Thread: Medieval Trivial Facts

There is much about the medieval times that fascinates us; knights, castles, royalty, great battles, but what about the every day stuff, the things that today, we would find strange or down right repulsive ? I thought it might be interesting to discuss such trivial, but interesting bits of medieval life.

For example:

The expression "Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater" was to be taken literally. As the head of the household, the father had first dibs on the monthly bath water. When he was done, his wife, then eldest children, then the youngest would take their turns. By the time the baby was bathed, the water was often so dirty and black, well..you get the idea.

Or,

A common cure for a sore throat was to tie three live earthworms around your neck. When the worms died, your sore throat was cured!

One of my favorite words in English is "gardyloo." People in Scotland used to use that as a warning to pedestrians when they were about to throw slop water out an upstairs window.

The term

Frog in your throat

came from Medieval times when Medieval physicians believed that the secretions of a frog could cure a cough if they were coated on the throat of the patient. The frog was placed in the mouth of the sufferer and remained there until the physician decided that the treatment was complete.

Yeuck

Thank goodness all we need do today is suck a lozenge!

When William conquered England, then set up his personal hunting grounds in the 'New Forest', he established a set of laws to protect his game: one of the more interesting ones had to do with the size of any dogs living near or in the forest. If the dog was unable to pass through a large stirrup, it had its toes cut off, so it could not chase down deer. Pretty brutal times...

I'm a fan of the ...

BOOKS OF HOURS The most common book to survive from the Middle Ages, this was a portable and usually highly decorated and illuminated prayer book for lay people, especially for women. They are usually the size of the modern pocket-book.

But there is no end to what fascinates me about history.

Les

Originally Posted by Lwilliams

BOOKS OF HOURS The most common book to survive from the Middle Ages, this was a portable and usually highly decorated and illuminated prayer book for lay people, especially for women.

Correction: not "was". Is. I have used excerpts from it in prayer, and I have friends who pray it daily. Or at least the abridged version known as the Breviary.

Plus, I don't know where you got the "especially for women" part from.

Cheers, Leszek.