Coffee Klatch

Here are a couple of emails that were sent to the list for my local SCA group, the Barony of Sternfeld.

Well, now……here’s something I never knew before, and now that I know it, I feel compelled to send it on to my more intelligent friends in the hope that they, too, will feel edified. Isn’t history more fun when you know something about it?

Before the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, the French, anticipating
victory over the English, proposed to cut off the middle finger of all captured English soldiers. Without the middle finger it would be impossible to draw the renowned English long bow and therefore they would be incapable of fighting in the future. This famous English longbow was made of the native English Yew tree, and the act of drawing the longbow was known as “plucking the yew” (or “pluck yew”).

Much to the bewilderment of the French, the English won a major upset and began mocking the French by waving their middle fingers at the defeated French, saying, See, we can still pluck yew!

Since ‘pluck yew’ is rather difficult to say, the difficult consonant cluster at the beginning has gradually changed to a labiodentals fricative ‘F’, and thus the words often used in conjunction with the one-finger-salute!

It is also because of the pheasant feathers on the arrows used with the longbow that the symbolic gesture is known as “giving the bird.”

IT IS STILL AN APPROPRIATE SALUTE TO THE FRENCH TODAY!

And yew thought yew knew every plucking thing!

Response:

In England, the analog to giving someone the finger actually uses the index and middle finger. The same story is attributed to its origin.

Response:

Actually the way I heard the tale—- the index finger and middle finger were amputated-by the French to incapacitate the archers.- The “v” shaped waving of the index and middle finger-whilst holding the ring finger and pinky finger to the palm of the hand was the equal of ” I have my balls (masculinity–ability to fight), where are yours?” The “V-for-Victory” sign from WWII (see Churchill photos) have the thumb facing the face–the insult to Hitler; the “V-for-Victory” has the thumb facing outward — see photos after May 1945… Big difference!

Pheasant feathers were not used–pheasants were an Asian bird that was not cultivated in Wales. The Welsh Archers used goose feathers — remember that domesticated geese are not flyers-migratory geese do fly and have long spine flight feathers.

To Goose- is to pluck — PL is a very common word in French (most French would have no trouble: Plaisir, Plackard, etc.)

Interesting ideas and they make sense. Whether or not they’re true, there sure seems to be SOME connection to English archers. Sometime I’ll have to look for some articles or something to document whether this is true.