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Flemzo
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 Posted: Sat Jan 06, 2007 6:16 am Post subject: Medieval Insults |
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In World History, I got an assignment that made me absolutely thrilled: design a castle, build it, then write a story about the kingdom the castle belongs to going into battle.
I quickly designed a castle, then began writing the story. I'm writing, writing, writing, rereading, taking out redundancies, etc, when suddenly I get to a part that I know how to finish, but I don't know how to initiate.
This is (basically) where I'm stuck at:
All of the peasants quickly scurried off to their dwellings to gather food to supply to the knights. One woman, however, continued to stand in front of the knight.
"Kind woman," said the knight, "why are you not off gathering food?"
"Sod off, ya bugger!" shouted the woman.
"What did you say?" asked the knight, perplexed.
"You 'eard me! I always knew knights were (???), but I didn't know they were idiots, too!"
The story goes on that the knight yells at the woman, telling her that if she doesn't gather food, she "will be put to death, as decried by Lord Olsen". Then she throws mud at the knight, causing him to take out his sword, kill the peasant woman, and use her as food.
Thing is, I need a good medieval insult for this peasant woman to use. I'm leaning toward "oppressive bastards", but I'm not sure "bastards" is in context with Medieval Europe.
Any suggestions? |
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Snoink
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de_budding
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| Posted: Sat Jan 06, 2007 9:44 am Post subject: |
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Verbal insults are not very interesting, they would be an animal reference or similar, usually calling the receiver a 'dog' or 'swine'. there was only really that and blasphemy back then, apparently they still found bodily functions amusing though.
Also 'the finger' stems from archers taunting their enemies, proving they still had their two fingers in which to pull the string of a bow (the index and middle finger) given with the back of the hand outward. If you were an archer and captured by ones enemies it was likely they would hew off said fingers so you couldn't use a bow against them again.
also here is another insult generator, not really "historically correct" but who's going to know  http://www.dilloscape.com/generatorz/mig.htm
also http://www.geocities.com/little_purple_fire_dragon/medievalinsults.html
Dan x |
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Phorcys
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| Posted: Sat Jan 06, 2007 11:14 am Post subject: |
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Read Romeo and Juliet - Well maybe not but there is one in there.
"To Bite the Thumb" As in put the thumb to the upper teeth was considered a rude gesture in Shakespearian times - I arnt sure about The Knights and Castles era though before that. |
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de_budding
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| Posted: Sat Jan 06, 2007 11:25 am Post subject: |
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quote="Phorcys"]Read Romeo and Juliet - Well maybe not but there is one in there.
"To Bite the Thumb" As in put the thumb to the upper teeth was considered a rude gesture in Shakespearian times - I arnt sure about The Knights and Castles era though before that.[/quote]
That's more Italy and the Renaissance peroid.
But while on teh subject; also in R+J is the insult of 'Roe' :S which is "the fully ripe egg masses of fish and certain marine animals" -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roe
Romeo enters, and then one of teh the montigue fella's sais "Here comes Romeo, here comes Romeo... Without his roe, like a dried herring"
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Zeige
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| Posted: Sun Jan 07, 2007 12:44 am Post subject: |
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saying that the knight's mother wasn't of honerable birth but in cruder language something along those lines or comparing to a mangy flee bitten mongrel (mongrel as in impure or mixed breed)
The Two finger gesture is what english long-bowmen did to the french soldiers was more of a mockery at the time rather than an insult |
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Phorcys
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Zeige
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| Posted: Sun Jan 07, 2007 11:39 am Post subject: |
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okay was an insult, don't know if a knight would take affence from it though, is she a archer?
Knights were noblemen and would have at least beaten her for even a slightest insult and i don't know if they would have eaten her. |
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| Posted: Sun Jan 07, 2007 12:52 pm Post subject: |
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I'd say haf and half:
The idea is that the long-bow men have there index finger removed when captured. so displaying this can say lots of things.
like, "i'm to quick for your army"?
"i still have these, so i'm still gonna' use them"?
"sit and swivel"?!
dan x |
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A.T.
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| Posted: Sun Jan 07, 2007 8:10 pm Post subject: |
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| The easiest and most obvious are probably, like above said, animal references. Dogs, pigs, donkeys, etc. But i think they get the point across well |
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