Tuesday, 23 March 2010

J is for...

Jester

Jesters, jokers, fools. All those names (and some more) were used to describe men who were hired to tell jokes and to provide entertainment for the monarch and his/her court. Brightly coloured clothes, a three-point hat (the ears and tail of a donkey) with bells on the end were some of the clothes most associated with jesters.

Now, the jester in the photo is a bit of a mystery to me. He is peering out of one of the 'windows' of a tall ship (the Batavia), which (by my knowledge) never conveyed a monarch. Perhaps he had been hired by the captain to provide entertainment to him and his men while they were on their way to the other side of the world. If that were the case he probably perished near Arnhem Land, Australia on the Batavia's maiden voyage.

For more J-words from around the world, please check out ABC Wednesday and join in the fun!
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13 comments:

  1. Sylvia K24 March 2010 at 00:09

    Fun post for the day! Great shot to go with it, too! Hope your week is going well!

    Sylvia

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  2. Ginny Marie24 March 2010 at 01:35

    Great choice for "J"! Now you have ME wondering about that jester in the window.

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  3. photowannabe24 March 2010 at 01:58

    Jolly post for the j-day.

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  4. Tumblewords:24 March 2010 at 04:14

    Jesterful post!

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  5. Jayne24 March 2010 at 05:03

    A great 'J' post. In fact you could say it's 'jest' great! (Sorry, that was *so* corny)! :D

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  6. mrsnesbitt24 March 2010 at 09:28

    I love puzzles! A great J for our ABC fun!
    Thanks so much for contributing!
    denise (ABC Team)

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  7. annies home24 March 2010 at 19:12

    perfect since we are so close to the first of April

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  8. Debby@Just Breathe24 March 2010 at 19:39

    So what do they do today, just hire a comic to come and visit them?

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  9. LisaF24 March 2010 at 20:02

    I love jesters. They are so much better than the garden variety clowns. Even their name is better! Thanks for adding some jocularity to the day.

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  10. Strawberry Jam Anne24 March 2010 at 21:27

    Another great post Mara. Most of us like a joker, or jokes at least.

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  11. Jay24 March 2010 at 22:59

    Who knows what he was doing there? He makes a great subject for ABC 'J' though, doesn't he?

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  12. Joy24 March 2010 at 23:23

    Jester in the window just a tiny bit spooky. Wonder how dangerous it was if the king did not like your jokes. Unique J.

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  13. Roger Owen Green25 March 2010 at 02:28

    As I understand it, jesters could say things to the kings that advisers could not. I suppose they serve the same function today.

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Any weighty (and not so weighty) comments are welcome!

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