In This Series:
The first historical notice of the Barnacle found, as of yet, is the account of Giraldus Cambrensis, circa 1188, in his account of Ireland. The account makes two things clear: 1) the Barnacle myth was not a new one even then; and 2) the Barnacle was a matter of debate vis-à-vis Christian dietary rules.
- Shakespeare’s Barnacles.
- Giraldus Cambrensison the Myth of the Barnacle (c. 1188).
- Dietary Rules for Barnacles: Innocent III to Gordon Ramsey.
The first historical notice of the Barnacle found, as of yet, is the account of Giraldus Cambrensis, circa 1188, in his account of Ireland. The account makes two things clear: 1) the Barnacle myth was not a new one even then; and 2) the Barnacle was a matter of debate vis-à-vis Christian dietary rules.
They do not breed and lay eggs, like other birds; nor do they
ever hatch any eggs; nor do they seem to build nests in any corner of the
earth. Hence bishops and clergymen in some parts of Ireland do not scruple to
dine of these birds at the time of fasting, because they are not flesh, nor
born of flesh.[1]
Further commentary by Muller, in his Lectures on the
Science of Language, strongly suggests that the record of these dietary
debates goes back well beyond Cambrensis’ work and extended to the Jewish
religion.
The Jews also seem to have been interested in this question,
which touched them by raising a doubt whether Barnacle geese should be killed
as flesh or as fish. Mordechai (Riva, 1559, leaf 142 a) asks whether these
birds are fruits, fish, or flesh, i.e. whether they must be killed, in the
Jewish way, as they would if they were flesh. He describes them as birds which
grow on trees, and he says that Rabbi Jehudah of Worms (died 1216) used to say
that he had heard from his father, Rabbi Samuel of Speyer (about 1150), that
Rabbi Jacob Thom of Ramerii (died 1171, the grandson of the great Rabbi Rash'i,
about 1140) had decided that they must be killed as flesh. This would carry the
legend back to the twelfth century; and it is certain, at all events, that
Rabbi Isaak of Corbeil, in his ‘Sofer Mizwoth Katan’ (1277) prohibited the
eating of Barnacle geese altogether, because they were neither flesh nor fish.[2]
The Barnacle was a marvel of God, a confusion to those in
authority in such matters. Their people
turned to them for clarification. In
those days, a person’s religion was expected to fend off the confusion and
ignorance into which the age had fallen.
The matter was of sufficient importance that “Pope Innocent
III., at the General Lateran Council, 1215, had to prohibit the eating of
Barnacle geese during Lent.”[3] The debate had gone on, vigorously, for at
least 40 years already.[4]
Barliates sunt aves de
ligno crescentes, quas vulgus bernestas sive bernekas appellat. Fertur enim
quod lignum de abiete marinis aquis incidens quum successu temporis
putrescere ceperit, humorem ex se crassum emittit : ex quo densato
formantur parvæ species avium ad magnitudinem alaudarum. Primumque sunt nudæ.
Deinde maturantes plumescunt ac rostris ad lignum pendentes per mare fluitant
usque ad maturitatem, donec se commorantes abrumpant sic que crescant et
roborentur usque ad debitam formam.
***
De his itaque certum est
quod in orbe nostro circa Germaniam nec per coitum gignunt nec generantur.
Sed nec earum coitum apud nos ullus hominum vidit. Unde et carnibus earum in
XL nonnulli etiam christiani in nostra ætate in locis ubi avium hujusmodi
copia est uti solebant. Sed innocentius papa tertius in
Lateranensi concilio generali hoc ultra fieri vetuit. Hae volucres herbis et graminibus (ut anseres)
vivunt, potum vero differre sicca comedentes nullatenus possunt.
|
Barliates are birds that grow on wood, which the vulgar call bernestas
or bernekas. It is said that,
over time, the fir tree repeatedly struck by the motion of the sea,
putrefies, becomes soaked, and sends forth growth from itself: from this are
formed small bird-forms about the size of Larks. The aforementioned are unfledged. They grow feathers while they hang from the
tree by their beaks floating in the sea until they mature, at which time,
having grown in form and strength they break off.
***
It is certain, therefore, that in the world around Germany it is not generated
by the sexual act. No man among us has
seen it engage in coitus. Hence some Christians
in our time, near where the birds
inhabit, have grown used to eating the
flesh of them during Lent. However,
Pope Innocent III in the Lateran General Council declared they would
henceforth be banned. These are birds, for they eat herbs and grasses (like
geese), live on dry land, differ in no way.
|
Goose Barnacles Tapas Style (2:03) - Gordon Ramsay
These are the barnacles thought for centuries to be Barnacle Goose fetuses. After those centuries and a few more, those crustaceans remain a regional delicacy of Portugal. Today, we look not to our Popes or Councils but to our television chefs to tell us if we can enjoy our foods.
[2]
Ibid. 593.
[4] If
we accept that Rabbi Jacob Thom of Ramerii was involved in it before his death
in 1171.
Also at Virtual Grub Street:
- Shakespeare’s Barnacles. March 3, 2016. “Prospero will wake, he fears, before they can murder him, and will cast a spell on them.”
- The King's Esnecce. January 13, 2019. “It comes as no surprise, then, that when Maud’s son, Henry Plantagenet, Count or Duke of most of the western territories of France, and, by terms of the treaty, heir to Stephen, next rose to the throne as Henry II, he was quick to arrange for the safest possible means of transit across the channel.”
- Connections: Henry II, Toulouse, 1159. November 27, 2018. “Once he became Chancellor, Becket never looked back. He abandoned his duties as Archdeacon and preaching duties attached to his other positions. He outfitted a lavish household and lived like a secular lord.”
- Check out the Medieval Topics Article Index for many more articles about this fascinating time.
- Check out the English Renaissance Article Index for many more articles and reviews about this fascinating time.
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