[TheForge] Good ole days ?

[Phlip]

> Northwoods was pretty accurate as far as he went, but the entire thing, which
> has been making the rounds of the Internet for at least 5 years that I'm aware
> of, is just about as accurate as stating that all smiths are musclebound male
> idiots, hanging out under chestnut trees ;-)

There are some bits of accuracy in there- baths were not common in most
Christian European cultures, and canopied beds were invented in the MA, and
there were a high percentage, compared to now, of non-dead persons being buried,
as examples, but the rest of the statements regarding them are humorous, not
accurate.

Baths were uncommon for several reasons- initially, in some areas, as a
rebellion against the Roman habit of cleanliness, and as being considered sinful
or unhealthy, or both, to expose one's naked body to water. The Arab cultures
were quite accurate, when they referred to the Crusaders as "stinking
barbarians"- it was very common for wealthy folk to cover body odor with
perfume, although hands and faces were commonly washed. Even up until recently,
certain orders of nuns were instructed not to bathe more frequently than once a
week, and sometimes once a month, as bathing was considered a sinful vanity.
(Know this, from talking to some elderly nuns. )

Canopied beds were not the provimnce of the poor or peasantry who would live in
a thatched hut, but rather they'd sleep on pallets on the floor. Animals did
often share dwellings in the winter, both to protect the livestock, and to add
much needed body heat to the warmth of the structure, although they were usually
seperated from the family by fencing, or perhaps a loft at night. Canopy beds
were the invention of those who lived in cold drafty castles, as enclosing a
smaller area to keep warm at night.

And, yes, there were numerous cases of someone going into a coma, and the
Medieval folk had less knowledge to allow them to differentiate the living from
the unliving. Many of the cases involving disturbed corpses and stories of
vampires were cases when someone who was unconscious was buried alive. Burials
were not long delayed because they liked the stink or putrification no more than
we do. As the knowledge of others found still living in their graves became more
known, some folks left instructions in their wills for delayed burials, or for
bells to be attached to their hands, that they might be rescued from an untimely
grave.

If you'll notice, many of the statements made by the authors involve very modern
plays on words. If you study things from that era, about 1500, even a simple
reading of Shakespeare, will show you how far the English language has drifted
in that time- do you really think that so many modern puns and plays on words
would have come down to us?

Many of you guys may not have had an extensive Liberal Arts or Classical
education, but I haven't noticed that many, if any, of you are stupid. Think it
out for yourselves.

Phlip