:, where they appeared as symbols of hidden
952:
938:
686:The Great Castles of Britain & Ireland
467:involving dungeon exploration is called a
920:
902:
688:(UK: New Holland Publishers, 2005), p. 34
633:
504:Sarah is freed from an oubliette by the
428:
348:
284:
182:An oubliette (same origin as the French
45:
834:
807:
70:castles, though their association with
14:
1458:
773:
408:to persecute blameless characters. In
933:
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697:
24:
1337:Naples underground geothermal zone
867:
849:10.1111/j.1537-4726.2000.2304_23.x
609:
25:
1487:
909:The Castle Studies Group Journal
667:, Kaye & Ward, London, 1979
646:, Kaye & Ward, London, 1979
344:Secrets of Great British Castles
828:
801:
782:
767:
759:. Alnick Castle. Archived from
521:, Clarice makes a descent into
138:are thought to derive from the
74:probably derives more from the
1383:Forestiere Underground Gardens
1246:Underground mining (soft rock)
1241:Underground mining (hard rock)
1226:Subsurface utility engineering
888:10.30687/mag/2724-3923/2023/02
745:
731:. Greenwood Publishing Group.
718:
691:
678:
657:
624:
603:
571:
500:includes a scene in which the
146:, meaning "lord" or "master".
13:
1:
564:
376:
1236:Underground mine ventilation
490:In the musical fantasy film
101:
7:
1393:Underground House Las Vegas
903:Nevell, Richard (2014–15).
665:The Castle Explorer's Guide
644:The Castle Explorer's Guide
617:Online Etymology Dictionary
547:
280:
10:
1492:
1476:Imprisonment and detention
1388:Underground House Colorado
1317:Underground City, Montreal
1312:Underground City (Beijing)
753:"Alnwick Castle: The Keep"
728:Britain's Medieval Castles
535:Stranger in a Strange Land
216:
88:, meaning 'to forget') or
36:
32:Oubliette (disambiguation)
29:
1432:
1419:Hockerton Housing Project
1406:
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1202:
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999:
968:
960:Man-made and man-related
630:Oxford English Dictionary
355:Zrinski Castle in Čakovec
179:in its French editions).
1433:Earth shelters Australia
1213:underground construction
776:The Medieval Great House
518:The Silence of the Lambs
267:Charles, Duke of Orléans
39:Dungeon (disambiguation)
1173:Missile launch facility
1398:Underground World Home
474:Near the beginning of
448:Dungeons & Dragons
434:
358:
353:A dungeon door in the
302:
241:at various times held
233:is famous for housing
172:Dungeons & Dragons
84:
55:
1287:Kőbánya cellar system
1282:Houston tunnel system
1221:Rock-cut architecture
757:www.alnwickcastle.com
432:
352:
299:Eugène Viollet-le-Duc
288:
192:) in a high ceiling.
98:) in a high ceiling.
49:
1362:Subterranean fiction
1357:Subterranean warfare
905:"Castles as prisons"
541:Nineteen Eighty-Four
401:, they were used by
199:The earliest use of
149:In French, the term
1466:Castle architecture
1352:Subterranean Toledo
1347:Subterranean London
1267:Caves of Maastricht
1231:Tunnel construction
1012:Burial vault (tomb)
725:Hull, Lise (2006).
698:Hull, Lise (2016).
420:Catherine de Medici
263:James I of Scotland
243:Thomas of Lancaster
235:political prisoners
196:a torture chamber.
169:(although the game
1307:Underground living
1189:Underground hangar
663:Bottomley, Frank,
642:Bottomley, Frank,
530:Robert A. Heinlein
435:
371:Cockermouth Castle
359:
303:
259:Archbishop of York
177:Donjons et Dragons
110:comes from French
56:
1453:
1452:
1407:Earth shelters UK
1378:Bill Gates' house
1371:Earth shelters US
1141:Military features
1132:Ventilation shaft
1000:Civilian features
610:Harper, Douglas.
465:role-playing game
387:historical novels
275:Caernarfon Castle
239:Pontefract Castle
82:(from the French
16:(Redirected from
1483:
1414:Underhill, Holme
1322:Mine exploration
1184:Underground base
1179:Scallywag bunker
1148:Air raid shelter
1127:Smuggling tunnel
1092:Underground city
1032:Dugout (shelter)
969:Natural features
954:
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763:on 2 April 2016.
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484:Lyonesse Trilogy
463:specifically. A
297:(1854–1868), by
265:(1405–1424) and
118:), which means "
87:
50:The dungeons of
21:
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1168:Fallout shelter
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868:Further reading
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789:Alexandre Dumas
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415:La Reine Margot
410:Alexandre Dumas
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161:is therefore a
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331:Warwick Castle
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114:(also spelled
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90:bottle dungeon
52:Blarney Castle
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1072:Rock-cut tomb
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1067:Rapid transit
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711:9781476665979
707:
704:. McFarland.
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673:0-7182-1216-9
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62:is a room or
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1262:Cave dweller
1122:Storm cellar
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922:10871/128699
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843:(4): 23–35.
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816:(1–2): 109.
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761:the original
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1440:Coober Pedy
1332:Mole people
1277:Coober Pedy
1194:Spider hole
1077:Root cellar
962:subterranea
915:: 203–224.
612:"oubliette"
496:, director
457:prison cell
443:video games
291:La Bastille
251:Earl Rivers
227:Middle Ages
157:in French.
78:period. An
76:Renaissance
1460:Categories
654:pp 143–145
565:References
554:Immurement
498:Jim Henson
476:Jack Vance
406:characters
403:villainous
395:tyrannical
377:In fiction
271:gatehouses
247:Richard II
175:is titled
1208:quarrying
1102:Wine cave
1022:Catacombs
896:2724-3923
857:1540-594X
822:0146-9339
493:Labyrinth
357:, Croatia
339:garderobe
201:oubliette
189:angstloch
155:oubliette
106:The word
102:Etymology
95:angstloch
80:oubliette
54:, Ireland
1163:Casemate
1117:Stepwell
1057:Hypogeum
1047:Erdstall
1037:Dry well
1017:Borehole
1007:Basement
991:Sinkhole
810:Mythlore
548:See also
439:tabletop
324:latrines
322:or even
319:metaphor
311:trapdoor
307:hatchway
281:Features
261:(1405),
253:(1483),
249:(1400),
245:(1322),
68:medieval
18:Dungeons
1424:Malator
1342:Sapping
1062:Manhole
1027:Dungeon
795:, XIII
528:In the
511:In the
502:heroine
391:cruelty
315:torture
217:History
210:Ivanhoe
184:oublier
167:dungeon
144:dominus
132:dungeon
124:English
116:dongeon
108:dungeon
85:oublier
72:torture
60:dungeon
1204:Mining
1175:(silo)
1153:Bunker
1082:Tunnel
986:Grotto
981:Cenote
894:
855:
820:
735:
708:
671:
650:
593:
532:novel
523:Gumb's
515:novel
441:, and
424:Louvre
399:abbeys
237:, and
223:Norman
159:Donjon
151:donjon
136:donjon
128:donjon
112:donjon
1471:Rooms
1210:, and
1052:Fogou
882:(2).
675:p 145
506:dwarf
293:from
142:word
1097:Well
976:Cave
892:ISSN
853:ISSN
818:ISSN
733:ISBN
706:ISBN
669:ISBN
648:ISBN
591:ISBN
559:Keep
393:and
369:and
221:Few
134:and
120:keep
64:cell
917:hdl
884:doi
845:doi
587:152
478:'s
459:or
412:'s
385:or
346:.
309:or
207:'s
165:to
1462::
1206:,
913:28
911:.
907:.
890:.
878:.
851:.
841:23
839:.
814:28
812:.
791:,
755:.
635:^
614:.
589:.
544:.
471:.
426:.
418:,
326:.
277:.
257:,
58:A
953:e
946:t
939:v
925:.
919::
898:.
886::
880:4
859:.
847::
824:.
741:.
714:.
620:.
599:.
41:.
34:.
20:)
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