jesters-msg - 9/20/99 Court jesters, jonglers. Juggling in the SCA. NOTE: See also the files: juggling-msg, masks-msg, puppets-msg, instruments-msg, per-insanity-msg, masks-mumming-lnks, Mask-Making-art, P-Polit-Songs-art. ************************************************************************ NOTICE - This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday. This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter. The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make no claims as to the accuracy of the information given by the individual authors. Please respect the time and efforts of those who have written these messages. The copyright status of these messages is unclear at this time. If information is published from these messages, please give credit to the originator(s). Thank you, Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous Stefan at florilegium.org ************************************************************************ From: bcdegopi at watserv1.waterloo.edu (bcdegopi) Date: 13 Apr 90 20:46:40 GMT Organization: University of Waterloo Newsgroups: rec.org.sca charles at sparky.eecs.umich.edu (Charles Jacob Cohen) writes: >Is there anyone out there with information how to be a jester in the SCA. >I have the juggling skills, the costume is being made, but it is very >hard for me to find any information on this subject, and in the two >events I've been to, I haven't seen an other performing jesters. Any >information or sources about style and performance would be most >appreciated. Thanks in advance! > > - Midair, the Juggler of Cynnabar As it happens I happen to be in the midst of researching this very topic... Here are some of the books I have started reading on the topic, which you may be interested in. I'm sorry to say I can only give you Author, Title, and Library of Congress Number, as I have a print-out here, but the books themselves are elsewhere. Armin, Robert "Fools and Jesters: with a reprint of robert Armin's Nest of ninnies" Call Number: PR2417.N4 1842 Busby, Olive Mary "Studies in the development of the fool in the Elizabethan drama" Call Number: PR658.F7B8 1923 Doran, John "The History of Court Fools" Call Number: Gt3670.d6 Swain, Barbara "Fools and folly during the middle ages and renaissance" Call Number: PN56.F6S8 Welsford, Enid "The Fool; his social and literary history." Call Number: GT3670.W4 Arden, Heather "Fool's plays: a study of satire in the sottie" Call Number: PQ514.A7 1980 Billington, Sandra "A Social History of the fool" Call Number: GT3670.B45 1984 Kaiser, Walter Jacob "Praisers of folly: Erasmus Rabelais, Shakespeare." Call Number: PA8515.K3 Lukens, Nancy "buchner's Valerio and teh theatrical fool tradition" Call Number: PT1828.BA7246 There are many more, but these are the one's which I have a list of since the pretain more specifically to my topic. You will find the comedy of the fool is fairly varied, with many sub-types. Foolishly, Owain ap Emrys SAethydd, Bcdegopi at watserv1.Waterloo.edu Bryniau Tywnnog Principality of Ealdormere. From: garwood at milo.UUCP (Bert Garwood) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Jesters Date: 4 Feb 1994 19:02:35 -0500 Organization: The Internet Someone was asking about jesters. Here's a book: Willeford, William The Fool and his Scepter; a study of clowns and jesters and their audience. GV1828 .W5 Northwestern University Press, 1969 I looked thru this briefly about a year ago. Jesters seemed to be of 2 types, the "natural" fools, which in our more enlightened time we would call mentally handicapped, and the others which were more like entertainers. The natural' fools were kept about because they were amusing in themselves, and in some cases thier lords realized these special people needed a place to stay. I would advise against your son calling himself a "jester pursuivant", as the p-word refers specifically to subordinate heralds. Those who know me might say I fit the jester pursuivant mold, but I'm a herald with a particularly odd way of seeing things. Berwyn From: alfredo1 at aol.com (Alfredo1) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Madness at events Date: 9 Dec 1994 02:55:03 -0500 > On creating a mad character..... > ... > 3) You might also want to look at the history of fools and > jesters. Yes. This is true of everyone, not just those seeking to create a mad character. Everyone ought to look at the history of fools and jesters. The following discourse is not meant to replace the research that each of you should make into this subject, if you ever have to interact with jesters and/or fools. The medieval equivalent of committing a family member to an institution was "to beg him for a fool", which would make him a ward of the King or some other noble better able to care for him than the family. This noble would agree to take this burden because of the entertainment value. I recall reading of one case of a fool who was himself very melancholy but who provided much merriment by explaining when asked (as he often was) that he had killed several people for looking ugly. (Can you imagine people in our enlightened day deriving entertainment from mass murder?) Such fools were referred to as 'natural' fools, as opposed to 'artificial' fools who willingly donned motley to earn a living by their wits. I think that this distinction is alluded to in the old song, "What Kind of Fool Am I?" Alfredo el Bufon From: ejpiii at delphi.com Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Juggler/jester wear? Date: Fri, 30 Jun 95 20:54:54 -0500 Having juggled for many years, and having been in the SCA 20 years, I can offer a 'little' insight into the juggling garb question. I have seen several portraits of 'jongleurs' in European art collections. The term itself could be more likely to mean street performer, or busker than anything else. But juggling was part of the mix. The several I have noticed were dressed in party colored tights, at least one had on a mask (or smily face paint!). The clothing was actually quite gaudy, after all they were performers. In one exhibit (in Amsterdam) the person was juggling balls. So I think that you could get away with that in the absence of better info. Just stick to period looking fabric and colors. Eddward From: brgarwood at aol.com (BRgarwood) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Juggler/jester wear? Date: 1 Jul 1995 13:30:38 -0400 A few years ago I found a book in the library along the lines of "The jeater and his craft" or some such. Try doing a subject search under "clowns". Anyway, it mentioned the traditional costume for fooles was particolor yellow and green. I don't know why. Also I've seen it postulated that the three-pointed jester cap developed from attatching donkey ears to a tailed hood. Berwyn, who is sometimes amusing From: charles at krusty.eecs.umich.edu (Charles J. Cohen) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Juggler/jester wear? Date: 2 Jul 1995 18:27:11 GMT Organization: University of Michigan AI Lab wrote: > >My local juggling group was asked to perform for an upcoming Ren Fair >that is being held in our fair city. I have never been to one of these >fairs before. We are supposed to wear period garb (duh). >Specifically, I guess I'm looking for a peasant/jester costume. I think I can help you with this. Hopefully people on the Rialto will correct me if I'm wrong. This is *purely* conjecture, I have no proof of anything I say here. This is just a supposition from looking at lots of pictures and seeing the types of jester outfits that are out there. If you want a cheap jester outfit, I'd suggest the following. Go to the Ren Faire, and ask them for some old garb that they don't want anymore. The peasant stuff. It can have holes in it, it doesn't matter. The women can wear wench garb, the men can wear regular tunics. The trick to jester garb is just one thing: be flashy. Take the garb you are given (make sure they don't want it back or that you can alter it) and thank them. Then go to the fabric store, ask them where the remnant table is (that has scraps of cloth on it for really cheap prices), find all the brightly colored eye boggling shocking fabric you can find, and buy it (will don't get too much). Then make patches out of it, and cover about half of your garb with it. The trick is to stand out in the crowd and make sure that when people look at you, they won't take you seriously. If you have some more money, buy some small and large cheap jingle bells, and sew them to your arms, neck opening, leg cuffs, and belts. Jingling is wonderful! If you can make the silly three corner or the lyre pipe jester hat, put bells on that too. Basically, the trick is to just take normal medieval garb, and go wild with it. I am sure it is okay for women to wear men's clothing (it is a pain to juggle under the legs in a skirt), but men should stick to men's clothing. Male crossdressers were found more in theatrical performances than in the jester community. My gesture outfits are basically alternating bright red and bright blue colors, with lots of bells on a belt (some nice chiming ones also), with a hat with jingle bells on it. The outfit is authentic, but the bells, the hat, and my attitude make it a jester outfit. Best of luck! Email me if you have any questions. - Midair MacCormaic, a (not the only one anymore!!!) juggler in Cynnabar From: ej613 at cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Maureen S. O'Brien) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Juggler/jester wear? Date: 2 Jul 1995 01:12:42 GMT Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA) In a previous article, ejpiii at delphi.com () says: >question. I have seen several portraits of 'jongleurs' in >European art collections. The term itself could be more likely >to mean street performer, or busker than anything else. But >juggling was part of the mix. The several I have noticed were >dressed in party colored tights, at least one had on a mask (or >smily face paint!). The clothing was actually quite gaudy, >after all they were performers. In one exhibit (in Amsterdam) The picture I saw had both male and female jongleurs (it was in a book on troubadours); the female costume was a gold-painted fake coat of mail, hose, and a cloak. Yep, she was dressed like a guy. No wonder those female jongleurs got a bad rep, showing their legs like that! -- Maureen S. O'Brien We are like the roses --- ad451 at dayton.wright.edu We are forced to grow. From: david.razler at compudata.com (DAVID RAZLER) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Juggler/jester wear? Date: Sun, 02 Jul 95 22:56:00 -0400 Organization: Compu-Data BBS -=- Turnersville, NJ -=- 609-232-1245 E>Having juggled for many years, and having been in the SCA E>20 years, I can offer a 'little' insight into the juggling E>garb question. I have seen several portraits of E>'jongleurs' in European art collections. The term itself E>could be more likely to mean street performer, or busker E>than anything else. But juggling was part of the mix. The E>several I have noticed were dressed in party colored E>tights, at least one had on a mask (or smily face paint!). E>The clothing was actually quite gaudy, after all they were E>performers. In one exhibit (in Amsterdam) the person was E>juggling balls. So I think that you could get away with E>that in the absence of better info. Just stick to period E>looking fabric and colors. Eddward Everything I've seen and read shows the jongleurs wearing parodies of the clothing worn by the royalty and nobility - longer poulons, louder clashes of color (if possible), more ridiculous headgear and more makeup. Go for parody and loud and you can't go wrong! AtT Date: Tue, 19 Jan 1999 07:37:14 -0500 (EST) From: Grace Morris To: sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu Cc: "INTERNET:sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu" Subject: Re: parti-colouring An excellent book on the costume of entertainers, Jews, and those considered "marginal", also good for conventions in painting: Ruth Mellinkoff: Outcasts: Signs of Otherness in Northern European Art of the Late Middle Ages. Berkeley, 1991 Vol.1=text, Vol.2=illustrations Jessamyn di Piemonte, Atlantia Date sent: Sat, 31 Jul 1999 20:25:54 -0400 From: Beverly Roden To: sca-middle at midrealm.org Subject:[Mid] cool book! Greetings from Alexis! For the benefit of the 'Fools' out there, I thought I'd pass this along... I was at the local way-cool bookstore yesterday (Books and Co. - if you're ever in Dayton for an event, ask any local for directions! :) and noticed the following book in the Medieval and Renaissance section: "Fools & Jesters at the English Court" - John Southworth - Sutton Publishing LTD. - $35.00 (yes, it's a British publication) The ISBN is 0-7509-1773-3 It was REALLY fascinating! If Pennsic wasn't coming up, I would have purchased it myself! (REALLY! - and if it's still there when I come home, I'll buy it. If it isn't there, I'll order it!) There were lots of good pictures and details about court life - check this out, even if you aren't particularly interested in having a 'Fool' Persona! Edited by Mark S. Harris jesters-msg