The Silver Cup (20 page)

 
Epiphany
: January 6, the last day of the Christmas period. 

herring
: Exceptionally plentiful small fish which was easy to catch and preserve (salted) and very cheap. Most common medieval fish protein and widely hated by the end of Lent. 

horseradish
: White-fleshed root used since ancient times as a very strong, hot condiment. Much cheaper than pepper. Also used as medicine to aid in digestion. Mixed with milk, it was supposed to clear the complexion.

 
Horsetail grass
: Common weed with grass like branches and no leaves. Believed to heal wounds, soothe arthritis, and stop bedwetting. Still used in used foot baths to treat fungal infections.

 
Kirtle
: Outer dress usually worn over lighter shift. The sleeves were usually detachable.

 
Lammas
: August 1, the earliest harvest festival when the first grain was baked into bread and was blessed.

 
Lent
: See Easter. 

mace
: Medieval weapon. A heavy metal-headed club, often spiked, used for dealing crushing blows. 

manor
: Estate of a noble. Peasants who lived on the manor's land paid the lord in labor or goods.

maul
: Heavy hammerhead mounted on a long wooden handle. Wooden mauls were used to firm up the surface of dirt floors. Iron mauls, often the rounded back side of an ax, were used for driving wedges or stakes. 

mugwort
: A common, tall, hairy plant which often grew alongside paths and roads. Thought to relieve tired travelers who often carried the leaves in their shoes. Also used as an insect repellent. 

nave
: The central part of the church. This is where the congregation stood in medieval times since churches had no seating. 

niello
: A very old but still practiced method of engraving using sulfur to blacken the lines of an etched design. 

pudding grass
: Also known as pennyroyal. Common marsh weed with lilac flowers. Used to treat almost everything from hysteria to flatulence (farting). Still considered a useful insect repellent. 

relic
: A piece of material such as wood, cloth, or bone associated with a saint. Relics were extremely popular and very valuable. The relic of a popular saint would bring pilgrims and money to a church because the relic was thought to possess the miraculous powers of the saint. There were lots of fake relics. At least two churches claimed to have the head of John the Baptist. 

rush
:Tall stalky plant that grows in marshes and along waterways, used for roofs, floor covering, bed stuffing, baskets, animal feed, and even in bread making when times got really bad. 

sacristy
: The room in a church where the sacred vessels and other religious treasures are kept. 

skep
: A manmade hive for honey bees. Since sugar was not available to Europeans until the thirteenth century, honey was the main sweetener. Honey bees also produce beeswax, which was so valuable that it was usually reserved for church candles. 

sinew
: Stringy material from animal tendon or muscle. Sinew was used as fastening and string and especially to tie off the ends of sausages. Still is. 

sorrel
: Leafy green vegetable with a somewhat bitter taste. Wet sorrel leaves were applied to rashes and insect bites to relieve itching. 

strakes
: Iron bands fastened along the rim of wooden cart wheels to reduce wear and tear. 

tanner
: Tradesman who turned animal skins into leather. The tanner used natural chemicals including tree bark, animal dung, and urine. Tanning was a very smelly process, requiring a great deal of time and water (causing polluted waterways). The tanner colored the leather with dyes that often stained his own skin. A profitable but unpleasant trade. 

tansy
: A bitter herb used as a seasoning, especially at Easter when it was thought to promote good digestion when consuming the first dairy following Lent. Curiously the herb was also often used for the bitter herb at Passover seders. Also used as an insect repellent, smells like moth balls. 

tierce
: The third bell of the day. Before mechanical timekeeping, the days were measured in intervals of sunlight hours which varied by season, so that a summer hour was longer than a winter hour. Church bells marked the time of day as follows: midnight (matins), 3 a.m. (lauds), 6 a.m. (prime), 9 a.m. (tierce), midday (sext), 3 p.m. (nones), 6 p.m. (vespers) and 9 p.m. (compline). 

thatch
: Reeds, grasses, or other plant materials used for roofing. Widely available at no cost and effective as roofing, but a fire hazard. 

trencher
: Slice of hard bread used as an edible platter to serve food. 

valerian
: A flowering plant. The root (very bitter and foul smelling) was used ease pain and aid sleep. 

wallow
: Muck in which a pig lies. Pigs do not have sweat glands, so they keep cool by wallowing. A pig's intelligence should not be underestimated. 

wattle and daub
: Daub was clay or mud mixed with straw, sticks, and animal hair to form plaster which was then spread on a wattle or basket like structure of woven branches. Primary building method in German medieval housing.

FOREIGN PHRASES

Alevei!
: (Yiddish) It should happen to me.

 
Dos gefelt mir
: (Yiddish) This pleases me. 

l'chaim
!: (Yiddish) To life.

 
Nu
: (Yiddish) So, well...

 
 
Prayer for wine
: (Hebrew)