Briefly about who jesters are, we will tell in this article. And also - why they are "pea", how they are associated with executioners, bankrupts and evil spirits. Few people know how they differ from clowns, and how one of the representatives of the profession became an inspiration for future generations of patriots.
Clearing meanings
The word "jester" has several meanings. Below they are listed in the same order as in the dictionaries of Ushakov and Ozhegov:
- a man who was kept at rich houses especially for the entertainment of hosts and guests;
- character of street comedies (synonymous with "clown");
- figurative meaning - a person grimacing for the amusement of others;
- Euphemism for evil spirits ("God damn it!").
In the second and third meanings, the word is close to the word "clown", which cannot be said about the first and fourth.
About peas
Phraseologism "pea jester" owes its origin to one of the invariable attributes of a medieval jester - a rattle in the form of a stick withwith a pig bladder filled with dried peas attached to it.
There are other versions. For example, those who say that the word "pea" refers us not to beans, but to the fabulous king Pea.
About the servants of the devil
From the point of view of the medieval church, the jester is the servant of the devil. Carnival performances in which jesters participated often parodied church services. A parody of the sacred is a favorite deed of the devil, one of whose epithets is "God's ape". Therefore, the use of the word as a euphemism to refer to "evil spirits" is not accidental.
About color symbolism
In Europe until the 17th century, jesters usually wore yellow and green colors. Both were associated with contempt and belittling. For example, the clothes of the executioners' assistants were yellow. And the cap was green, which was put on the bankrupt when they were tied to the pillory in the city square.
About seriousness
Above is a painting by Polish artist Jan Matejko. It depicts Stanchik, one of the most famous court jesters in history. Stanczyk lived in the Commonwe alth in the 15th-16th centuries, served three kings in a row and at the same time wittily criticized their policies. In Matejko's painting, he mourns the capture of Smolensk by the Russians, while in the background the king and courtiers are walking at the ball. There is such a historical anecdote. Some people, having decided to have some fun with Stanchik, took away all his clothes and let him go naked. The king sympathized with the jester, to which he replied:"That's nothing. Here, king, Smolensk was taken away from you - and you are silent." The image of Stanchik is an example of how sometimes a court jester is more than just a humorist. He is also a satirist and a thinker.
