J is for Jester

There are not a great number of ancient documents regarding Jesters, so what we do know about them has to be pieced together.

In distant times, it is recorded that persons of very low natural intelligence (sometime known as "Village Idiots") were seen as being blessed by the gods, and were freely allowed to say things that were not allowed to be said by others.

The concept passed over to two groups of highly intelligent people:  professional household staff who were employed to entertain the lord and lady, and assist in rearing their children - and independent groups who toured as troubadours to make their living entertaining the populace at large.   And, as far as we can tell, in medieval England, the numbers were equally divided between male and female jesters.   The clearest indication we have is just one single historical document that recorded a census of household staff, and it recorded almost as many female jesters as male ones.

But it makes sense that  intelligent ladies would want to be jesters:  among their duties were singing, inventing stories to amuse young children, and act as a sort of bellwether in household and inter-household politicking of the day.  Tasks well suited to clever ladies, who had no real opportunity to find employment that would give full rein to their talents.

The easiest way to distinguish the professional jester from village idiots, was that the former, to a man (and woman) were shaven bald.  Hence the pied hat to protect the gleaming pate from the sun and from scorn.  But in fiction, we do not have to be that slavish to fact, and we may use our poetic license to endow our females with long flowing locks, if that is what we wish.

"This is all very fascinating, Dave, "I hear you say:  "But what on earth has it got to do with spankdom?"

A good question.   So here is the reveal:

The most frequently member of the household staff who went to the whipping post or birching block was the jester.  By far.  They were famed for the number of beatings they got in their professional careers.

Their quick tongues, and constant urging to be more outrageous, led them to an excess of invective that could only by atoned by a short, sharp, painful reminder to know where the line that should not be crossed was drawn.   (That last sentence is a tad poor on syntax, but you get the point).

Which means that we have a rich medieval source for investigating the power play between Dukes, Earls and their hapless (for me, female) jesters and the dance those jesters sometimes endured.   Have a look at No Jesting Matter if you would like to see what I did with the notion.   And if you need a kick of inspiration, do see what your muse can come up with on this track.