A Fucking History Of Fuck

We've all heard that hoary old saw when we were kids about how the word "fuck" originally came from from an the term "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge" or maybe "Fornication Under Command Of The King", usually with some sort of elaborate explanation having to do with Henry VIII or Richard The Lionheart. Of course it's utter nonsense and I'm constantly surprised that anyone actually takes that in any way seriously.




But then most people have the idea that swearing is a relatively recent thing. We get that Victorians swore but earlier than that we somehow assume that everybody spoke like John Milton, William Shakespeare, Francis Bacon or Geoffrey Chaucer. Actually we know that people in Tudor and Stuart times swore quite a lot, including Henry VIII and Elizabeth who were quite enthusiastic cursers. OK we might kind of expect that of those two but even Henry's son Edward VI, otherwise seen as a rather humorless Protestant prig (which he was) liked to swear up a storm. So much so that he was frequently punished by his tutors for being too profane even by the standards of Henry VIII, which must have quite a trick. So swearing was thoroughly commonplace in the 1500's.
In fact it was so commonplace that in the 1551's Mary Queen Of Scots passed a law banning the foul habit. Punishments included the use of "swearboxes" (in case you were wondering who came up with the idea of the home or office "swearjar") or a right good paddling. When her son James VI became king James I of England as well in 1603 he took those laws with him to his new kingdom. The success of these laws can be seen in the fact that to this day hardly anybody in the English speaking world swears anymore. Problem solved.
While the Scots may have been the first killjoys to try and ban profanity that does not mean they were shy about using it themselves. Fuck no. In fact it's from them we have the oldest known usage of the word "fuck" in literature.
William Dunbar (1465 - 1525) is widely seen as Scotland's first great poet in the Scots language, Robbie Burns was a huge fan. Ironically Dunbar was a former friar but that didn't stop him from from writing a fair amount of bawdy and sacrilegious poetry including this stanza;

"Ane Brash Of Wowing" by William Dunbar
"He clappit fast, he kist, and chukkit,
As with the glaikis he wer ouirgane;
Yit be his feirris he wald have fukkit;
Ye brek my hart, my bony ane!"

Translation;
"One Bout Of Wooing"
"He held fast, he kissed, and fondling,
As with the feeling he was overcome;
It be his manner he would have fucked;
You break my heart, my lovely one!"


image host
COPY OF DUNBAR'S "GOLDEN TARGE"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dunbar may have been the first and most honored dirty Scottish poet (or more accurately Scottish dirty poet) he was hardly the last. Some contemporaries were;

"The Answer Quhilk" by Schir Dauid Lindesay" (1555)
"For, lyke ane boisterous Bull, he rin and ryde
Royatouslie lyke and rude Rubeatour,
Ay fukkand lyke and furious Fornicatour."

Translation;
"The Answer Quick" by Sir David Lindsey (a knight no less)

"For, like one boisterous Bull, he run and ride
Riotously like and rude Libertine.
He fucked like a furious Fornicator."



SIR DAVID LINDSEY
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Ane Ballat Maid To The Derisioun And Scorne Of Wantoun Women" by Alexander Scott (1550)
"Fairweill with chestetie
Fra wenchis fall to chucking.
Their fellowis thingis three
To gar thame ga in gucking
Brasing, graping, and plucking;
Thir foure the suth to sane?
Enforsis thame to fucking."

Translation;
"One Ballad Made To The Derision And Scorn Of Wanton Women"

"Farewell with chastity
When wenches fall to fondling.
Their fellows think there
To cause them go in fooling
Embracing, feeling and pulling; These for the truth to say?
Enforces them to fucking."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Since the Scots were using the word in poems in the early 1500's it's safe to assume the Brits were using it too. It's also safe to assume that they had been doing so for quite some time in common usage otherwise there'd be no point in using them in print. Printing by the way was introduced to Britain by William Caxton in 1473 with his publication of "Recuyell of the Historyes of Troye" (actually printed in English in Bruges and imported into England) followed by Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales" actually printed in England in 1476. So "Fuck" couldn't have been in print prior to that date anyway. Certainly before William Caxton made it possible to deliver dirty limericks to the masses, at least those who could read.
As for the word itself; "Fuck" is sometimes also referred to euphemistically as an "Anglo-Saxon word", and this is actually pretty accurate.
The original Anglo-Saxons came from Saxony in Northern Germany, Jutland in Denmark and Frisia in Northern Holland, and they spoke an old Germanic language most closely related to Frisian, a language still spoken in parts of Holland. It's been pointed out that German has a word "ficken"; meaning to hit, strike or pound. It's not hard to see how that could have been used as a sexual metaphor as in "I'd like to nail/bang/tap that".
Then came came 1066 and the Norman conquest. The Normans spoke Norman-French which had "foutre", a word in turn taken from the Latin "futuo" meaning, well, to fuck. Once again it's not hard to see how "ficken" and "futuo" could eventually be combined into one word "fuck". That word (and a host of others) made their way north into Scotland as the "Scots" dialect where they were clearly put to good use.




And as for the legendary Richard The Lionhearted? He was a Franco-Norman who spoke little or no English at all. But since he spent literally all his time at war he probably knew how to swear like a soldier. He may have even said "Fuck this shit!". I mean even before Sean Connery started playing him.

Proper names in Yola

Yola was the language spoken in County Wexford as in Ireland until the late 19th Century by the descendents of 11th Century English settlers. Considered an off-shoot of Middle English with some Gaelic influences. I compiled this list from Poole's Yola Glossary, still the only scholarly work on the leid. Some of the translations are mine.
Male names;
Billy ~ Billeen
Cormac ~ Cournag
Dennis ~ Deenees
Diarmuid ~ Dearmed
Jack ~ Jackeen
James ~ Jaames
Joseph ~ Josef
Harry ~ Harrie
Hugh / Fitzhugh ~ Peeougheen
Kelly ~ Kealy / Kealeen
Larry ~ Learry
Martin ~ Marteen
Maurice ~ Mareesh
Meyler ~ Meyleare
Miles ~ Michare
Mogue ~ Moake
Patrick ~ Parick
Peter ~ Beedher / Peether
Phillip ~ Phielim
Robert / Robin ~ Robbeen
Sean ~ Shaneen
Simon ~ Zimon
Thaddeus ~ Thadee
Theodore ~ Theig
Thomas ~ Thommeen
Tom ~ Tam
Trevor ~ Treblere
Walter ~ Wathere
William ~ Wyllhaume

Female names;
Catherine/Kate ~ Caut
Ellen / Nelly ~ Neleen
Jane ~ Jennate
Joan ~ Jauaan
Margarete ~ Margeraate
Mary ~ Maree
Sally ~ Zailee

The intro to "Piers Plowman"

Written by William Langland circa 1360 - 1387 "Piers Plowman" is one of the relatively small number of surviving works of literature written in Middle English and is second in importance only to "The Canterbury Tales". Below are some introductory passages along with translations;

1.a) "Memorandum quod Stacy de Rokayle pater willielmi de Langlond qui stacius fuit generosus & morabatur in Schiptoun vnder whicwode tenens domini le Spenser in comitatu Oxoniensi qui predictus willielmus fecit librum qui vocatur Perys ploughman."

b) (translation)
"It should be noted that Stacy de Rokayle was the father of William de Langlond; this Stacy was of noble birth and dwelt in Shipton-under-Wychwood, a tenant of the Lord Spenser in the county of Oxfordshire. The aforesaid William made the book which is called Piers Plowman."

2.a) "Whan this werke was wrouyt, ere Wille myte aspie
Deth delt him a dent and drof him to the erthe
And is closed vnder clom"

b) (translation"
"Once this work was made, before Will was aware
Death struck him a blow and knocked him to the ground
And now he is buried under the soil."

Intro to The Speculum Vitae

Written in the middle to late 14th century possibly by William of Nassyngton, an obscure English poet about whom little is known. The poem is written in Late Middle English which is much closer to Modern English than the earlier works of Chaucer as English evolves into the next step in it's development as the language of Shakespeare. The title however is in Latin and translates as "Mirror of life".

a) Original;
In English tonge I schall you telle,
yif ye with me so longe wil dwelle.
No Latyn wil I speke no waste,
But Englisch, that men vse mast,
That can ech man vnderstonde,
That is born in Ingelande.
For that langage is most chewyd,
Os wel among lered as lewyd.
Latyn, as I trowe, can nane
But tho, that haueth it in scol tane.
And somme can frenssche and no Latyn,
That vsed hav cowrt and dwellen therein.
And somme can of Latyn a party,
That can of Frensche but febly.
And somme vnderstonde wel Englysch,
That can nother Laty nor Frankys.
Bothe lered and lewed, olde and yonge,
Alle vnderstonden english tonge.

John Audelay's warning to future book thieves

John Audelay was a priest and poet in the early 15th century who wrote approximately 68 religious poems and Christmas carols that have survived. Little else is known about him other than that he lived at Haughmond Abbey in Shropshire where he died sometime after 1426 reportedly at an advanced age and there is a reference to him living in London in 1417. His last written work was an introduction to a collection of poems warning future readers not to steal or deface his work.

a) Original version;
"No mon this book he take away,
Ne kutt owt no leef, y say for why;
For hyt is sacrilege, sirus, y ȝow say,
He beth accursed in the dede truly;
if ye wil have any copi,
Askus leeve and ye shul have,
To pray for hym specialy,
That hyt made our soules to save,
Jon the blynde Awdelay
The furst prest to the Lord Strange he was,
Of thys chauntre here in this place
That make thys bok by Goddus grace,
Deef, syk, blynd, as he lay,
Cujus anime propicietur Deus.

b) Modern translation;
"None must take this book away
Or cut out any page, I'll tell you why;
For it is sacrilege, sirs, I tell you
He will be accursed in the deed;
If you would have a copy
Ask leave, and you will have,
To pray especially for him
That made it [the book] to save your souls
John the blind Audelay;
He was the first priest to the Lord Strange
Of this chantry
That made this book by the grace of God
As he lay deaf, sick, and blind
On whose soul God have mercy.

"Thirty days hath September" in the original

The poem (or prose actually) Thirty Days Hath September has long been used to teach school kids the number of days in each month. It is actually a quite old poem of unknown English origin, with the oldest version known dating to the 15th century and written in Late Middle English.

a) Original;
"Thirtey days hath November,
Aprile, June, and September:
Of twyecescore-eightt is but eine,
And all the remnante be thrycescore-eine.
O´course Leap yare comes an´pynes,
Ev'rie foure yares, gote it ryghth.
An´twyecescore-eight is but twyecescore-nyne"

b) Translation;
"Thirty days has November,
April, June, and September:
Of twenty-eight is but one,
And all the remnant is thirty-one.
Of course Leap year comes and stays,
Every four years got it right,
And twenty-eight is but twenty-nine".

c) Modern Jèrriais (spoken on the Island of Jersey) version sent in by a viewer:

"I' y a trente jours en Septembre,
En Avri, Juîn et Novembre.
Les aut's mais sont fanmeux pour
Lus trente' tch'ieunième jour,
Mais l'pouôrre Févri
N'en a qu' vîngt-huit,
Et un vîngt-neuvième pouor les fil'yes
Pouor s'engagi ès années bissextiles!"

A folk song in Yola

Yola was a Middle English language spoken mainly in the Wexford area of Western Ireland starting from the settlement of some English knights, monks and farmers there in 1169. The Wexford area was rural and isolated from the mainstream English court and literary society as well as being surrounded by Irish speakers so the variety of Middle English did not change much after the literary influences of Chaucer and Tyndall in the late 14th century other than adopting various Irish words. The name "Yola" translates as "Old" ie; "The Old Tongue". With a relatively limited population base Yola died out in the late 19th century, forced out by the process if emigration, poverty, lack of jobs, compulsory education with greater literacy in English or Irish as well as hostility from both English and Irish society. Luckily an extensive historical surveys was done before it died out. Reportedly it was spoken with a distinctive slurring pronouncation.

Two examples below with translations;

1.a)"A Yola Song" (in Yola)

"Fade teil thee zo lournagh, co Joane, zo knaggee?
Th' weithest all curcagh, wafur, an cornee.
Lidge w'ouse an a milagh, tis gaay an louthee:
Huck nigher; y'art scuddeen; fartoo zo hachee?

Well, gosp, c'hull be zeid; mot thee fartoo, an fade;
Ha deight ouse var gabble, tell ee zin go t'glade.
Ch'am a stouk, an a donel; wou'll leigh out ee dey.
Th' valler w'speen here, th' lass ee chourch-hey.

Yerstey w'had a baree, gist ing oor hoane,
Aar gentrize ware bibbern, aamzil cou no stoane.
Yith Muzleare had ba hole, t'was mee Tommeen,
At by mizluck was ee-pit t'drive in.

Joud an moud vrem earchee ete was ee Lough.
Zitch vaperreen, an shimmereen, fan ee-daf ee aar scoth!
Zitch blakeen, an blayeen, fan ee ball was ee-drowe!
Chote well aar aim was t'yie ouz n'eer a blowe.

Mot w'all aar boust, hi soon was ee-teight
At aar errone was var ameing 'ar 'ngish ee-height.
Zitch vezzeen, tarvizzeen, 'tell than w'ne'er zey.
Nore zichel ne'er well, nowe, nore ne'er mey."


b) "An Old Song" (translated)

"What ails you so melancholy, quoth John, so cross?
You seem all snappish, uneasy, and fretful.
Lie with us on the clover, 'tis fair and sheltered:
Come nearer; you're rubbing your back; why so ill tempered?

Well, gossip, it shall be told; you ask me what ails me, and for what;
You have put us in talk, till the sun goes to set.
I am a fool and a dunce; we'll idle out the day.
The more we spend here, the less in the churchyard.

Yesterday we had a goal just in our hand.
Their gentry were quaking, themselves could not stand.
If Good-for-little had been buried, it had been my Tommy,
Who by misluck was placed to drive in.

Throngs and crowds from each quarter were at the Lough;
Such vapouring and glittering when stript in their shirts!
Such bawling and shouting, when the ball was thrown!
I saw their intent was to give us ne'er a stroke.

But with all their bravado they were soon taught
That their errand was aiming to bring anguish upon them
Such driving, and struggling, 'till then we ne'er saw
Nor such never will, no, nor never may."


2.a) "The Weddeen of Ballymore" (a verse in Yola)
"A maide vrem a Bearlough,
Aneure vrem ee Barke,
Eshoethet own anoree
Nich th' hia thoras a Culpake."

b) "The Wedding of Ballymore" (in English)
"A maid from Bearlough,
Another from Bake,
Met one another
Nigh the tall thistles of Culpake."

Passages from the "Ormlum" with translations

Written around 1180 by a monk named Orm or Ormin, The Ormlum was a collection of biblical studies writen in Early Middle English and show English evolving from Saxon and taking in influences from Norse and Norman French as well as Latin.

1.a) From the introduction by Ormin;
"Þiss boc iss nemmnedd Orrmulum
forrþi þatt Orrm itt wrohhte"

b) Modern translation;
"This book is named Ormulum
because Orm wrote it"

2.a) Also from the introduction;
"Icc was þær þær i crisstnedd was
Orrmin bi name nemmnedd"

b) Modern translation;
"Where I was christened, I was
named Ormin by name"


3.a) A passage about the nativity Ormin's original;
"Forrþrihht anan se time comm
þatt ure Drihhtin wollde
ben borenn i þiss middellærd
forr all mannkinne nede
he chæs himm sone kinnessmenn
all swillke summ he wollde
& whær he wollde borenn ben
he chæs all att hiss wille."

b) modern translation;
"As soon as the time came
that our Lord wanted
to be born in this middle-earth
for the sake of all mankind,
at once he chose kinsmen for himself,
all just as he wanted,
and he decided that he would be born
exactly where he wished."

Some passages from Wycliffe's Bible with Modern Translation

Written in a period of years from 1382 to 1395 in the Middle English tongue by John Wycliffe and distributed widely in the British Isles the Wycliffe was a huge influence on the development of English as well as the Scots and Yola lieds which kept many of it's words into the modern era.

1. a)Wycliffe version;
"Oure fadir þat art in heuenes halwid be þi name;
þi reume or kyngdom come to be.Be þi wille don in herþe as it is dounin heuene.
yeue to us today oure eche dayes bred.
And foryeue to us oure dettis þat is oure synnys
as we foryeuen to oure dettouris þat is to men þat han synned in us.
And lede us not into temptacion but delyuere us from euyl."

b)Modern version;
"Our father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debters.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.'


2. a)Wycliffe version;
"And God seide, Lict be maad; and lict was maad"
~ Genesis 1:3

b) King James translation;
"And God said, Let there be light; and there was light"
~ Genesis 1:3 Old Testament

3. a)Wycliffe version;
"For God louede so the world that he yaf his oon bigetun sone, that ech man that beliueth in him perische not, but haue euerlastynge lijf."
~ John 3:16

b) Modern King James translation;
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life."
~ John 3:16 New Testament


4. a) Wycliffe version in Middle English;
"And it is don, aftirward Jesus made iourne bi cites & castelis prechende & euangelisende þe rewme of god, & twelue wiþ hym & summe wymmen þat weren helid of wicke spiritis & sicnesses, marie þat is clepid maudeleyn, of whom seuene deuelis wenten out & Jone þe wif off chusi procuratour of eroude, & susanne & manye oþere þat mynystreden to hym of her facultes."
~Luke ch.8, v.1–3

b) Modern Translation;
"And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and showing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him, and certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils, and Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance."
~Translation of Luke ch.8 v.1–3, from the New Testament

Two "Canterbury Tales" prolouges with translation

Written by Geoffrey Chaucer in the 1380's "The Canterbury Tales" is considered the greatest example of literature of the English language of the pre-Renaissance, Middle English era. "Canterbury Tales" are a collection of short stories told from the point of view of a group of travelers on the way to Canterbury. Along with the Wycliffe and Caxton Bibles, the work was the most hugely influential in the development of English literature until Shakespeare's works. It also left an important legacy in the Scots and Yola leids which retained many words and spellings after they left Modern English.
Below are two examples with modern translations.

1.a) From the general prologue;
Original in Middle English(London dialect):
"Whan that Aueryłł wt his shoures soote,
The droghte of Marcħ, hath perced to the roote;
And bathed euery veyne in swich lycour,
Of which vertu engendred is the flour;
Whan zephirus eek wt his sweete breeth,
Inspired hath in euery holt and heeth;
The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne,
Hath in the Ram, his half cours yronne;
And smale foweles, maken melodye,
That slepen al the nyght with open iye;
So priketh hem nature, in hir corages,
Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrymages;
And Palmeres for to seeken straunge strondes,
To ferne halwes, kouthe in sondry londes;
And specially, from euery shyres ende,
Of Engelond to Caunterbury they wende;
The holy blisful martir for to seke,
That hem hath holpen whan þt they weere seeke."

b) Modern English translation (note the brackets have been added as they did not exist in Middle English);
"When in April the sweet showers fall
And pierce the drought of March to the root, and all
The veins are bathed in liquor of such power
As brings about the engendering of the flower,
When also Zephyrus with his sweet breath
Exhales an air in every grove and heath
Upon the tender shoots, and the young sun
His half course in the sign of the Ram has run
And the small fowl are making melody
That sleep away the night with open eye,
(So nature pricks them and their heart engages)
Then folk long to go on pilgrimages,
And palmers long to seek the stranger strands
Of far off saints, hallowed in sundry lands,
And specially from every shires’ end
Of England, down to Canterbury they wend
The holy blissful martyr, quick
To give his help to them when they were sick."

2.a) From "The Merchant's Prologue";
"Wepyng and waylyng, care and oother sorwe
I knowe ynogh, on even and a-morwe,'
Quod the Marchant, 'and so doon oother mo
That wedded been."

b) Modern English translation;
"Weeping and wailing, care and other sorrow
I know enough, in the evening and in the morning,'
said the Merchant, 'and so does many another
who has been married."

A muckle of auld English words

1. Aers ~ A person's behind, Middle English, later evolved into "arse".

2. Bedswerver ~ An adulterer, 16 to 18th centuries.

3. Bellibone ~ A pretty girl, from the French "belle et bonne" (fair and good), 16 to 18th centuries.

4. Bellytimber ~ A hearty meal, 17 to 19th centuries.

5. Blue Devils ~ To be sad, to have the blues.

6. Bodkin ~ A slim dagger or arrowhead, later a sewing needle. A.K.A. bodekin, 15 to 18th centuries.

7. Chantpleure ~ To sing a sad song from the French "sing-cry".

8. Cokenay ~ A weakling or coward

9. Fellowfeel ~ To empathize, 17 to 18th centuries.

10. Fleshspades or fingerspades ~ Fingernails, 18 to 19th centuries.

11. Idea Pot ~ The brain, 19th century.

12. Keak ~ A dry cackle, 17 to 19th centuries.

13. Lip Clap ~ A kiss, 17th century.

14. Loller ~ An idler, a lazy person, to "loll around".

15. Lubberwort ~ Heavy food or drink of no value.

16. Malkin ~ A mop

17. Merry-go-sorry ~ A story or song that is both happy and sad, 16 to 17 centuries.

18. Mubblefubbles ~ To be sad or blue.

19. Mulligrabs ~ To be sad or blue.

20. Murfles ~ Freckles, pimples, birthmarks, moles.

21. Poplolly ~ A girl friend, from the French "poupelet", 16 and 17th centuries.

22. Prickmedainty ~ A prissy dandy, 16th century.

23. Quotha ~ Yes indeed, Middle English

24. Skint ~ To have no money or broke, from to be "skinned".

25. Smellsmock ~ A womanizer, a lech, 18 to 17th centuries.

26. Snirtle ~ To snicker derisively under one's breath.

27. Toff ~ A dandy.

28. Wold ~ The forest or woods, Middle English.

29. Wurp ~ A stone's throw or a quick glance, from the Saxon, 10 to 14th centuries.

30. Yclept ~ Called out, Middle English