St Andrew's Cross
A set of wooden planks in the shape of the Saltire cross (X-shaped) that is secured in place with a stand or is mounted to a wall. It often comes with rings at the ends for attachment of Cuffs or other restraints.
It is used to position a person either facing the cross or looking away from the cross. The person may be restrained by having their wrists and possibly ankles attached to the ends of the cross or their limbs may be left free so they can make adjustments to their position as the scene proceeds. When both wrists and ankles are restrained, the person receiving the activity is forced to stand 'spread eagled' (with their arms and legs open), which allows the person topping to access to a lot of the body but may also cause the bottom to not be able to sustain as long a scene as they could if they were not so restrained.
Many forms of play can be done using this piece of dungeon furniture. These can include: sensory play, impact play, electro play and wax play.
Origin
The origin of the shape and name of the cross is linked to the crucifixion of Saint Andrew. In the tradition, it is said that St Andrew requested to be crucified on an X-shape cross as he found himself to be unworthy be crucified on the same shape cross as Jesus. However it is unknown if this actually happened as the earliest accounts seem to depict the use a Latin shaped cross (source). The name and shape have however been adopted in to BDSM.
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