Žito (,
also called Ziito, fl. fourteenth century) was a court-magician of
Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia
Wenceslaus IV (also ''Wenceslas''; ; , nicknamed "the Idle"; 26 February 136116 August 1419), also known as Wenceslaus of Luxembourg, was King of Bohemia from 1378 until his death and King of Germany from 1376 until he was deposed in 1400. As he ...
.
History
Žito was well known as a conjurer and illusionist. Reportedly, he was
deformed and had a mouth that stretched from ear to ear.
Among the tales told of his prowess with sleight of hand is one in which, during an argument with a visiting juggler, he swallowed him whole, except for his shoes. He returned a time later, leading his opponent by the hand.
[ Supposedly this occurred during the wedding of Wenceslaus and Sophia.
At a banquet, he caused a commotion outside, and when the guests went to look, he affixed deer antlers to their heads, which prevented them from drawing their heads back inside. While they struggled to remove them, he helped himself to sweets from their tables.
In another, he sold a butcher a dozen pigs, under the condition they not drink from running water. When they did so, the pigs changed into kernels of corn. He was angry at Žito and accosted him roughly, tearing one of his arms out by the roots. The argument soon attracted a crowd and Žito called out that the butcher was actually selling human flesh in his stall. The crowd rushed to look and found the proof. When the butcher was about to be torn apart, Žito called out for the crowd to look again. They found only animal meat.][
He traveled in a cart drawn by poultry.
According to '; published in 1552 by Dubravius, he was at the end taken to Hell, in "both body and soul".]
Factualness
P. T. Barnum
Phineas Taylor Barnum (July 5, 1810 – April 7, 1891) was an American showman, businessman, and politician remembered for promoting celebrated hoaxes and founding with James Anthony Bailey the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. He was ...
, while considering all stories of magicians to be fictional, points out that the story of the butcher closely resembles a story about Doctor Faustus selling a magic trick horse, before allowing the enraged buyer to pull off his foot and leg while Faustus slept.
While many of his exploits can be seen as the product of skilled illusions
An illusion is a distortion of the senses, which can reveal how the mind normally organizes and interprets sensory stimulation. Although illusions distort the human perception of reality, they are generally shared by most people.
Illusions may ...
such as Misdirection
Misdirection may refer to:
* Misdirection (magic), a technique used when performing magic tricks
* Misdirection, a technique used for the purpose of pickpocketing
* Misdirection (pickleball), a deceptive strategy when hitting the ball
* Misdirec ...
and Quick-change, in the past this was seen as the product of sorcery
Sorcery commonly refers to:
* Magic (supernatural), the application of beliefs, rituals or actions employed to manipulate natural or supernatural beings and forces
** Goetia, ''Goetia'', magic involving the evocation of spirits
** Witchcraft, the ...
.
Mentions
Appeared in House of Secrets' short feature ''Realm of the Mystics''.
Appeared on a postage stamp of the Czech Republic in 1997.
In Holub's poem "Žito the Magician",
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zito
14th-century people from Bohemia
Magicians
Date of birth unknown
Date of death unknown