Today's Topics:
How they used to treat artists
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From: dryfoo@athena.mit.edu
Message-Id: <8908161849.AA00536@BEETHOVEN.MIT.EDU>
Subject: How they used to treat artists
Date: Wed, 16 Aug 89 14:49:31 EDT
} Date: Tue 15 Aug 89 01:34:46
} From: "]ke Eldberg" <CONS.ELF@aida.csd.uu.se>
} Subject: Status of the Arts in Early Middle Ages
}
} Some of the most interesting documents from Sweden's middle ages are the
} old county laws (well, we never had counties but it's the nearest
} equivalent I can find for "landskap").
}
} These laws were written down sometime in the 13th century, but date back
} even down into Viking times. The oldest one is the Vastgota law which
} clearly has pagan influences, thinly covered with some Christian stuff.
} In this law, we find a page about "lekare", which is the Old Norse word
} for a performing artist, actor/jester/musician &c.
}
} Here is an approximate translation, where I have written "artist" as
} equivalent of "lekare".
}
} "If an artist is beaten, none shall pay fines for it. If an artist is
} wounded, one such who goes with hurdie-gurdie or travels with fiddle or
} drum, then the people shall take a wild heifer and bring it out on the
} hillside. The they shall shave off all hair from the heifer's tail, and
} grease the tail. Then the artist shall be given newly greased shoes.
} Then he shall take hold of the heifer's tail, and a man shall strike it
} with a sharp whip. If he can hold her, he shall have the animal. If he
} cannot hold her, he shall endure what he received, shame and wounds."
This is a better deal than I usually get.
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Gary L. Dryfoos | "So, you cannot resist,
|ARPA/Internet: dryfoo@athena.mit.edu | can you? No, no one can!
| UUCP/Usenet: ...mit-eddie!athena.mit.edu!dryfoo| When LeMott sings, they
| Phone: (617) 253-0184 / (617) 825-6115 | dance! Ha-ha-ha! They
| USPS: Box 505 Cambridge, MA 02142 | all dance!"
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End of SubGenius Digest
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