Notker the Stutterer
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One of my fave old manuscripts was written by Notker the Stutterer, official biographer of Charlemagne. Told us how Big Carl hired top professors from all over Europe cause he wanted to have a smart kingdom; how Carl built churches cause he wanted to go to another kingdom when he was done with this one; how Big Carl went to visit a bishop along the way & admired his good cheese & and so he had that bishop send him wagon loads of cheese to the palace every year cause it's good to be the big cheese; how Big Carl sent ship loads of food to Africa each year cause those poor people could never seem to feed themselves.
But what tickles me about Notker is how a guy with a stutter came to be cursed with the name Notker. "Your Majesty, here's your new scribe." "What's your name, lad?" "Notk... Not...Not... Notk... kerkerker... Notk..." "Spit it out, son, the king don't have all day." "No, leave him alone. I like this little guy."
Why didn't Not get an easier name to say. Like, say, Fuente. Means fountain. Spurts right out the mouth. Easy.
Until now. Cause here's some poor tortured soul can't even say the name Fuente. Has to say Fuente Fuente. Then says it twice: Fuente Fuente Fuente Fuente. Oh, Pus.
Swapped Sketch a handful of home rolled dog rockets for a lighter, he sends me this stuttering stuff. With a stogie stand the same flavor. Honest.
But what tickles me about Notker is how a guy with a stutter came to be cursed with the name Notker. "Your Majesty, here's your new scribe." "What's your name, lad?" "Notk... Not...Not... Notk... kerkerker... Notk..." "Spit it out, son, the king don't have all day." "No, leave him alone. I like this little guy."
Why didn't Not get an easier name to say. Like, say, Fuente. Means fountain. Spurts right out the mouth. Easy.
Until now. Cause here's some poor tortured soul can't even say the name Fuente. Has to say Fuente Fuente. Then says it twice: Fuente Fuente Fuente Fuente. Oh, Pus.
Swapped Sketch a handful of home rolled dog rockets for a lighter, he sends me this stuttering stuff. With a stogie stand the same flavor. Honest.
“It has been a source of great pain to me to have met with so many among [my] opponents who had not the liberality to distinguish between political and social opposition; who transferred at once to the person, the hatred they bore to his political opinions.” —Thomas Jefferson (1808)
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