Wise Men of Gotham

Wise Men of Gotham

▪ English legend
      in English legend, wise fools, villagers of Gotham, Nottinghamshire, Eng. The story is that, threatened by a visit from King John (reigned 1199–1216), they decided to feign stupidity and avoid the expense entailed by the residence of the court. Royal messengers found them engaged in ridiculous tasks, such as trying to drown an eel and joining hands around a thornbush to shut in a cuckoo. Hence, the king determined to stay elsewhere. The “foles of Gotham” are mentioned in the 15th-century Wakefield plays. Merrie Tales of the Mad-Men of Gottam, a collection of their jests, was published in the 16th century.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Wise Men of Gotham — Wise Men of Gotham, the early name given to the people of the village of Gotham, Nottinghamshire, in allusion to their reputed simplicity. But if tradition is to be believed the Gothamites were not so very simple.The story is that King John… …   Wikipedia

  • wise men of Gotham — fools, simpletons, idiots (from the folk tales about the city of Gotham which was inhabited by simpletons) …   English contemporary dictionary

  • Wise men — can refer to: * Wisemen (rap group) * Biblical Magi, the three wise men who follow the Star of Bethlehem in the New Testament. * Wise Men of Gotham. * A man of Wisdom. * The James Blunt single, Wisemen . * The Wise Men, a group of foreign policy… …   Wikipedia

  • Gotham, the Wise Men of —    Many English villages were mocked for alleged stupidity, but only Gotham, seven miles from Nottingham, was famous well beyond its neighbourhood. There is a brief allusion to the foles of Gotam in a 15th century play, and a whole cycle of jokes …   A Dictionary of English folklore

  • Gotham — may refer to: Real places: * Gotham, Nottinghamshire, England ** Wise Men of Gotham, an early name given to the people of Gotham, Nottinghamshire * Gotham, Wisconsin, United States * Gotham, a nickname for New York City, first used by Washington… …   Wikipedia

  • Gotham City — ist ein Spitzname für New York City. 1807 benutzte Washington Irving in seiner Essaysammlung Salmagundi, or the Whims and Opinions of Launcelot Langstaff and Others den Begriff Gotham City für New York. In Anlehnung an die volkstümliche Legende… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Gotham — [gōt′əm, gät′əm; ] for 2 [ gäth′əm] 1. village near Nottingham, England, whose inhabitants, the “wise men of Gotham,” were, according to legend, very foolish 2. name for New York City Gothamite [gäth′əmīt΄] n …   English World dictionary

  • Gotham, Nottinghamshire — infobox UK place official name = Gotham os grid reference = population = 1,600 shire district = Rushcliffe shire county = Nottinghamshire region = East Midlands country = England latitude = 52.869 longitude = 1.205 map type = Nottinghamshire post …   Wikipedia

  • Gotham (Nottinghamshire) — Welcome to Gotham bewegt viele Touristen zu einem Foto. Gotham ist ein Ort in Nottinghamshire in England 7 km südlich von Nottingham. Die Kirche St. Lawrence stammt aus dem 12. Jahrhundert. Der Ort ist in den Geschichten der Wise Men of Gotham… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Gotham — noun 1. /ˈgoʊtəm/ (say gohtuhm) an English village near Nottingham, proverbial for the foolishness of its inhabitants; the Wise Men of Gotham feigned stupidity to deter King John from living among them. 2. /ˈgɒθəm/ (say gothuhm), /ˈgoʊ / (say goh …  

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