Midwinter Medieval Traditions

Summary

Gone Medieval: Episode Summary - "Midwinter Medieval Traditions"

Released on December 31, 2024

Introduction

In the episode titled "Midwinter Medieval Traditions," hosts Matt Lewis and Dr. Eleanor Jaenega delve into the fascinating and often surprising Christmas customs of the medieval period. They juxtapose these age-old traditions with contemporary celebrations, highlighting both continuities and stark differences. This exploration offers listeners a vivid portrayal of how medieval societies marked the festive season, emphasizing aspects ranging from religious observances to communal festivities.

Advent and Its Contrasting Nature

Dr. Eleanor Jaenega opens the discussion by contrasting modern Christmas traditions with their medieval counterparts. While today’s festivities are often centered around joy and merriment, medieval Advent was a period of stern reflection and anticipation.

Dr. Eleanor Jaenega (03:26): "Advent's the time of year you contemplate the end of the universe... Advent is when you sit around and think about the fact that the world is going to end."

In medieval times, Advent was not associated with the light-hearted anticipation we experience today but was instead a somber period of fasting and contemplation, preparing for the birth of Christ and the promise of salvation.

Epiphany and Twelfth Night Traditions

The conversation transitions to the significance of Epiphany, marking the conclusion of the twelve days of Christmas. Epiphany commemorates the visit of the Magi to the newborn Jesus, a period rich with unique traditions.

Dr. Eleanor Jaenega (06:22): "This was ordered for the revel on the last night for court in England... this is where we get the tradition of gift giving at Christmas."

Epiphany introduced the custom of gift-giving, inspired by the Magi's offerings of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. In countries like Spain, Epiphany remains the primary gift-giving occasion, overshadowing Christmas Day. Additionally, variations in Eastern Orthodox traditions are discussed, where Epiphany is associated with the Baptism of Jesus and celebrated on January 19th, reflecting the diverse practices within Christianity.

Women's Christmas: A Medieval-Inspired Celebration

Dr. Jaenega introduces the concept of "Women's Christmas," a tradition particularly prominent in Irish culture. Originally intended to invert traditional gender roles during the festive period, this day allowed women a respite from household duties, with men taking over chores or participating in social gatherings.

Dr. Eleanor Jaenega (09:09): "Because I'm worth it. That's the answer."

In contemporary times, Women's Christmas often manifests as social events where women engage in communal activities like pub gatherings, celebrating their contributions and enjoying a day of relaxation.

Mallard Night at All Souls College

One of the episode's highlights is the quirky tradition of Mallard Night at All Souls College, Oxford. Established in 1437, this ritual commemorates the college's founding legend involving the discovery of a mallard in a drain by Archbishop Henry Chichley.

Matt Lewis (14:23): "Who are we to question some of the finest minds in Britain and what they do in their spare time over Christmas?"

Originally involving the pursuit of a live mallard, the tradition has evolved to feature a wooden carving of a mallard chased around the college quad. Participants carry a designated "Lord Mallard" in a sedan chair, culminating in a festive parade accompanied by a specially composed song celebrating the mallard.

Medieval Football: A Chaotic Precursor to Modern Sports

The hosts explore the tumultuous nature of medieval football, which starkly contrasts with today's organized and regulated sports. Medieval football was a highly violent and chaotic affair, often resulting in injuries and even fatalities.

Matt Lewis (18:22): "Medieval football is basically a middle age equivalent of the Purge."

Played primarily during religious festivals like Shrovetide or Pentecost, these matches saw townsfolk engaging in intense physical confrontations under the guise of a game. Over centuries, efforts by monarchs to regulate or ban the sport gradually transformed it into the more structured football we recognize today.

The Yule Log: Symbolism and Tradition

The Yule log, another enduring tradition, is examined for its deep-rooted significance in medieval winter celebrations. Originating from Northern Europe and influenced by pagan customs, the Yule log symbolized continuity, warmth, and protection.

Matt Lewis (30:52): "Dragging a tree into the house and then go punch their neighbor and then go, hmm, very interesting."

Medieval households would bring a large log into their homes, setting it ablaze to provide warmth throughout the winter. Portions of the Yule log were preserved to ignite the next year's fire, embodying the cycle of life and the anticipation of spring. Additionally, placing a piece of the log under the household's bed was believed to ward off evil and lightning strikes.

Mumming and Mummer's Plays: Theatrical Festivities

Mumming, a form of medieval folk play, involved masked participants performing scripted dramas, often revolving around themes of death and resurrection. These plays, coupled with gambling for rewards, were integral to Christmas celebrations.

Dr. Eleanor Jaenega (35:14): "Mumming is quite fun because we know that we have references to mumming from at least the 13th century."

Originating from courtly celebrations, mummers' plays extended to public performances in marketplaces, blending humor, satire, and communal interaction. This tradition mirrored the broader medieval practice of temporary social inversion, where societal norms were upended in a controlled and festive manner.

Conclusion: Reflections on Medieval Festivities

As the episode draws to a close, Matt and Dr. Jaenega reflect on the rich tapestry of medieval Christmas traditions. They emphasize how these customs reveal the societal values, fears, and joys of the time, offering modern listeners a window into the medieval psyche.

Dr. Eleanor Jaenega (42:24): "This is one of the times of year that you can sort of find out the most about who medieval people really are at their core."

The hosts advocate for a revival of certain medieval practices, such as the expansive festivities of the twelve days of Christmas, to enrich contemporary celebrations and reconnect with historical roots.

Notable Quotes

• Dr. Eleanor Jaenega (03:26): "Advent's the time of year you contemplate the end of the universe... Advent is when you sit around and think about the fact that the world is going to end."

• Dr. Eleanor Jaenega (06:22): "This is where we get the tradition of gift giving at Christmas."

• Matt Lewis (18:22): "Medieval football is basically a middle age equivalent of the Purge."

• Dr. Eleanor Jaenega (35:14): "Mumming is quite fun because we know that we have references to mumming from at least the 13th century."

Final Thoughts

"Gone Medieval: Midwinter Medieval Traditions" offers an engaging and informative exploration of how medieval societies celebrated the winter season. By unraveling these historical customs, Matt Lewis and Dr. Eleanor Jaenega provide listeners with a deeper appreciation of the enduring legacy of medieval traditions in today's festive practices.

Transcript

[Matt Lewis]

Hello, I'm Matt Lewis.

[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

And I'm Dr. Eleanor Jaenega and we're.

[Matt Lewis]

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[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

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[Matt Lewis]

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[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

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[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

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[Matt Lewis]

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[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

Hello, I'm Dr. Eleanor Jaenega and welcome to Gone Medieval from History Hit, the podcast that delves into the greatest millennium in human history. We uncover the greatest mysteries, the gobsmacking details, and the latest groundbreaking research. From the Vikings to the Normans, from kings to popes to the Crusades, we delve into the rebellions, plots and murders that tell us who we really were and how we for many of us, it's Christmas time, one of those times of year when we think a lot about tradition. We love to put up Christmas trees and bring out the old ornaments our nanas made for us. We stick to fairly strict menus to put on a proper traditional Christmas spread. And there's probably one or two family traditions that you and your loved ones keep alive that don't necessarily translate translate to everyone. You know, my mum's celebrated eggnog, for example, seems to both attract and repel my English mates in equal measure. But for all of this talk of tradition, what we do at Christmas doesn't necessarily have much of a pedigree back beyond the Victorian era. And when we look at medieval Christmas, the things that they find festive from football that looks more like a brawl to Boyd bishops and wassailing doesn't really reflect what we have going on today. Still, it's pretty fascinating and well worth a look. And last year Matt and I did just that. So to keep the festive season going, we thought we would remind you of a few of our Favorite medieval Christmas tradition. Matt, thanks so much for coming on on a Tuesday, you legend.

[Matt Lewis]

It's great to be at the beginning of a week instead of the back end.

[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

Oh yeah, we're very bright and bushy tailed over here. I mean, I suppose as beginning of the weeks go. This is a delightful thing to talk about because we're going in for some fun Christmas traditions today, which I love. But it's quite funny because for medieval people we're not at Christmas yet, Right. We're still very deeply mired in what they would call Advent, which is very sternly not Christmas.

[Matt Lewis]

Very serious. No partying Advent calendars. Absolutely not.

[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

Funnily enough, I have to do a lot of work about Advent because Advent's the time of year you contemplate the end of the universe. So as all the dark is kind of encroaching and everything. Advent is when you sit around and think about the fact that the world is going to end and then you go into Christmas where you celebrate the birth of Christ and the fact that he's going to come save us all at the end of the world and everyone is born again, TRA la la. So it's quite funny because they're very serious and then they get merry.

[Matt Lewis]

So I think the only thing we share is that Advent is seen as the build up to the big day. We see it very much as an excuse to eat chocolate, a bit of chocolate every day. I think if you had a medieval Advent calendar, it's going to be a slice of raw turnip or something, isn't it? It's definitely not a treat that you're getting out of this Advent calendar because you have to think about fasting and how serious life is and how the universe could end. We might get Jesus birthday, we might not make it that far.

[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

Which is quite funny too because imagine fasting in this level of darkness. Maybe I'm only speaking for myself, but when the dark starts drawing in, you know, I'm making a soup, I've got an excuse to eat porridge for breakfast, things like this.

[Matt Lewis]

It's comfort food weather, isn't it? I had a shepherd's pie for tea last night because it's comfort food weather and you just want to fill your belly up and sit in front of the fire.

[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

I suppose I find it weird that they would do this. But on the other hand, it does mean that when you get to Christmas, it's a blowout, right?

[Matt Lewis]

But it's also, we still do it at Easter, don't we? We still have Lent going Up to Easter, which we still view as the very serious time. When you fast, you think about all sorts of things. We've just kind of bent the one before Christmas. We don't do it the way they used to do it anymore. We still do it Easter, but we just don't do it at Christmas anymore.

[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

Which is quite funny because for us, Christmas is so important now. You know, I think that for a lot of people, if they are not particularly religious, for them, Christmas is sort of the holiday of the year, which is not how medieval people would have thought about it. They would have really been focused on Easter. But then at the same time, for medieval people, Christmas is 12 days. And now we talk about. I get wound up. I'm a big nerd every year. And when people will start Talking about the 12 Days of Christmas before Christmas Day, I just get right on my high horse immediately, because I'm a real stickler for celebrating the 12 days of Christmas as a medieval person would. Starting on the 25th and then going through into January and then into Epiphany. Yeah.

[Matt Lewis]

And I think it helps at this time of year as well. We've got to think about. They had very short days, not much daylight, not much need for farm work going on. So they've actually got a bit of time. It's a bit of a holiday. You can take 12 days to have a party.

[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

And they sure did, which is one of the things that I really love. And I guess this kind of brings us to the first weird Christmas tradition that I wanted to talk about, which is epiphany. So epiphany is kind of the end of the 12 days of Christmas. Right. So a lot of people will have heard the term Twelfth Night, like what the Shakespeare play was named after. And that is kind of like Epiphany Eve. And what epiphany is celebrating is when the magi, the three wise men, show up to the manger and see Jesus. That doesn't happen on Christmas Eve. It does not happen on Christmas. Jesus is already kicking around the shop, according to everyone. And then the kings show up, and the kings, of course, bring these fabulous gold frankincense and myrrh, the most wonderful things that anyone in the ancient period could think to bring to someone.

[Matt Lewis]

Yeah, they're not crashing the labor manger to be there for the birth, which is quite funny.

[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

You know, people kind of forget about that. It's like, yeah, probably they weren't really, like, bumping in on the childbirth end of things, but. So the epiphany Thing is interesting because you get all kinds of different traditions that are happening as a result of it. So the reason, for example, that Twelfth Night is called Twelfth Night is that it was ordered for the revel on the last night for court in England. So that's fantastic. It shows you the sort of things that people are doing. Also, this is where we get the tradition of gift giving at Christmas. So because if the three wise men give Jesus gifts. So this was the day that if you're going to give presents away, you did. And interestingly, that still does hold true in certain places. So for example, in Spain you still count Epiphany or sometimes they say the Feast of the Three Kings as the number one gift giving holiday. So Christmas Day itself, they still celebrate that, but that's a little bit more for going to mass, seeing your family having a meal, the present blowout, that's a totally different day. Yeah.

[Matt Lewis]

And I think if I'm right, the Eastern Orthodox Church, they kind of celebrate it a little bit later as well, don't they? The 19th. Because they have Christmas Day on the 6th of January, but they celebrate it on the 19th and they consider it the commemoration of the baptism of Jesus. So lots of the Eastern Orthodox Church festivals relate to water, to water in the home, water for people, blessing of houses and blessings of people. So it means slightly different things in different bits of the church too as well, which is not unusual. The church is not very good at deciding what things definitely mean.

[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

Yeah. And I think that there is also always a delight to have a differentiation between the Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church. I mean, which we see in Eastern, especially with the movable feasts, those can really skip around the shop. But yeah, Christmas is absolutely one of those things. But I also am really interested in some of the local traditions that crop up around this because. Matt, have you heard of women's Christmas?

[Matt Lewis]

No. Why do women get their own Christmas? I'm going to be all manly about this. How can women get their own Christmas?

[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

Well, because I'm worth it. That's the answer. But this is a big thing, particularly big in Irish culture. So shout out to all my aunties. And you know, a little more commonly in kind of Western Ireland more particularly. But the idea of women's Christmas is latching onto the topsy turvy things that are sometimes traditional at Christmas. And the idea is that women's Christmas would be a day when the men would do the dishes or look after the kids or maybe make dinner.

[Matt Lewis]

Whoa, whoa. For a whole day in the year, a Whole day.

[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

I mean, if you can imagine. Also, sometimes people would say, oh, it's called Women's Christmas, because you sort of also change up the food that you would eat. So whereas you might be expecting to see on Christmas Day, things traditionally like beef or pork products, that sort of thing. For women's Christmas, you might have a goose, so more poultry things. Things that are associated with the feminine poultry. You know, birds are all women. Duh. Obviously you would see that come up. And also, you know, there's a little bit more of an emphasis on cakes or sweets and these sort of things. So Victorians would kind of explain it thusly. But now women's Christmas, a lot of time it means the girls go down pub, which I think we could all get together and celebrate. I think it's a really beautiful tradition.

[Matt Lewis]

What pub are you going to be in on women's Christmas?

[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

I. Unfortunately, I don't think that I'm even going to be in the uk, so stymied. I'm gonna be at a conference, working. Can you imagine?

[Matt Lewis]

Oh, there's gotta be a bar somewhere nearby.

[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

Catch a girl in the hotel bar.

[Matt Lewis]

Fair plan. I did read one. So I was looking around about epiphany traditions and I did read one and I couldn't quite work out how far back it goes. It seems to suggest it's medieval, but it used to be that you chalk the doors on your house. So. And it says the pattern goes. You do the first two numbers of the year. So we do 20, and then you do across a C across an M, across a B across, and then the last digits of the year. And the idea was that. That C, M and B, either because the church isn't great at telling you exactly what things mean, either stands for the names of the three magi, so Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar. Or it's part of a blessing, a Latin version of May Christ bless this house kind of thing. And that seems like a quite a nice, you know, marking the moment and inviting Jesus into your house on his birthday to bless you.

[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

This is really big still in a lot of Catholic cultures as well. Oftentimes you will see this if you go places like, for example, it's around a lot in Vienna. If you go to Austria, you'll see this over people's doors a lot. Or here in England, if you go to Walsingham, which is a really big kind of Catholic town, in a normal way. I go to Walsingham to see the cool medieval things and take pictures of adorable little medieval houses and I noticed so many of those having been up. But, yeah, I think that's a great little epiphany tradition. I get really excited when I see those.

[Matt Lewis]

Yeah, I don't think I've ever seen one, really. I obviously need to go somewhere where I can see them.

[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

You know, you need to show up in Bavaria or something like that. You need to find, like, a Catholic hotbed. I think, because this is still going on. I think that it's interesting because there are so many epiphany traditions that are still kind of hanging around, but we've just sort of discovered. Carded it completely. Everyone's back at work and frowning.

[Matt Lewis]

Yeah, I think that's it. We have so much focus on the 25th and 26th of December now and then. Like you say, we don't have that kind of 12 days of not much work to do. So nothing better to do than go down the pub every day. Whereas medieval people were building up towards epiphany. We're all back at work and Christmas is forgotten, and we're all grumbling about how long it is till January. Payday now.

[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

Yeah, you know what? I firmly believe that we should bring back women's Christmas at the very least, because a, good excuse to go out to the pub, and B, you know, our pubs need us more than ever in January. A pub is for life, not just for Christmas, Matt.

[Matt Lewis]

Do your bit for the economy and have a women's Christmas.

[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

That's right. So what are some of your favorite weird Christmas traditions, Matt?

[Matt Lewis]

I'm just gonna go in hard on the weirdest one that I found.

[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

Okay.

[Matt Lewis]

Mallard Night, which doesn't seem to have too much to do with Christmas, except that it's celebrated on the 14th of January and is related to all of this. So apparently this is a tradition that goes on at All Souls College in Oxford, which is one of the most prestigious colleges at Oxford. They don't have any students at All Souls. They only admit fellows. The people at All Souls College are some of the brightest minds in Britain. But every year they celebrate the discovery of a mallard in a drain. And it's a cause for a big party and the first year of every century. So last in 2001. Before that, 1901, 1801, they have a humongous feast and they put on this big display where they all chase a mallard around the quad carrying a guy who is designated as Lord Mallard in a sedan chair while he kind of whoops and calls for them to do more laps until they can't carry him anymore. And apparently until 1901. Before that, it was a live mallard that they used to chase. In 1901, they changed it to a dead stuffed one. And in 2001, they replaced it with a wooden carving on the end of a pole that they now chase around the quad at All Souls College.

[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

Normal.

[Matt Lewis]

Absolutely. I mean, you know, who are we to question some of the finest minds in Britain and what they do in their spare time over Christmas? But apparently this comes from the foundation of All Souls College. When Henry Chichley, who was the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1437, wanted to found a college, didn't know where to put it, and he apparently received a vision that told him that he needed to situate this on the high street, on one of the corners, and that if he went down there, he would find a mallard in a drain that was trapped. And that should be the location on which he would cite his college. And apparently, true to form, Henry Chichley went down High street of Oxford, found on the corner of Cat street, and he found. Now, I assume this word is a medieval word for, like, whopping incredibly large, but I think we should bring it back because the manuscript describes him finding a swapping mallard that was stuck in the sewer. And this was supposed to be a sign that the college would thrive if Henley Chichley built it on this location. So every year since 1437, they celebrate this All Souls crest involves a mallard. Apparently, if you go there, I haven't been there. Apparently, if you go there, there are carvings and pictures of mallards all over the college. According to one thing that I read, I don't know how true it is, they have a landline telephone in the shape of a mallard. So if you phone them, they answer the mallard.

[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

Now, I want a mallard phone. That's not fair.

[Matt Lewis]

And they have this song that they sing while they celebrate mallard night about how wonderful mallards are and how they're the greatest birds that history has ever known.

[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

Okay, Everything about this is delightfully bonkers and harmless. I would argue so. That's great, but can we talk about the specificity of this vision? I mean, just getting beamed that there's a mallard in the drain somewhere.

[Matt Lewis]

I mean, it's the oddest thing to wake up and claim you've had as a vision. You know, Christ came to me in the night, an angel visited me in my sleep and told me I'd find a duck.

[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

And then not only Christ was like, hold the phone, we got to get the duck message out there, A, and B, once he finds the duck, that's how you know this college is about to be good. Like, what is the link between finding a duck and really good institution of learning?

[Matt Lewis]

I have no idea. I literally. I found this and I assumed it was a joke, but the more I've read, it's very clearly the entire basis for the existence of All Souls College.

[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

You know, good for them, frankly. A little bit more silliness out of Oxford is never a bad thing, I think. A little less frown and a little more chasing a duck on a stick around. That's what I say.

[Matt Lewis]

Yeah, absolutely. And I mean, the song is bonkers that they sing. And it's got 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 verses of a song that they sing while they parade the stuck around. If anyone at All Souls is listening, I'm sorry, we're not really laughing at you.

[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

No. If anyone at All Souls is listening, we're asking for an invite. That's what's happening. So, you know, keep that under your hat, as it were. But I think that these things are always quite nice, you know, I like any weird tradition like that that is still happening in whatever guise. But I have to be honest with you, Matt, I don't quite get it. But maybe that makes it better. Maybe that's better, right?

[Matt Lewis]

Does it have to have a meaning?

[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

You know, meaning is something that humans simply ascribe after the fact. That's okay. Okay. That's a harmless tradition. I guess I've come up with another slightly more harmful one, which is the football mat. The football.

[Matt Lewis]

I mean, today, Christmas and football is fairly synonymous. You know, I'm a Wolves fan for my many sins, and we are playing on Christmas Eve. This year, we've been lumbered with a Christmas Eve fixture for the first time in decades, which everybody is deeply unhappy about. But we're well versed in the kind of Boxing Day football fixtures. So we're used to associating Christmas and football, I think, but maybe not the same kind of football as the medieval world did.

[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

Yes, you're bang on there in that. Medieval football. Well, it seems to be a bit more of a wrestling match in which a ball is present.

[Matt Lewis]

I got a strong feeling that medieval football is basically a middle age equivalent of the Purge. One day of completely allowable violence. You can do whatever you want, claim that it's part of a football match and, you know, just get out your system in a day.

[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

Well, interestingly, we have a kind of Oxbridge connection here, you know, so Mallard Knight is gentle. But one of the big things that used to happen is for football games at both Oxford and Cambridge, they would turn the teams into sort of the town and the gown. So it was an opportunity for everyone in the town who was annoyed by the students who were always unruly, to essentially beat them up if they felt like it. Of course, vice versa also is true, but I suppose I should step back and kind of explain slightly a bit about what we understand the football rules to have been, which is that somewhere in a town, and it usually takes place in a town, quite often on a high street, you kind of establish where two goals are, and it might just be the windows of varying buildings, or it might be that you need to get things onto a church stoop or things of this nature. And essentially the rules are that you can get the ball there by any means, provided that it does not result in murder or manslaughter.

[Matt Lewis]

And, I mean, you know, rules are for bending.

[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

Yeah. I mean, rather a lot of manslaughter happens. A lot of what we know about medieval football comes from the fact that people just end up dead all the time, and then it gets related to the town constables and that sort of things. And, you know, we have references to football being played, at least from Bede. So the venerable bede in the 8th century wrote about the fact that people were playing ball in one of his books, which is De Temporum Ratione. So we know that certainly this is kind of around the shop. We also know that in Wales in the 9th century, from the Historia Brittanorum, we have references to groups of boys playing ball. So we know that this is kind of out and about in the shops. And now it still continues to happen here in the uk, especially up in Scotland, where it is, of course, just called the Fitba. And it does continue also in a lot of different places, oftentimes for Shrovetide or Pentecost, it'll happen around Easter quite often. But we keep these religious days or these religious festivals as the hallmark of this particular medieval football. You know, people played football on the continent as well. I'm not saying that they don't, but these particular rituals around it do seem to be quite British in a number of ways.

[Matt Lewis]

Yeah. And I think when you understand exactly what medieval football was, it maybe makes more sense that some monarchs were quite keen to ban it. We often hear about, you know, football was banned as the most outrageous thing, and essentially they're trying to stop you having fun. But medieval football wasn't necessarily all that much fun, especially if you were on the receiving end. I'm Professor Susannah Lipscomb. And on Not Just the Tudors from History Hit. We do admittedly cover quite a lot of Tudors, from the rise of Henry VII to the death of Henry viii, from Anne Boleyn to her daughter Elizabeth I. But we also do lots that's not Tudors, murderers, mistresses, pirates and witches. Clues in the title, really. So follow Not Just the Tudors from Historyhit wherever you get your podcasts.

[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

Quite funny because. Because it seems to be one of these tests, to a certain extent, of what are the limitations of varying social stripes. So, for example, in London, when they played football, we have a description that comes from the 12th century, from the Descriptio nobilissimi civitatis Lundione. There you go. And they say that after lunch, all the youth of the city go out into the fields to take part in a ball game. The students of each school have their own ball. The workers from each city craft are also carrying their balls. So that will be people from the varying guilds, older citizens, fathers and wealthy citizens come on horseback to watch their juniors competing and to relive their own youth vicariously.

[Matt Lewis]

Even then you had the dads on the sideline giving their tempen worth.

[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

Yeah, you can see that their inner passions are aroused as they watch the action and get caught up in the fun being had by the carefree adolescents. Now, having said that, the carefree adolescents are absolutely beating each other up. It's a free for all. They've all got their ball and they're trying to get it over to a varying guild house or a varying school in order to score these points. So it's part wrestling, part ball game. And there is some evidence which says that they are supposed to be kind of like kicking the ball as opposed to carrying it. But some versions we do know involve kind of carrying it. But there are certain things where, for example, Chaucer refers to balls being kicked under feet and things like that. So we do think that perhaps it is a little bit like our football today. I mean, if our football today was massively violent and involved the entire town.

[Matt Lewis]

Yeah, I'd imagine there was less kind of dramatic faking of injuries in medieval football because it really, really would have hurt if somebody just wanted to catch you on across the face.

[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

Can you imagine how that would go down? We're like, yeah, you got hurt. That's the point, you know, and it's much more about showing that one is a hard man. I suppose so it's funny because we do think that there is some kicking involved, but for the most part, it is a bit more like, I don't know, I suppose rugby, if there were no rules.

[Matt Lewis]

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, yeah, there's several times it gets banned. Edward III banned it, Richard II banned it, James III of Scotland banned it. And the first record that I could find of what sounds like a modern game of football comes from the 15th century. So Henry VI's kind of reign. And this is in Nottinghamshire, amongst the manuscripts. It was a set of manuscripts that were compiled later in the century around the miracles of Henry VI to prove how great he was. Weird that they include the rules of football in trying to make Henry VI a saint. But this account kind of says this was. Describes it as exclusively a kicking game. So, as you mentioned, other things talk about potentially carrying the ball, throwing it, sometimes hitting it with a stick. So a little bit like hockey, maybe, but this is the first time that calls it an exclusively kicking game. It has the first description of dribbling. So it says the game at which they had met for common recreation is called by some the football game. It is one in which young men in country sport propel a huge ball not by throwing it into the air, but by striking it and rolling it along the ground, and that not with their hands, but with their feet kicking in opposite directions. So it kind of gives us the rough layout of a football pitch. It says the boundaries have been marked and the game was started. So we have the kind of the beginnings there of a football pitch and football games being played to what we might equate to more modern football rules, as early as kind of 500 years ago.

[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

And I think that that's quite interesting because it's so omnipresent, I think, in all of our lives now, football that I think there is this sort of association with, everyone assumes, oh, yeah, it's an old game. We've been playing it for all this time. But, you know, when we look at these quite old references to it, it does just seem like this is the purge. It's just an excuse to punch a student, which, you know, God bless them, I'm glad they're having a nice time. But it is interesting that over the course of a couple hundred years, you do see something that starts to resemble what we think of as football.

[Matt Lewis]

And it's strange how it morphs so that by the time we get to the Victorian era, it's this idea of almost a gentleman's game with very strict rules, and it's almost become a non contact sport. It's so far removed from what it used to be. And I think sometimes we have this vision of football only starting in the mid 19th century because we don't associate it with this long birth from this violent sport that starts off as absolute chaos but does become slowly refined through the medieval period. So by the time we get to the 15th century, it has rules that we would recognise as football today.

[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

And I think that that's an important lesson because people tend to think that inventions or social practices kind of leap into the world fully formed. It's football and everyone knows the rules and we have established that there are goals here and there and you can't touch it with your hands, you know. No, this is something that gets refined and that people put forward over a period of time until you get down to just a game. And, you know, I suppose this also reflects social attitudes changing more generally because maybe people dying eventually was considered a bit much much. Perhaps it was considered less acceptable to just beat up the members of a guild if you didn't like them, you know, and there's this sort of winnowing down process of saying, all right, well, let's turn this into just a game as opposed to a brawl that we are legitimizing through saying the word game.

[Matt Lewis]

Yeah. Although I think to some extent it plays into that idea that medieval people were aware that especially young men could have a lot of pent up energy and aggression, that it's best to let them get out. You know, if they're not going fighting in France somewhere, let's just let them play football and beat each other up for the day.

[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

It's a great way to get the young men out of your hair and perhaps on top of each other. But, you know, it is interesting how many young men die as a result of it. There are people who, in the 13th century, we have records of a young man dying in Northumberland because he, quote unquote, ran into an opposing player's dagger, which is an interesting way of putting it. You know, it sounds like fighting with your younger siblings and saying, I'm just going to kick the air.

[Matt Lewis]

Yeah, it's like Bart Simpson standing in the doorway, isn't it? And flailing his arms. He's like, I'm just standing here doing this. If you run into my fist, it's your fault. I'm just running around the football pitch with a knife out, you know, if you get stabbed, whose fault is it?

[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

And hilariously, the reason why, the fact that this story with this young man dying because he ran into a knife is considered noteworthy is because it talks about kicking the ball in it somewhere as well. And everyone goes, oh, oh, there you go. It's a reference from 1280. And we know that they were kicking the ball. You know, the death isn't the notable thing here. The death is the reference to some people kicking the balls far over the field. And that's why everyone went, oh, wow.

[Matt Lewis]

I sometimes wonder if historians have slightly odd priorities.

[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

Not me. No, surely.

[Matt Lewis]

No, no, not us. No, obviously not.

[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

No, never.

[Matt Lewis]

Should we move on to another one that I wanted to mention?

[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

Oh, yes, do hit me, Matt.

[Matt Lewis]

I mean, I could. I could hit you literally with a Yule log. I was going to talk about Yule logs next because there's something else we still associate with Christmas today. There's a reason that lots of our Christmas cakes look like logs. There's a reason we talk about the Yule log. I mean, it's probably a pagan tradition as much as it's a medieval Christmas tradition, but it's another fascinating one to chart how it becomes absorbed into what we think about a Christian Christmas. And essentially it's more of a Northern European thing. So much more Norse. I guess it's almost a Viking tradition and plays into the more of a preoccupation in the north of Europe with Christmas than Easter. So I think Easter is the main festival in the south of Europe, mainly in Italy and all that kind of thing. As you get further north, there's more of an emphasis on Christmas, perhaps because winter is harder and worse and more difficult to endure. And the Yule log is an interesting one. The bit I love about it the most is that obviously the idea is you start your Christmas fire with last year's Yule log. It's a lovely idea there of continuity and all of that kind of thing. But then you get your next Yule log, which could be a whole tree, and you drag it into the house and you plonk the end of it in the fire and then you slowly feed it in as it burns. So you've got the rest of this tree across your living room while one end of it is on fire. I mean, if Health and safety ever saw this, we think the Victorians were nuts for putting live candles on Christmas trees. And the fire hazard that that was. Medieval folk go one better. They just literally set fire to the tree in their house. It seems like madness.

[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

I mean, it's warm.

[Matt Lewis]

Do you want it that warm?

[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

Seems a little warm. Seems a little overzealous.

[Matt Lewis]

I'm Professor Susannah Lipscomb and on Not Just the Tudors From History Hit we do admittedly cover quite a lot of Tudors, from the rise of Henry VII to the death of Henry viii, from Anne Boleyn to her daughter Elizabeth I. But we also do lots that's not Tudors, murderers, mistresses, pirates and witches clues in the title, really. So follow Not Just the Tudors From History Hit wherever you get your podcast.

[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

I mean, I know also that by the time we get to kind of the 17th century, there's also an attendant tradition, especially in England, of having Christmas candles as well. And you get two really big candles, maybe colored, if your budget can stretch to that, and the youngest person in the family or the household takes the candles and lights them on the Yule log. Then you pop those on the table and they're not allowed to be blown out until they burnt out. So there's rather a lot of introducing fire that shouldn't be extinguished to varying parts of the house. Which, you know, it's interesting as a choice, I would say.

[Matt Lewis]

Yeah. And it's almost like a dangerous, extreme version of the Advent candle that we might have today, where, you know, the idea is you keep it burning throughout the period, but you have to also judge it so that you keep enough of your Yule log to store for next year, because next year you've got to light your next Yule fire with that Yule log. But it's interesting that it plays into this whole idea of bringing kind of greenery into the house, of perhaps new life coming from old things being reborn. That's what you're hoping for. By the time you get to December, in the middle of winter, you're hoping to look forward to spring and new birth and things coming again. There's an idea there of continuity. So last year's fire is starting this year's fire to keep your family warm. There's that kind of bringing nature into the home. You know, we talk a lot today about having, you know, bringing the garden into the house. They're going one step further than dragging a tree and setting fire to it in the house. And I guess also you've got, you know, just the importance of fire. This is the thing that is going to see you through the winter. It's going to keep you warm. It's going to cook your food. If you don't have fire, you're in real trouble. So I think there's lots going on with the Yule log that when we're eating our cake, we're maybe not associating it with the millennia of history that are behind the tradition.

[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

And it's quite interesting because in the year, the Yule log often also has a role in that. You take that bit of the Yule log that you're going to light next year and you often put it under the bed of the head of the household. And the idea there is that it's supposed to ward off fire and also lightning strikes.

[Matt Lewis]

It's not a thing in medieval magic, isn't it? The idea that burnt wood fends off fire, that it can't be burnt again, but you're going to use this log to relight the fire next year.

[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

It's strange, you know, it's like putting gargoyles on buildings. So you put the monster on the building and then it scares off other monsters, I think is the same idea. It's this kind of apo portrait, easy for me to say, property in which you take the thing that's frightening and you somehow master it. And, you know, you can understand why they might be a bit wary of fire, being as they're just burning whole logs in the house sometimes, I guess. Guys, I've got some news for you about what I think might be causing some of those fires. I don't know.

[Matt Lewis]

Particularly when you're in a wooden house, having a permanently burning tree strewn through the front door seems like a risk.

[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

You know, I'm a little too risk averse for the Yule log that far. But, you know, if you want to present me with one of those buche de Noel cakes, I'm very excited about that.

[Matt Lewis]

Yeah. Anytime you can turn a tradition into a cake, I'm all for it.

[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

I've got a final tradition for you, Matt. A little less fire, but a bit of, I would say, rabble rousing, which is mummers and mumming. Just a fun thing to say in the first place. Do you know from whence this comes?

[Matt Lewis]

I do not know. Tell me more.

[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

Okay, so mumming is quite fun because we know that we have references to mumming from at least the 13th century. So, like 1296 is the first time we have something written about it. And it comes from Edward I's daughter's wedding, which happened at Christmas. And we know that they had mummers of the court and fiddlers and minstrels in order to celebrate this. So these were just kind of a part of the revels, both for the wedding and for Christmas more generally. Mumming in this context we think sort of refers to as a mask or a masquerade. But mumming also seems just very, very specifically within this have meant playing dice. And what you would do is you would dress up in a costume to kind of obscure your identity, and then you would play dice with the host for a number of jewels that he sort of set aside specifically for this. And so you'd say this is kind of like the purse that the house is putting out. And Christmas is traditionally one of those times when lords and kings and people were supposed to open their homes. So, you know, you kind of have the serfs round for dinner, that kind of thing, say, hey, thanks for making all this possible, let me feed you your own food, you know, back to you, that sort of thing. But this is kind of going one step further. And now, ordinarily for mumming at this level, you're going to be talking about members of the court. More commonly, you know, they're not going to let a peasant come in and play dice for some jewels. But we know, for example, that in 1377 there were one hundred and thirty men who showed up mumming on horseback for a ceremony that Richard II held. So pretty intense mumming. But this then eventually shifts a little bit. And mumming often, sometimes involves plays more specifically. And so we also have this term now called a mummer's play. And a mummer's play then also specifically involves a plot line in which somebody dies and then they are brought back to life. So again, you have people who dress up in these ridiculous costumes. And so maybe one of the things they do is they come into a house, they put on like a silly little play, someone comes back to life, hooray. And then they're kind of rewarded with the ability to gamble for their services, which is great.

[Matt Lewis]

Yeah, I think the play is what I associate mumming with. I guess I wasn't aware of all of that origin story behind it, which seems very much like managed generosity. You can come into my house and you can gamble and have some fun and you can win some stuff. The house is putting up a stake here, but it's very limited. You know, when the jewels are gone, the fun is over.

[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

Exactly. And these mummer's plays then eventually spill out into the normal world. And so you'll kind of have festival plays and this sort of thing that just happen out in the marketplace. There's a very famous Czech one from the 14th and 15th century, which is called Mastica, or the ointment cellar, and somebody dies. And basically it's like there's a quack ointment seller who Brings them back to life using varying ointments and things like that. And, you know, it's very slapstick, it involves a lot of farting. And it's like, this is really excellent, highfalutin medieval humor, but at the same time, you know, it reminds me a lot of what we do now with like the panto, right? You put on a big over the top play and everyone shouts, it's behind you. And there's a lot of audience interaction. So we definitely know that plays of this type are happening specifically at Christmas. It's just that you might also be allowed to gamble afterwards.

[Matt Lewis]

Why not, you know, gamble responsibly. Do you reckon we can connect that in any way with the idea of, like the boy bishop at Christmas? This idea that people dressed up and moved outside their normal social spheres and wore masks and behaved like other people? Because the boy bishop is another interesting, odd tradition that's all about turning things upside down and playing on the topsy turvy nature of Christmas.

[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

Yeah, I think absolutely. You know, we see this with mumming, you know, the same thing with women's Christmas. And it's really a long standing tradition for western winter festivals to do this. So, for example, you know, the Romans, they have Saturnalia and with that, you know, the slaves get to be master of the house for the day. So, you know, this seems to be, I think, in a really rigid world, in a world that has these very, very clear delineations between the varying classes and the varying orders of society. For them, the ridiculousness of inversion is just high comedy. And it does remind me a bit of, you know, when you see, for example, in the Victorian era, the sort of fantasy that you see in things like, I don't know, Alice of Wonderland, where you have a really rigid society. So they say, oh, you know, it would be funny if things were just like a giant hallucination the whole time and there were no rules. It just tells us a lot about where the boundaries are, because when they really cut loose, they're like, oh, what if things were the other way? What if the ladies didn't cook? You know, like, what if you could go into the house and win things from the Lord, not the Lord taking things from you. You know, it's hilarious.

[Matt Lewis]

Yeah, I think the boy Bishop 1 Always, I find strange in that it plays in the idea, the importance of children in the kingdom of heaven, but also the idea that, you know, those roles, those societal structures, however rigid, can be reversed. The meek shall inherit the earth, but they'll only inherit it for one day. Don't get carried away. Remember your place tomorrow. Have some fun today, but you know, it's over then.

[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

And this is absolutely true, you know, it reinforces these ideas. A temporary inversion allows you to just say, but those rules are in place for a reason and we let you off. So, yeah, the boy was bishop. Come on. It's okay now listen to the church again, everybody. There you go. That was your day off.

[Matt Lewis]

It's like the one day of football, isn't it? You know, there's your chance to get all your physical stuff out of your system. Here's your chance to get all of your republicanism or your kind of communism out of your system. And then tomorrow we go back to the way things really should be. You all behave yourselves and you know your place.

[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

We understand members of the town that students are really annoying. Well, once a year you can punch them in the face.

[Matt Lewis]

So we've got a purge for physical crimes and we've also got a purge for societal crimes with the boy bishop and mumming and things like that. It's interesting that that's what they're concerned about. You're allowed this little window. But it is almost like those at the top recognise the frustration that must exist and they do recognize the unfairness in the system because they're willing for one day to overturn it and be like, you know, what if?

[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

Yeah. And I think that also there is with that what if. What is quite interesting is that they say, and look, it's chaos. Huh? If you let you know the slave is the master and the mummers are in the house gambling and you know, the women didn't cook dinner. It's like, oh, and it's just so chaotic that this could never be anything other than a one off laugh. And so it puts it back into the realm of safety, you know, it's supposed to also explain why this can be for one night only.

[Matt Lewis]

How would you feel about being at a medieval Christmas with all of this stuff going on? Is that something somewhere you'd like to be?

[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

I think that I would actually, because I think that this is one of the times of year that you can sort of find out the most about who medieval people really are at their core. If they are sitting around trying to subvert things, then it tells you what's kind of going on in their heads. This is some real deep level psyche stuff. So for me, you know, that's absolute gold dust. Right? You know, I want to see them drag a tree into the house and then go punch their neighbor and then go, hmm, very interesting.

[Matt Lewis]

Yeah, that's all very deep. I was just thinking it'd be nice to have 12 days off work and a big party, but bring that back.

[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

You know, this is one of my most old fashioned opinions is that we need to bring back 12 days of Christmas. Absolutely. And speaking of, everyone here should go have a drink. Not punch your neighbor probably, but relax into the festive season. So all that remains is for me to thank you so much for being here, Matt.

[Matt Lewis]

Thank you very, very much for having me on a Tuesday at the beginning of the week. Absolutely fantastic to be here.

[Dr. Eleanor Jaenega]

We hope you enjoyed this dive into the wonderful world of Medieval Christmas. Thanks to Matt for stopping by to see me. And thank you for listening to Gone Medieval from History hit. Remember, you can enjoy unlimited access to award winning original TV documentaries that are released weekly and ad free podcasts by signing [e-mail] subscription if you want to spend a bit more time with me this festive season and are looking for something celebratory, why not check out my series on medieval pleasures. Remember, you can follow Gone Medieval on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts and tell all your friends and family about us if you have a moment, please. Also could you drop us a review or rate us wherever you get your podcasts, it really does help new listeners to find us. Matt is back on Friday, welcoming in a new year with a brand new episode. But for now, Matt and I and all the Gone Medieval team hope that you are having a restorative festive break and we wish you all a sparkling happy new Year.

[Matt Lewis]

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