The Plague Charmer

by Karen Maitland

  Riddle – Which saint does most good for the church?

  Answer – The saint in a glass window for he keeps the wind from blowing out the candles.

  But some riddles, such as Which came first, the chicken or the egg?, are still quoted today. The medieval answer to that one was, The chicken, for it was made with the birds at Creation. That is probably not the answer most modern readers would give.

  Here are the answers to the medieval riddles posed in the chapter headings

  Riddle – How many calves’ tails would it take to reach from the earth to the sky?

  Answer – Just one if the tail is long enough.

  Riddle – What is the distance from the surface of the sea to its deepest part?

  Answer – A stone’s throw.

  Riddle – How may a man discern a cow in a flock of sheep?

  Answer – By looking.

  Riddle – What brings ill fortune to him who rides and good fortune to him who flies?

  Answer – A dead horse for it is a misfortune for his owner, but a feast for the ravens.

  Riddle – How many straws go to make a goose’s nest?

  Answer – None, for having no legs they cannot go anywhere.

  Riddle – Which man killed a quarter of all the people in the world?

  Answer – Cain when he slew Abel.

  Riddle – How many hoof prints does an ox leave in the last furrow when it has ploughed all the day?

  Answer – None. The ox walks in front of the plough, so the plough being pulled behind always obliterates its footprints.

  Riddle – Which craftsman builds the house that will stand the longest?

  Answer – The sexton, for the dead will dwell in what he builds until the Day of Judgment.

  Riddle – If you say my name, I vanish.

  Answer – Silence.

  Riddle – I saw a man who never was, who smiled and wept, and walked and talked, but uttered not a sound.

  Answer – A man’s reflection in water.

  Riddle – What is the widest stretch of water, yet the safest to cross?

  Answer – The dew.

  Riddle – Little man clad all in red, with a stick up his backside and a stone in his belly.

  Answer – A hawthorn berry or a cherry.

  Riddle – I never was. No one ever saw me, nor ever will. And yet that I will be is the hope of all men while they live.

  Answer – Tomorrow.

  Riddle – Put me in a bucket and I shall make your burden lighter.

  Answer – A hole.

  Riddle – Some try to hide and others to cheat, but whatever you do we shall always meet.

  Answer – Death.

  Riddle – What I catch I throw away; what I don’t catch, I keep.

  Answer – Lice.

  Riddle – What doth the contented man desire, the poor have and the rich require, the miser spends and the spendthrift saves and all men carry to their graves?

  Answer – Nothing.

  Riddle – What walks on four legs in the morning, two legs in the afternoon and three legs in the evening?

  Answer – Man, for he crawls when he is an infant, walks upright in his prime and walks with a staff in old age.

  The last riddle is one of the oldest ever recorded. Ancient Greek legend has it that it was the riddle the Sphinx asked Oedipus Rex. The Sphinx challenged travellers with riddles, strangling anyone who failed to give her the correct answers. All the travellers were killed, until Oedipus arrived and answered correctly. The Sphinx was so incensed that she killed herself.

  In the novel, Will asks Christina, ‘What does a wife give to her husband that he never sees? What does her husband wear that he never feels?’ The answer is a cuckold’s horns. In the Middle Ages, the image of a man with horns, echoed in an insulting hand gesture, meant that, unknown to the man, his wife had been unfaithful, making him a cuckold. This insult is still used today. In July 2009, the Portuguese economy minister, Manuel Pinho, made the gesture to an opposition MP during a debate and caused uproar in the Portuguese Parliament.

  The term cuckold comes from the French name for the cuckoo. The female cuckoo lays her eggs in other birds’ nests for them to hatch and rear the chicks. There are many theories as to why a cuckolded man should be symbolised with horns. Some link it to rutting stags who compete for females, others to the ancient Roman practice of presenting returning soldiers with horns to honour them for their long service on the battlefield. But what began as an honour gradually came to imply that other men might have been performing services in their wives’ beds during their absence. Shakespeare associated the cuckold’s horns with Actæon, an ancient Greek huntsman, who was turned into a horned stag by Diana and torn to pieces by his own hounds. Another suggestion is that, just as an animal cannot see its own horns, so a husband may be blind to his wife’s infidelity, even if it is obvious to everyone else.

  The visual riddle that Will finds in the cave is an old medieval one, which in the twentieth century was used as the basis of a folksong. Medieval audiences loved double-entendre riddles in which one answer was innocuous, the other sexual: She sent me a bird without any bone. Answer – An egg or a penis.

  She sent me a cherry without any stone. Answer – A cherry blossom or a woman’s sexual organs. This was not a reference to the hymen or a woman’s virginity as ‘cherry’ wasn’t used as euphemism for either until much later.

  She sent me a briar without any rind (bark). Answer – A leaf bud or any obstacles to sex, such as a lock or a jealous husband.

  She bade me love a leman without any love. Some versions say without any longing.

  In the first case, this line refers to a faithless lover; in the alternative it refers to a lover who has obtained the object of her affections, therefore has no need to ‘long’ for him.

  Porlock Legend

  The inspiration for the spirit box came from a legend about an incident that is supposed to have occurred several centuries after this novel is set. The story goes that a wealthy but evil pirate, known as Lucott or Luckett, was buried in the churchyard at Porlock Weir. But his spirit would not rest. He haunted the church night and day, even tormenting the priest and congregation during holy services. Twelve priests in succession attempted to exorcise the ghost, but he mocked them and they all fled in terror. Finally, a priest from the village of Watchet was summoned. He confronted the evil spirit and struck a bargain with him. He would pose three riddles to the ghost and if the ghost failed to answer any of them he would be forced to obey the priest, but if he guessed all three correctly he would carry the priest down into the grave with him.

  The ghost of the wicked pirate could not resist a wager, so he agreed and the two of them withdrew to play their deadly game alone. The spirit easily guessed the first two riddles, but the answer to the third riddle was the Holy Trinity, and while the spirit knew the answer, he also knew that if he uttered those words he would be dragged down to Hell. He could not give the answer to the riddle and the priest won.

  The priest ordered him to mount a donkey and ride it into the sea. But as he passed, the spirit struck the priest, blinding him in one eye in revenge, because the priest had tricked him. The priest threw an iron box into the sea and made the ghost climb inside. The cleric then locked the box and pushed it out into the waves where it sank. He warned the villagers that the box must never be pulled from the sea and opened for then the evil spirit would return seven times stronger than before. The priest returned to Watchet, having saved Porlock Weir, but he paid for it with his eye, and the dead eye burned like the fires of Hell for the rest of his days on earth.

  It is interesting that this tale bears many similarities to the ancient Nordic Sagas using riddles to win control over the night-stalkers and ghosts who torment the living. Another feature similar to the ancient sagas is the concept that spirits and the undead cannot be banished without their agreement and co-operation. This is a pre-Christian idea and one not taught by the Western Church. Both of these el
ements from the ‘elder faiths’ have found their way into a much later Christian legend.

  Glossary

  Acolyte – The highest of the four Minor Orders of clergy. Acolyte comes from the Greek meaning candle-bearer and the acolyte’s primary duty was to carry the candles when the Gospel was read or when the Host was elevated during Mass. The acolyte had to be aged fourteen or over and his other roles included preparing the wine and water and assisting the priest in the celebration of Mass. For the church services he wore an alb (ankle-length white robe) bound with a girdle and an amice (linen neck-cloth). In poor churches or chapels, the badly paid acolytes even performed the duties of the deacons, who were in Major Orders, by baptising infants and giving the consecrated bread to the people.

  Beller – Dialect word meaning to bawl or wail.

  Bless-vore – Dialect word for charm or spell, usually one for healing.

  Brock – Traditional English name for a badger, from the Celtic broc. Some place names containing the word brock seem to be a corruption of brook, but others refer to a place associated with badger setts, such as Brockhall and Brockholes, which come from the Old English brocc-hol – badger hole.

  Cadeyrn – Pronounced cay-der-rin. An ancient Celtic name derived from the Welsh cad meaning ‘battle’ and teyrn meaning ‘king’ or ‘ruler’. The most famous person with this name was a fifth-century king of Powys in Wales, also known as Catigern, son of Vortigern.

  Chasuble – From the Latin casula (little house); the distinctive outer garment worn by priests at Mass, often Y-shaped and decorated with strips of embroidery known as orphey. The colour of the cloth depended on the liturgical season. Today green is used for most of the year, but in medieval times the colour sequence was not fixed and there was much variation between parishes. When so many days were dedicated to martyrs, the most frequently seen colour in many parishes in the Middle Ages was red.

  Chickenwort – Stellaria media, a common weed with white star-shaped flowers, otherwise known as chickweed, chick whittles, tongue grass and white bird’s eye. It is rich in copper and was a popular medieval vegetable, eaten both cooked and raw, and used medicinally as a poultice for boils, eye lotions, an ancient slimming aid and for digestive upsets.

  Chrisemore – A dialect name for a newborn baby that is yet to be baptised. This was a dangerous time when the unbaptised baby might be possessed by demons or stolen by faeries and replaced by a changeling. Some people refused to utter the name of the child before it was baptised for fear it could be used by evil spirits, so the baby would be referred to as chrisemore. Since it was believed all babies were ‘born in original sin’, when the child was brought for christening the parish exorcist would expel the evil from the infant in front of the door of the church before the baby, now cleansed, was brought inside for baptism.

  Colewort – The medieval cultivated cabbage, similar in appearance to modern collard. It was small, loose-leaved and far less bitter than its wild ancestor. Leaves could be picked from the stem as needed without having to cut the entire plant, and after the first crop, if the stem was left in the ground and a cross was cut in the top, it would often regenerate, giving a second crop, so it could be harvested even in early winter. That made it a very important plant for food and medicine. Coleworts or ‘worts’ were either eaten alone, shredded, boiled and tossed in butter, or added to the pottage pot. ‘Worts’ were believed to improve eyesight and ease palsy, gout and ulcers. They were also a cure for the ill-effects of too much wine.

  Crayer – A small single-masted boat resembling a barge, which was used to carry cargoes in northern Europe, usually hugging the coastline or crossing the Channel. Depending on size, at this period they could carry between ten and seventy tons. Over the next century the size of the vessels increased, along with their capacity. Although their crew would have been armed and would have fought if attacked, the vessels were slow and clumsy to manoeuvre, so easily fell prey to French and English privateers.

  Darnel – Lolium temulentum, a weed grass that infested meadows and grain crops. It was disliked in the Middle Ages because it was thought to poison livestock and if the seeds got into the harvested grain, and were accidently eaten, they were said to cause shaking, staggering, vomiting and blurred vision, as if the victim was excessively drunk. It could prove fatal. But we now know it is a fungus that often infects this plant that causes this poisoning, not the plant itself.

  Darnel was a medieval symbol of deceit and evil, because it looks like wheat until the ears of grain form, hence its other name False wheat. It is possible that it is the weed referred to in the Gospel of Matthew as Tares. However, it was used medicinally, for example, when pounded up with salt and radish roots it could be applied externally to treat leprosy sores and ringworm.

  Devil’s eye – Vinca, a wayside plant also known as periwinkle, blue buttons and sorcerer’s violet. Chaucer called it parvenke. It was thought to be used by witches and sorcerers in their spells because it grew on graves and was therefore associated with death. It was also bound around the legs to ward off cramp. Medicinally it was used to treat nosebleeds, toothache and abscesses.

  Dulse – Edible seaweed, most commonly Rhodymenia palmata, with broad reddish-brown fronds. In coastal villages it was gathered from rocks at low tide, dried and chewed between meals for its salty flavour.

  Dwale – From the Old French meaning mourning. Dwale is the medieval name for the plant Atropa belladonna or deadly nightshade. Atropa was one of the three Fates of Ancient Greece who cut the thread of life with her shears. In low doses, dwale was regularly used as a sleeping draught, but on several occasions in history, it was employed to poison the water or food of enemy soldiers, either killing them outright or rendering them drowsy and helpless, so they could easily be overpowered and slain.

  Frica – It was a common medieval belief throughout Europe and Scandinavia that sickness and illnesses were caused by seven (sometimes nine) female demons, all sisters, whose names were variants of Frica, Ilia, Restilia, Fagalia, Subfogalia, Iulica and Ignea. These demons posed a great threat to unbaptised babies, but they could also enter children or adults in a variety of ways. For example, they lurked between the leaves of multi-leaved vegetables, such as lettuce or cabbage, and could be swallowed by someone eating them without having first driven out the demons by cutting a cross in the stalk. If anyone consumed food or drink that had been left under a bed at night they, too, were likely to be infested by one of the seven sisters, who would make them ill. Medieval amulets written on parchment or lead were often inscribed with the names of the demons, banishing them by the power of the Holy Trinity or the Holy Cross. The charms were carried or worn to ward off sickness or to cure someone who was ill.

  Gatty – Medieval diminutive of Gertrude and Matilda’s name for her cat. St Gertrude of Nivelles (626–59) is the patron saint of cats. She was abbess of a double monastery and is often depicted with either a cat or a mouse. Gold and silver mice were brought as offerings to her shrine. She may have been invoked to help rid people of plagues of mice, but in the Middle Ages mice also represented the souls of the dead, so this emblem may symbolise her role as patron saint of the newly dead, who spend the first night of their three-day journey into the afterlife under her protection. Gyp was an affectionate term for a pet cat in the Middle Ages, which in later centuries was replaced with Pussy or Kitty.

  Green sickness – A serious and often fatal anaemia, frequently caused by what in modern times would be labelled Anorexia nervosa. It was a common ailment in the Middle Ages among the extremely pious who regularly mortified the flesh by starving themselves. It was also said to be an affliction of the lovelorn. In the medieval period, green sickness was thought to be particularly common in young people.

  Gypon – A close-fitting sleeved tunic worn over the shirt, reaching to the knees, though shortening to hip-length as the century progressed. It was often padded for warmth and protection, or simply fashion. From around 1370 onwards it began to be known as a doubl
et.

  Hand of Glory – It could be used to open any lock, render a thief invisible and put the occupants of a house into a deep sleep so that the house might be robbed or the women raped. It was made from the hand of an executed felon, cut off while he was still hanging on the gallows. The blood was squeezed out and it was embalmed, using saltpetre, salt and herbs. Sometimes a candle made from the fat of a hanged man was pushed between the fingers, or the fingers themselves could be lit and used as the candle. Once lit, the room would be filled with an unearthly blue light; those asleep would be unable to wake, and those awake unable to move. The flames could be extinguished only with milk or blood. The belief in the hand of glory was so enduring that a thief was apprehended with one as late as 1831.

  Harbour – A term used in medieval hunting. The hound (limer or lymer) used for locating the quarry for the hunt would track the scent of an animal such as a stag or boar on a long leash. They usually worked in pairs, with the handler, known as the valet de limier, following on foot, until they had harboured the quarry. The huntsmen would then release the running hounds or raches and the quarry would be unharboured, that is, set running for the huntsmen and hounds to chase until it was brought to bay and slaughtered.

  Heller – Dialect word meaning a naughty or wicked child, a brat.

  Horse bread – The poorest-quality bread baked in the home. It would be made from a mixture of grain and pulses, ground into coarse flour by hand, using a quern. It might include peas, beans, wheat and rye, and even dried roots, such as bulrushes, which could be used to bulk out the grain flour in hard times.