Old Valentin's Bite Peg

The wooden peg is rammed between Abramoff’s jaws by Old Valentin to muffle his screams and prevent him from biting his tongue during the leg reset. The rough surface presses deep into Abramoff’s mouth as the crew holds him down, the peg becoming a brutal but necessary tool in the procedure. Its use amplifies the visceral horror of the scene, tying the crew’s makeshift medicine to the broader theme of suffering aboard the Demeter. The peg is later removed, leaving Abramoff’s mouth sore but his tongue intact.

Old Valentin rams a crude wooden peg between Abramoff’s jaws to prevent him from biting his tongue during the leg reset. The peg muffles Abramoff’s agonized screams, its rough surface pressed deep into his mouth as the crew struggles to hold him down. The peg is a brutal but necessary tool, revealing the crew’s desperation and the primal, almost savage nature of their medical intervention in the face of the ship’s curse.