Penis Nests March 19, 2016
Author: Beach Combing | in : Medieval , trackback
We have previously visited a remarkable passage in Malleus Maleficarum (1485) where that work’s author, Heinrich Kramer, describes a penis theft: or rather a penis illusion, because Kramer claims the penis is still ‘there’ but hidden. That account was apparently based on a witness: this account sounds like folklore.
Finally, what shall we think about those witches who somehow take members in large numbers (twenty or thirty) and shut them up together in a birds’ nest or some box, where they move about like living members, eating oats or other feed? This has been seen by many and is a matter of common talk. One should say that it is all brought about by the devil’s work and illusion. The senses of the witnesses are deceived in the manner we have mentioned above. A man reported that he had lost his member and approached a certain witch in order to restore his health. She told the sick man to climb a particular tree where there was a nest containing many members, and allowed him to take any one he liked. When he tried to take a big one, the witch said you may not take that one, adding, because it belonged to a parish priest. (Quid denique sentiendum super eas maleficas qui huiusmodi membra in copioso interdum numero ut viginti vel triginta membra insimul ad nidum avium vel ad aliquod scrineum includunt, ubi et quasi viventia membra se movent vel avenam vel pabulum consumendo prout a multi visa sunt et communis fama refert. Dicendum quod diabolica operatione et illusione cuncta exercentur. Sic enim sensus videntium illuduntur modis supra tactis. Retulit enim quidam quod dum membrum perdidisset et quondam maleficam causa recuperande sanitatis accessisset. Ilia ut quondam arborem ascenderet infirmo iniunxit et ut de nido in quo plurima errant membra si quod vellet accipere indulsit. Et cum Me magnum quoddam accipere attentassit non ait malefica Mud accipias et quia uni ex plebanis attineret subiunxit.
Moira Smith in her very good ‘The Flying Phallus and the Laughing Inquisitor: Penis Theft in the ‘Malleus Maleficarum’’, Journal of Folklore Research 39 (2002), 85-117, argues that Kramer is here recounting a joke he has heard,* but the poor woman-burning dear has not understood that it is a joke. Note that in many European languages (particularly Latin languages) ‘bird’ is slang for penis. This would seem a bit of a stretch were it not for the final line about the priest’s member. It makes one wonder what a modern civil servant could do to society if he took knock knock jokes seriously, say? ‘I’m telling you that man is Dr Who! Arrest him!’ Any other evidence for the penis nest: drbeachcombing AT yahoo DOT com Note that there are a series of medieval images about trees with penis fruit… Connected?
*Perhaps Kramer overheard one of his novices and they had to pretend it was genuine?
