COURT JESTER
"My-my, the jester sure has grown fat in his old days." Gertrud the court jester sighs in satisfaction. "It’s no wonder. These days I don’t have to turn so many cartwheels and somersaults any more. Anyway, those stunts are for jesters at the fairs to do. A court jester needs to be wise and witty, he only has to sit at the tables with kings, drink their beer and nibble at the best of delicacies. And when the going gets tough he can always whisper some clever advise to the master’s ear or make crude remarks on the appearance of the person sitting on the opposite side of the table. A court jester is lucky enough no to have to rub shoulders with the common people."
Gertrud sits down on a bench in the King’s hall in the Castle of Turku and screws up his watering eyes. The heating channels are blocked again and a black smoke hovers within the vaults. "Luckily, it’s still possible to stand this kind of cold in October, because the sun warmed up the stony walls during the summer time. It’s not like this in the spring any more when the walls turn to ice and freeze up the entire castle so that there is nowhere to hide from the cold. That is when the court rush off to their houses in the countryside where the buildings can be more easily heat up. The jester naturally follows along with the other valuable property and possessions."
"Tonight there is a celebration at the castle. The women have yet again dressed up in their best clothes. The scrawnies! Thin and pale each and everyone. Not a lump in sight except the stomach. The stomach has to bulge out, if it doesn’t otherwise, then the hems of the skirts will have to be supported to make the impression of a bulging stomach. Their faces will be bleached with white lead and hair will be plucked short. In the beginning of the evening you’ll see them virtuous, hiding their precious arms and ankles from the curious glares of the men. However, when the evening turns to night, their chastity is long gone and none of this morality stuff matters any more."
Gertrud giggles. "I’m lucky I don’t have to care about that nonsense. I was born a jester; it is a rare privilege. Even a king can lose his head, but never a jester! There are no worries; you get to go to bed with a full stomach every night. You see, we jesters work for food and drink and who ever doesn’t hold on to their rights is nothing but a fool."
A Banquet in Turku Castle
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