Saint Grobian (

Medieval Latin Medieval Latin was the form of Literary Latin used in Roman Catholic Western Europe during the Middle Ages. In this region it served as the primary written language, though local languages were also written to varying degrees. Latin functioned ...

, ''Sanctus Grobianus'') is a fictional

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...

of vulgar and coarse people. His name is derived from the

Middle High German Middle High German (MHG; german: Mittelhochdeutsch (Mhd.)) is the term for the form of German spoken in the High Middle Ages. It is conventionally dated between 1050 and 1350, developing from Old High German and into Early New High German. High ...

or , meaning coarse or vulgar. The

Old High German Old High German (OHG; german: Althochdeutsch (Ahd.)) is the earliest stage of the German language, conventionally covering the period from around 750 to 1050. There is no standardised or supra-regional form of German at this period, and Old High ...

cognate In historical linguistics, cognates or lexical cognates are sets of words in different languages that have been inherited in direct descent from an etymology, etymological ancestor in a proto-language, common parent language. Because language c ...

is , . The word "grobian" has thus passed into the

English language English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the is ...

as an obscure word for any crude, sloppy, or

buffoon A jester, court jester, fool or joker was a member of the household of a nobleman or a monarch employed to entertain guests during the medieval and Renaissance eras. Jesters were also itinerant performers who entertained common folk at fairs and ...

ish person.

History

The satirist

Sebastian Brant Sebastian Brant (also Brandt) (1458 – 10 May 1521) was a German humanist and satirist. He is best known for his satire '' Das Narrenschiff'' (''The Ship of Fools''). Biography Brant was born in Strasbourg to an innkeeper but eventually enter ...

(1457–1521) conceived Saint Grobian as the patron saint of coarse manners in his famous poem ''

Das Narrenschiff ''Ship of Fools'' (Modern German: , la, Stultifera Navis, original medieval German title: ) is a satirical allegory in German verse published in 1494 in Basel, Switzerland, by the humanist and theologian Sebastian Brant. It is the most fam ...

'' (1494). ''Das Narrenschiff'' describes the worship paid to this new saint. Grobian is found later in several works of the period.

Friedrich Dedekind Friedrich Dedekind (1524 – February 27, 1598) was a German humanist, theologian, and bookseller. Born in Neustadt am Rübenberge, he was educated at the universities of Marburg (1543) and Wittenberg, where he studied theology. At Wittenberg, h ...

(1524-1598) published ''Grobianus et Grobiana: sive, de morum simplicitate, libri tres'' in 1558 at

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...

. Here Grobian is a counselor who teaches men on how to avoid bad manners,

gluttony Gluttony ( la, gula, derived from the Latin ''gluttire'' meaning "to gulp down or swallow") means over-indulgence and over-consumption of food, drink, or wealth items, particularly as status symbols. In Christianity, it is considered a sin if ...

, and

drunkenness Alcohol intoxication, also known as alcohol poisoning, commonly described as drunkenness or inebriation, is the negative behavior and physical effects caused by a recent consumption of alcohol. In addition to the toxicity of ethanol, the main p ...

. Dedekind's work appeared in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

in 1605 as ''The Schoole of Slovenrie: Or, Cato turned wrong side outward'', published by one "R.F.". The "Schoole" was imagined as a place where one was instructed to use one's greasy

finger A finger is a limb of the body and a type of digit, an organ of manipulation and sensation found in the hands of most of the Tetrapods, so also with humans and other primates. Most land vertebrates have five fingers ( Pentadactyly). Chambers ...

s to grab at the nicest portions of any dish and snatch food belonging to fellow diners. Holding back the desire to

urinate Urination, also known as micturition, is the release of urine from the urinary bladder through the urethra to the outside of the body. It is the urinary system's form of excretion. It is also known medically as micturition, voiding, uresis, ...

fart Flatulence, in humans, is the expulsion of gas from the Gastrointestinal tract, intestines via the anus, commonly referred to as farting. "Flatus" is the medical word for gas generated in the stomach or bowels. A proportion of intestinal gas m ...

, and

vomit Vomiting (also known as emesis and throwing up) is the involuntary, forceful expulsion of the contents of one's stomach through the mouth and sometimes the nose. Vomiting can be the result of ailments like food poisoning, gastroenteriti ...

is taught to be bad for one's health; thus, one has to indulge freely in all three activities. The work also inspired Thomas Dekker's ''The Guls Horne-Booke'' (1609). The

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

writer

Melchior Meyr Melchior Meyr (June 28, 1810 in Wallerstein-Ehringen – April 22, 1871 in Munich) was a German poet, novelist and philosopher. Life He read law and philosophy at Heidelberg and Munich. His greatest success was the ''Erzählungen aus dem Ries ...

is the author of a work entitled ''Gespräche mit einem Grobian'' (1866). Sebastian Brant's

allegory As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a hidden meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory th ...

was translated into English by

Alexander Barclay Dr Alexander Barclay (c. 1476 – 10 June 1552) was a poet and clergyman of the Church of England, probably born in Scotland. Biography Barclay was born in about 1476. His place of birth is matter of dispute, but William Bulleyn, who w ...

and Henry Watson as ''

Ship of Fools The ship of fools is an allegory, originating from Book VI of Plato's ''Republic'', about a ship with a dysfunctional crew. The allegory is intended to represent the problems of governance prevailing in a political system not based on expert kn ...

'', both in 1509. See also

ship of fools The ship of fools is an allegory, originating from Book VI of Plato's ''Republic'', about a ship with a dysfunctional crew. The allegory is intended to represent the problems of governance prevailing in a political system not based on expert kn ...

References

Sources

*Rod Evans, ''The Gilded Tongue'' (Cincinnati: Writers Digest Books, 2006), 59.

External links

Gull’s Hornbook

{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040815181425/http://www.johnwebster.galeon.com/glossary-g.htm , date=2004-08-15 Fictional Christian saints Medieval legends