riggning

Riggning refers to the system of lines, cables, ropes, chains, pulleys, and supporting hardware used to control and support equipment, most commonly ship masts and sails, but also stage scenery and other suspended loads. The English term for this concept is rigging.

In maritime contexts, rigging is divided into standing rigging, which provides permanent support for masts (such as stays and shrouds), and running rigging, which controls sails and movable fittings (such as halyards and sheets). Materials have evolved from natural fibers to wire rope and synthetic lines, and modern vessels use fittings designed to resist weather and load. Proper maintenance includes regular inspection for wear, corrosion, and fatigue, and replacement of frayed lines and worn hardware as needed.

Outside ships, rigging applies to stage and theater systems for suspending scenery, lighting, and curtains, using similar principles of weight distribution, balance, and control through pulleys and counterweights.

In a different sense, rigging can refer to the manipulation of a competition or election to produce a favorable outcome, commonly described as electoral or sporting rigging. This illegal activity may involve ballot manipulation, results tampering, gerrymandering, or suppression of votes, and is addressed by legal safeguards and independent oversight.

The term occurs across disciplines; practices vary by era and region, but the core idea is an arrangement that allows control of height, tension, and movement. Riggning is thus both a technical term in engineering and a broader, sometimes pejorative, term for manipulation.