There are many ways to depict innocence in a story. Words used to describe innocence can be “small,” “little,” “young,” etc. These could also be related to a small or young child or a location such as a small town.
Dorchester is a historic neighborhood located in Boston, MA. It was founded by Puritans in 1630 who emigrated from Dorchester, Dorset, England. It is currently Boston’s largest neighborhood. Dorchester is home to the oldest religious organization in Boston, a church that was originally created as the First Parish Church of Dorchester and still remains today. In addition to this accomplishment, Dorchester is also home to the first and oldest public elementary school in America, the Mather School. The school was created in 1639 and also stands today. Dorchester was founded only a few months before the city of Boston was founded, showing a scale of how important this neighborhood was historically for the growth of America.
The story of The Prioress’s Tale takes place in a small Christian town somewhere in Asia. Children are a reoccurring topic in the story, representing innocence. The focus of the story is of a Christian boy, who is murdered on his way home from school by a group of Jewish boys who were told to do so by Satan himself. The neighborhood of Dorchester, to me, reminds me of these scenes. The schools and churches are small as well as the neighborhood itself. It was a religious town, which resembles the town in which the story took place.
A marble font of Saint Nicholas in Winchester Cathedral is also a good reminder of the story. The Tournai Marble Font was bought from Tournai, in modern Belgium, in the 12th century and is still there today. The block this piece of art was carved from weighed around 1.5 tons and dates back to around 1150. It is the finest of ten fonts in England. In this time period, sculptures were created as iconic messages to be shared. This particular font is decorated with the extraordinary life of Saint Nicholas with symbolic animals such as birds and lions. It is thought to be a gift from Henry of Blois, William the Conqueror’s grandson. Saint Nicholas was known as a man who committed many acts of kindness, especially to children, leading to his identification with Santa Claus. The carvings on the font show multiple stories, but all of them revolve around Saint Nicholas. A few of the stories depict St. Nicholas bringing people back to life. Fonts are mainly used as a symbol of the start of Christian life. They also hold the water in which babies are baptized. It is still used for baptisms today. This relates to Chaucer’s The Prioress’ Tale due to the fact that Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of children by means of acts of kindness. The fact that he brought people back to life resonates with the story, specifically when the Christian boy who was murdered comes back to life singing the song of the Vigin Mary that caused the boys to murder him in the first place.
There are three legends of three knights in three different countries around the world. The first is the well-known legend of King Arthur and how he pulled the sword from stone. The second legend is the story of Sir Galgano, a knight who became a saint. The last legend is of Sir James Gunn, the knight of prince Henry Sinclair. All three of these stories involve a knight, a sword, and the legend they left behind.
Although many have heard different stories of King Arthur, this story comes from Le Morte d’Arthur by Thomas Malory. As the story goes, Arthur, before he became the king, was raised by Sir Ector. Sir Kay and Sir Ector, his foster-brother, were planning to take part in a New Year’s joust. Sir Kay forgot his sword. Arthur goes back to their lodging to get Sir Kay’s sword and return it to him. When he arrives at the lodging he finds the placed locked with no one inside, so instead Arthur goes to a churchyard where he finds a sword in a stone. He “lightly and fiercely pulled it out of the stone” (Malory). This sword however was special; it can only be pulled from the sword by the true and rightful king of England. Many tried to pull the sword, but to no avail. This is the story of how Arthur becomes King. People see that he is able to pull the sword from the stone and realize he must be the king. This legend is an iconic one. While this story originates from England, a similar legend exists in Italy.
The story of Sir Galgano is one of a knight who becomes a saint. The story goes that Sir Galgano was a famous knight, who was contacted by Archangel Michael in a dream. Michael leads this knight reluctantly to a hill in Monte Siepi, where a small circular church stood. Michael asked him to renounce all worldly pleasure. Being the short-tempered knight that he is, he says, “Indeed, I would gladly follow your order, but doing so for me would be as easy as splitting rocks with a sword.” Galgano draws his sword and strikes the rock to prove a point. Sir Galgano was expecting the sword to break, but the sword “penetrated the rock like a hot knife through butter” (O’Reilly). His story spread far and wide. The devil sent an evil man disguised as a monk to kill Galgano. The wolves he befriended killed this evil man protecting Galgano. A year after sinking the sword into the stone Galgano died. His story was so well-known that bishops and abbots attended the funeral. The sword can be seen even today, protruding from the jagged rock, surrounded by the Monte Siepi Chapel. His canonization, the process for someone to officially become a saint, began a few years after his death, in 1185. It was “suggested by some as the inspiration for the British legend,” the story of King Arthur in Britain (Horty). While these stories come from countries on the other side of the world, there is a legend of a knight in New England.
Prince Henry Sinclair led an expedition to explore Nova Scotia and Massachusetts in 1398, 90 years before Columbus! The Westford knight is a carving of a knight with a cracked sword and a shield. This knight was one of Prince Sinclair’s knights. While he was exploring Massachusetts, the loyal attendant, by the name of Sir James Gunn, died. In memory of Sir James Gunn they carved an effigy into a rock. This rock had scratches on it previously and “were incorporated into the man-made design” ("The Westford Knight"). This carving was not always believed to be from a Scottish explorer. It was believed to be a Native American carving or a colonial one.
These stories all have their differences and similarities. All originated in different countries, telling tales of three separate times. These stories, and the physical remnants they left behind, are important. They connect the history from every country.
Ades, David. "Boudicca." Social Alternatives, vol. 29, no. 1, 2010, pp. 48, ProQuest Central, https://web.fitchburgstate.edu:2443/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/213966314?accountid=10896.
McGunigal, Lisa. "The criminal trial of Anne Hutchinson: ritual, religion, and law." Mosaic: An interdisciplinary critical journal, vol. 49, no. 2, 2016, p. 149. General OneFile, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A462327512/ITOF?u=mlin_c_fitchcol&sid=ITOF&xid=75f74d22.
Potter, T W. You Are Looking For. Oxford University Press, 23 Sept. 2004, ds5tw8cn5h.search.serialssolutions.com/?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info%3Aofi%2Fenc%3AUTF-8&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fsummon.serialssolutions.com&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=bookitem&rft.title=Oxford%2BDictionary%2Bof%2BNational%2BBiography&rft.au=T.%2BW.%2BPotter&rft.atitle=Boudicca&rft.date=2004-09-23&rft.pub=Oxford%2BUniversity%2BPress&rft.isbn=019861411X&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1093%2Fref%3Aodnb%2F2732&rft.externalDocID=10_1093_ref_odnb_2732¶mdict=en-US.
Giovanni Boccaccio wrote Day 10, Story 10, also known as the story of Griselda, as the final tale in his Decameron. This story takes place in a town south of Turin, Italy, and revolves around the tale of an Italian Marquis of Saluzzo named Gualtieri, who is plagued with the responsibility to produce an heir to continue his bloodline as the leader of his people, a problem that he chooses to solve by marrying a peasant woman named Griselda.
Certaldo, Italy - Casa del Boccaccio; Giovanni Boccaccio [1313-1375]
Much like Gualtieri, Italian writer and poet, Giovanni Boccaccio managed to create his own legacy through his life and works which since then have become some of the greatest historical features of his hometown of Certaldo, Italy. Found on Via Boccaccio, within the heart of Certaldo, buildings such as Boccaccio’s very own home have been turned into museums to pay homage to one of Italy’s most prominent literary figures. Casa del Boccaccio was Boccaccio’s childhood home since the early 13th century. It was restored in 1823, although the original structure of the home was damaged on January 15, 1944, due to an airstrike during World War II. Since then, the house has been rebuilt and renovated to preserve the illustrious works of the poet, including furniture and various illustrated editions of the Decameron that survived the war. Other objects that can be found within the small museum include a collection of late 14th to early 15th-century women’s shoes, the fresco painting of Boccaccio by painter Benvenuti housed within “the poet’s room," and various geographical, historical, and cultural exhibitions dedicated to Boccaccio’s time. Lastly, housed within Boccaccio’s home is the tombstone plate of the poet, although the actual poet’s remains reside in another tomb located in the Chiese dei Santi Jacopo e Filippo, known as the Church of St. Jacopo and Filippo, also located in Certaldo.
Fitchburg, MA - Fitchburg Art Museum; Eleanor Norcross [1854-1923]
New England, though in many ways different from Certaldo, Italy, contains many museums that house a tremendous amount of history. One such museum is the Fitchburg Art Museum, located in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. Like many other cultural heritage sites like Casa del Boccaccio, we can thank legacy for its existence. The Fitchburg Art Museum owes its creation to its founder, Ella Augusta, better known as Eleanor Norcross. Eleanor Norcross much like Boccaccio grew up in the town for which she is famous. From an early age her parents, who were also influential Fitchburg residents, supported her pursuits in the arts, painting, and art collecting. Her father, Amasa Norcross, survived both Eleanor’s mother and younger brother, resulting in a strong relationship with his only daughter. Due to his influence, Eleanor went on to study fine arts in Paris, France, through which she then became the avid painter we know today. This was not enough, however. Eleanor wanted to share her appreciation for the arts and the collections that inspired her with all her fellow Fitchburg residents. It was through this goal that the Fitchburg Art Museum was born, first as the Fitchburg Art Center (1929) and later on as the current museum. Much like Boccaccio, though Eleanor never lived to see the result of her dream realized, or the effects of her inspiration, her legacy lives on through those who have chosen to preserve her memory and work. As a result, through a translation of her vision, her collection has grown and will continue to do so, so long as cultural heritage continues to be of importance.
Whydah Pirate Museum is in Yarmouth, Massachusetts. The wreck of the Whydah Gally is approximately fifteen-hundred feet off Marconi Beach in Cap Cod, with most of its wreckage submerged in sand. Originally built in 1715 as a transport ship for slaves, the Whydah Gally sat at one-hundred feet in length and weighed over three-hundred tons. During its first and only voyage as a slave transport ship, it was taken by pirate captain Sam “Black” Bellamy after a three-day chase. By the time Bellamy’s fleet reached New England after taking over the Whydah, he and his crew had plundered over fifty separate vessels. On the night of April 26, 1717, a nor’easter struck the Whydah, running the ship aground on a sandbar. Many of the pieces recovered from the wreck are on display in the Whydah Pirate Museum, which currently houses a full-size replica of the ship. Since the wreck’s discovery by an underwater explorer named Barry Clifford, over two-hundred-thousand pieces have been recovered by Clifford’s team according to Ian Aldrich of New England Today. The wreck of the Whydah is one of the only golden-age pirate wrecks with undoubted conformation thanks to the discovery of a plaque and bell with the ship’s name on both, which makes it a cultural symbol of the late golden-age of pirating. Not only is it one of the only identified golden-age pirate wrecks with two pieces of proof confirming the ship’s identity, but it also remains in the New England area, making it a valuable symbol of pirating and pirate culture during the early 18th century. Pirating and pirates have a long-standing history in the seafaring world. Traversing oceans and battling the elements can be just as deadly as the pirating and raiding, and the 18th-century pirate lifestyle owes a great deal to that of their Viking metaphorical ancestors.
Vikings are synonymous with pirating, looting, raiding, and seafaring travel. Some would consider Vikings to be some of the best sea navigators of their day, and with good reason. Being a Viking was a job, and that job involved pirating. If a Viking wasn’t an excellent navigator, fighter, or plunderer of goods, the Viking wasn’t good at their job.
Egil’s Saga follows the story and lives of the clan Egil Skallagrimsson, who holds the titles of farmer, skald, and Viking. The saga spans multiple generations and goes through the family’s history from Egil’s grandfather to Egil’s offspring. Like the pirates aboard the Whydah, Vikings plundered for loot across the seas. While pirates primarily overtook ships, and preferred not to fight and risk losing the enemy’s ship and the cargo it held, Vikings primarily raided along coastal waters and, as a result, didn’t have the heavy economical restrictions as golden-age pirates. As The Sagas of the Icelanders edited by Jane Smiley notes, the Viking’s “[f]irst notable attack on England came, according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, in 793, when the church on the island of Lindisfarne was plundered and some people were slain.” While being a Viking was a job and title, piracy in the golden-age of pirates was more akin to a way of life. Vikings could go back home to their family in Iceland or Norway, but pirates didn’t typically have national allies, which made going to any kind of home much more difficult.
The image chosen to go with Egil’s Saga and subsequently the Whydah Pirate Museum and Whydah shipwreck is the image of a Viking longboat at the Roskilde Ship Museum in Denmark. Both Vikings and the more modern, golden-age pirate used ships as their primary method of travel, which makes this image serve as a reminder not only of the seafaring ways of pirates and Vikings, but the possible dangers of sea travel during the period. This is an excellent image of a piece of Viking cultural history and, in part, the pseudo ancestors to the golden-age pirates of the 17th and 18th century.
Giovanni Boccaccio is the author of the famous Decameron. He was born in 1313 in Certaldo or Florence, Italy; the exact location is unknown. He died December 21st, 1375. His gravestone is located inside the Church of Saints Jacob and Filippo in Certaldo, Italy. After the death of his father and stepmother due to the plague, Boccaccio began the composition of the Decameron. In the Decameron, Boccaccio focuses on numerous ideas throughout, but one specific idea is the focus on fortune and disability in Day 2, Story 1. Day 2, Story 1 is a story about a man named Martellino, who pretends to be visibly crippled in order to enter a heavily-packed church of a saint who has just deceased. Everyone makes a pathway for Martellino in order for him to be ‘healed’ by the saint for his disability, but someone in the crowd notices him and everyone starts to kick and fight him for lying about his disability.
Joseph Palmer was born in 1789 in a village between Leominster and Fitchburg, Massachusetts. He was persecuted at the age of forty because of his beard. Palmer died in 1873. This persecution made such an impact on his life and is so widely known that it is engraved on his gravestone. Boccaccio also has writing on his gravestone, which he composed himself before he died. Palmer was persecuted because in the year 1830 citizens went as far as attacking Palmer with razor blades outside of a hotel in an attempt to cut off his beard. Palmer defended himself, rightfully so, and was sent to Worcester County Jail. During this time period, beards were considered the mark of lunatics. It is interesting how going against the social norms and having a beard enraged people enough to attack him and try to cut off his beard. Palmer was also attacked while in jail and continuously defended himself; they placed him in solitary confinement numerous times. During the Medieval period, disability was sometimes something that needed correction or needed to be cured. It is also known for using the “religious model,” which replaces medicine with religion.
The connection Palmer and the character Martellino in the Decameron is how both were attacked due to not following social norms, but there are complex differences in their situations. In the Decameron, Martellino is only attacked because he lied about his disability; the civilians wanted Martellino to be healed. They wanted Martellino to be healed because it goes against the social norm during that time period of accepting someone who is a cripple. They relied on religion as medicine in order to change that. Their beliefs in this method were very strong, so the fact that someone would mock their beliefs and not respect the process they believed in was problematic. In Joseph Palmer’s case, not only was he considered to be a lunatic just because of his long facial hair, he was also accused of communing with the devil by his local preacher. It is interesting how hundreds of years later you can still be attacked for not following the social norms of the time period and how society takes action into their own hands in order to correct what they believe to be wrong, even authorities.