How to demonstrate authority
From an Irish myth, a curious shopping list of what subordinate chieftains need as proof of your elevation above them: not only you should provide...
Ceramic pot handle of a jester’s head
This ceramic pot handle featuring a jester's head was found in Nya Lödöse, an archaeological site of a 16th century town beneath modern-day...
A jester’s witty ditty
Like many of his counterparts elsewhere, Jing Xinmo 鏡新磨 (Newly Polished Mirror) was skilled in versifying. When an allegedly six-eyed turtle was...
Fools Are Everywhere in the Ideal Library
Fools Are Everywhere has had a few pretty enthusiastic reviews over the years, but this is the first one by video, and we are honoured to be...
Fengjian 諷諫 – Chinese
A classical Chinese term for giving indirect advice, used in the context of jesters for the humorously indirect way they get their point across. Occasionally, the jian (諫) meaning ‘remonstrance’...
A jester’s witty ditty
Like many of his counterparts elsewhere, Jing Xinmo 鏡新磨 (Newly Polished Mirror) was skilled in versifying. When an allegedly six-eyed turtle was sent to the court of Tang Zhuangzong 唐莊宗...
The old parachutist
Russia has a long and noble tradition of holy fools, and I was struck by this spontaneous example from the Second World War recounted by Vasily Grossman. It seems it...
A list of fools (I)
One method of admonishing a king is to offer him the title of fool, a verbal equivalent of making him change places with his jester. Here is an Arabic version...
Healing through laughter
From an excellent study of Pueblo Indian clowns in North America, this is a beautiful and limpid summary of the role of clowns, as apparently bestowed by the gods. In...
Were these not great men too?
This ringing endorsement of the effectiveness of court jesters seems a good way to launch a website celebrating them across time and space. It comes from Sima Qian 司馬遷 (c....
All together now – Five Guys Named Moe
Having posted individual notes on an enigmatic series of similar paintings, it feels time to pull them together in one place, also allowing the various finger-peeping fools to be viewed...
The maharajah’s dwarf
The roles of dwarfs and jesters in court often overlapped; a notable number of jesters were dwarfs and plenty of dwarfs were viewed as jesters. Here is an example noted...
How to demonstrate authority
From an Irish myth, a curious shopping list of what subordinate chieftains need as proof of your elevation above them: not only you should provide ample food and beer (as...
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