Rothenburg52 Executioner's Mask Freiburg, 17th Century People in the old times strongly believed that a person who was sentenced to death and led to the execution could give a curse through their facial expression. For this reason the executioner always wore a mask to protect himself. At first the criminal was blindfolded and the executioner work a mask which covered his face. In its simple form the mask was made from cloth into a coned hood with holes for the eyes, nose and mouth. A rare form of this mask is one made of iron. In later times a big hat with a wide brim was worn because it always changed the face of the wearer. Even with this mask, the executioner asked the condemned person for his forgiveness because he was still afraid of the curse.