Prostitutes Past September 6, 2016
Author: Beach Combing | in : Medieval, Modern , trackback
Beach has recently been reading around medieval and early modern prostitutes. Of course, contemporary sources are not particularly vivid in this respect. Between canon law and town legislation, we either get an hysterical appeal to the coldest parts of the Gospels, or pounds, pennies and halfpence. In fact, if you want to relive the medieval brothel the closest you will come are the names of those women. Here are the highlights from Otis’ Prostitution in Medieval Society (131-135).
So an early sixteenth century list from Toulouse includes the following. There was: la Serena (the siren – comb and mirror time?); La Vinhala (the vine-keeper); la Francesa (the Frenchie?); la Garache (the plougher – ploughing often used in sexual imagery); la Petit Hoeyl (the little ewe); la Granda Lombarda (the fat Lombard), not to be confused with la Petita Lombarda (the little Lombard). We also have: la Johanna de la Terrada (Sown Field Joanna); la Soillarda (the dirty one); la Bedossa (the stutterer); la Tuffayna (the hairy one?); and la Porreta (little mulberry bush)
Another Tolouse list includes still more interesting names. Here there was la Berena (the Old Ewe, sister of Little Ewe?); la Torta (the lame one); la Bastoyna (the pack animal); la Morelasa (the Moor); la Mandeta (the fox); and, of course, la Bornieta (the one-eyed).
Beach would suggest we approach the experience of a late medieval man about to buy his pound of flesh thus. Close your eyes and imagine the brothel mistress banging her stick on the floor as a number of prostitutes, Old Ewe, Sown Field Johanna, the Pack Animal and the Fat Lombard walk or limp seductively into the room. Beach has to confess that the only ‘woman of the night’ from early modern Toulouse that he finds even vaguely alluring is la Poretta. Little Mulberry Bush, as she was known to English-speaking friends. Regrettably, though, la Poretta can also be translated as ‘the Leek’ which has rather different medieval associations, none of them erotic….
Other prostitute names from the ancient, medieval or early modern world: drbeachcombing At yahoo DOT com
