16th century, Europe, fictive fool, fooleum, Netherlands, painting, primary source
The second in our peeping-through-fingers series is almost identical in stance and props to the anonymous ‘Laughing Jester’ recently featured, including the coxcomb-ass-ear-cap, the glasses half-revealed, and the marotte or fool-stick. In this case the...
fictive fool, folk fool, Ireland, Irish, primary source, quotes, stories
Meet Mael and Mlithe and Admlithe in an astonishing description of three jesters in the ‘Room of the Mimes’, from an Irish mythological cycle. Note that it is impossible not to laugh when you seen them regardless of your state of mind, and that the king...
Arabic, fictive fool, Middle East, primary source, quotes, stories
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 of this regular formula:A list of fools was drawn up by a man from Damascus with the sultan’s name at...
Europe, fictive fool, Ireland, Irish, primary source, quotes
From the Ulster Cycle in Irish mythology, we are introduced to Rocmid, jester of the king of Ulster Conchobar / Conchubar. ‘I saw another man with Conchubar,’ said Mac Roth, ‘and he having a smooth, dark face, and white eyes in his head; a long...
20th century, Europe, fictive fool, Germany, Hebrew / Yiddish, primary source, quotes, stories
From a late 20th century novel set in a concentration camp, the story highlights the fearlessness (or recklessness) of court fool types, including in this case, dwarfs. Here a character alludes to the ease with which a dwarf might hide under a table and, in knowing...
17th century, Europe, fictive fool, primary source, quotes, Spain, Spanish, stories
Jesters had some overlap with court poets, perhaps partly due to the fact that versifying was a common capability among them. In some cases, this included the capacity to trot out extempore verse, whether making up a rhyme or ditty to entertain or edify. In the case...
16th century, bibliography, book, canon, Europe, fictive fool, Latin, Netherlands, primary source, quotes
Rulers, for all the advantages they enjoy, seem to me in one respect most disadvantaged: they’ve nobody from whom they can hear the truth; in place of friends they’re lumbered with flatterers. p. 45The Moriae Encomium by Erasmus (1469-1536), written in...
9th century, Europe, fictive fool, folk fool, Ireland, Irish, primary source, quotes, stories
In `The Destruction of Da Derga’s Hostel’ (`Togail Bruidne Da Derga’), an Irish saga written no later than the eighth or ninth century, Taulchinne, juggler to Conaire the High King of Ireland (whose dates vary according to sources from c. 110 BCE to c. 14 CE)...
