SC - Boars head songs and menus
Serian
serian at uswest.net
Sun Oct 22 00:54:47 PDT 2000
The Boar's Head is a heraldic symbol of hospitality.
http://www.fleurdelis.com/meanings.htm
Serian
Christine A Seelye-King wrote:
>
> At our last Chourusters' guild meeting, Baron William expressed doubts as
> to the periodicity of the "Boar's Head Carol". I was looking through my
> email
> files for something else, and ran across this message (which originally
> came from Temair and the Early Music list) that I thought might be of
> interest. I sent it along to the Choruster's list, and his responses are
> below. My thought was, there is quite a bit of information as to the
> meal that went along with the song, and we should be able to create a
> menu based on the descriptions therein.
> Christianna
>
> --------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Terri Spencer <taracook at yahoo.com>
> To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org
> Date: Mon, 27 Mar 2000 19:19:01 -0800 (PST)
> Subject: SC - Boars head songs
>
> Here are three "culinary" songs from a book of Middle English Lyrics.
> All are 15th century Christmas/Twelfth night songs. They all start off
> with the famous boar's head, and one describes a fine yule feast.
> First the one everyone has heard, perhaps even served boar to:
>
> The bores hed in hondes I bringe,
> With garlondes gay and birdes singinge!
> I pray you all helpe me to singe,
> Qui estis in convivio. (Who are at this banquet)
>
> (Refrain)
> Caput apri refer, (The boar's head I bring)
> Resonens laudes Domino. (Singing praises to the Lord)
>
> The bores hede, I understond,
> Is chef service in all this londe,
> Whersoever it may be fonde,
> Servitur cum sinapio. (It is served with mustard)
>
> The bores hede, I dare well say,
> Anon after the twelfthe day,
> He taketh his leve and goth away
> Exivit tunc de patria. (He has left the country)
>
> Another:
> At the beginning of the mete,
> Of a bores hed ye schal ete,
> And in the mustard ye shall wete;
> And ye shall singen or ye gon.
>
> (Refrain)
> Po, po, po, po,
> Love brane and so do mo.
>
> Wolcum be ye that ben here,
> And ye shall have right gud chere,
> And also a right gud fare;
> And ye shall singen or ye gon.
>
> And another:
> The bores hede in hond I bring,
> With garlond gay in portoring;
> I pray you all with me to singe,
> With Hay!
>
> (Refrain)
> Hey, hey, hey, hey!
> The bores hede is armed gay.
>
> Lordes, knightes, and squiers,
> Persons, prestes, and vicars -
> The bores hede is the furst mess,
> With hay!
>
> The bores hede, as I you say,
> He takes his leive and gothe his way
> Soon after the tweilfeth day,
> With hay!
>
> Then comes in the secund cours with mikel pride:
> The cranes and the heirons, the bitteres by ther side,
> The pertriches and the plovers, the woodcokes and the snit,
> With hay!
>
> Larkes in hot schow, ladys for to pik,
> Good drink therto, lucius and fin
> Bluet of almain, romnay and win,
> With hay!
>
> Gud bred, ale, and win, dare I well say,
> The bores hede with musterd armed so gay.
>
> Furmante to pottage, with venisun fin,
> And the hombuls of the dove, and all that ever comes in.
>
> Capons ibake, with the peses of the row,
> Reisons of corrans, with oder spises mo.
>
> That one loses momentum at the end, along with meter and refrain. A
> few notes - not really anything new, but confirmation:
>
> Boars head is served with mustard - all the songs insist on it!
> Another word for course - mess.
> Another word for chef - chief.
> Among the good drinks: bruet of almond, sweet wine and wine. Could
> they be drinking the almond milk?
> Seems the boar "leaves the country" and "goes his way" after twelfth
> night. No more fresh pork until spring?
>
> Just one more, from a drinking song with many verses:
> Bring us in no butter, for therin are many heres;
> Nor bring us in no pigges flesche, for that will make us bores;
> But bring us in good ale.
>
> Tara
>
> (To which William responded:)
>
> Well, there is much to be learned here.
>
> 1) Apparently the Boar's Head Carol is indeed period.
>
> 2) It was possible to get the bores to leave the country.
>
> 3) Mo (as opposed to Curleigh or Lareigh got all the "branes".
>
> 4) The Boar's head, which is described as an "armed gay", is "the first
> mess" and as such has precedence over lords, knights, and squires.
>
> 5) In addition to mustard, Boar's head is served "with hay".
>
> 6) Snit is also served with hay, along with various non-kosher
> waterfowl.
> I'm not certain I actually want to know more about that.
>
> 7) Finally, whoever wrote that ditty about (among other things) butter,
> never heard the old Scottish proverb: "The mair durt, the less hurt".
>
> Amazing what one can infer from period documents, no?
>
> William
>
> Plagiarize! Let no one else's work evade your eyes!
> Remember why the Good Lord gave you eyes, so don't
> shade your eyes, but plagiarize, plagiarize, plagiarize!
> Only be sure always to call it, please, RESEARCH!
> (Thomas Andrew Lehrer, in "Lobachevsky")
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