What is a Bateleur? (Tarot of Marseilles)

[Diana]

I see there's no particular place for the Arcana of the Tarot of Marseilles, so I'm putting my post here.

What is a Bateleur?

That’s a very legitimate question. Even the French only have a vague idea, as it’s a word that disappeared naturally from usage when the Bateleurs themselves faded away.

This is a translation I made of a text in French some time back but I can’t recall where the original came from. It’s very accurate however, I did check when I decided to make the translation.

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In the Middle Ages, the bateleur was a kind of entertainer/mountebank with no well-defined character. In the twelfth, thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, these entertainers were very popular, even honoured, either in the public square or in the castles. As a generic name, these public entertainers were called jugglers. They were nomads, and sometimes accompanied the trouvères (translators note: a trouvère was a medieval epic poet) or the troubadours, sometimes they travelled alone. They also did sleights of hand and also sometimes exhibited wild or exotic animals. Showmen, they were what we now call fairground artists. Jugglers and bateleurs were an essential element of public festivals and also great seigneurial feasts. The word "basteleur" seems to have been created around the thirteenth century.

In the fifteenth and sixteenth century, the bateleurs had not yet entirely disappeared. Mezeray (translator's note: I assume they refer here to François Eudes de Mézeray a 17th century French historian) tells us that on some days the fools went down the streets on wagons, and mounted on "scaffolds", singing saucy buffoonery, shouting mockeries, grimacing in all kinds of postures, and in all manner imitating the profession of the bateleurs. There were, in fact, professional bateleurs and were, along with other similar professions, members of the fairground corporation. They were popular entertainers, forming part of the comic theatre of the time, but not the most disciplined and distinguished part. Now, in the Middle Ages, comic theatre, although it had not yet found its way, was very popular. It spoke against the rigours of Parliament, survived the Mysteries, and even became a battleground for political parties.

Corporations didn’t exist only in Paris, but also in Toulouse, Rouen, Orleans, and elsewhere. The fairground bateleurs formed one of these corporations. Comic theatre having been born on the public square, we see here the great role played by bateleurs and jugglers at a time when farce was so popular, and before the advent of the real comedy.

It should be noted that the bateleur was no more than the juggler a character of theatre. Harlequin, for example, is a jester of the Italian comedy (Commedia dell'arte), which designates his costume of disparate pieces. The bateleur is also a jester, but born in France and without any special costume or genre or genre. His job is to make people laugh, but he obeys no rules, and does not constitute any type. With the disappearance of the theatre corporations, bateleurs ceased to exist.

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Now I just want to mention Kris Hadar, tarologue extraordinair. Kris Hadar is sort of the Troubadour of the Tarot universe and I will always be hugely grateful to him for his dedication to the Tarot and how he shared all he’d discovered.

Now Hadar has a bit of a different take on Le Bateleur than in the previous description; one that is tarotic in nature and not just facts, however interesting they are. So the following is verbatim what he told me once when I had the honour to correspond with him for a short time. He gave me permission at the time to share it with the wider tarot world and as he didn’t specify any time limit, I’m sharing it with you here. I believe that he will not mind. I didn’t ask him specifically. Because I know his heart is full of gold and he would not mind my sharing.

This is my translation of the original French.

The first thing one needs to ask about the tarot in order to find its origins is: Who is this Bateleur… in the tarot.

The Bateleur was originally a Juggler and in the 12th century, to be a juggler was a respected profession : it had to do with speaking, voicing … nothing to do with the jugglers of the Roman times, or the jugglers found in 13th Century fairs. Read the book Nouvelles Occitanes du Moyen Age (Collection GF Flammarion), and you will understand that the juggler is the spokesman of the Troubador, but also the spokesman of Knowledge.

And what did the Troubador do ? He sang of the Dame – he sang of the World…because when he discovered his Dame…he discovered his SOUL!*

The Bateleur 1 – the World 21 and the Fol who is the one who walks from 1 to 21!)

*(Translator's note: This is a word-play – the language of the birds – and difficult to translate. impossible to translate, i.e. “Dame” and “Ame” (soul) ).


Hadar believes that the Tarot of Marseilles is of Occitanian origin and this colours much his interpretation of the Tarot.

[Umbrae]

YES!!!

I see the Bateleur as Raconteur.

Oooo not related but kinda. I once found a clip on Youtube of Dario Fo discussing the nature of the Zanni (in Commedia dell'arte) that was sub-titled. It's since been taken down and only the one in Italian remains.
What was notable, was that he was describing the TdM Fool - and the need for his large spoon...

[Diana]

Raconteur is fine and lovely. That's what Hadar says as well. He's a spokesman of some sort.

As for the spoon, it's very important for Le Mat/Le Fou/Le Fol. Some people don't notice it's a spoon for a long time. On some of the historical decks it's not a spoon though - but it 's now considered of vital importance. There's an old provençal proverb that says that when one sups with the devil, it's better to have a long spoon. I think there may be an Italian proverb that's the same.

[Demon Goddess]

On the spoon...

I just think it's a cool story...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCjVGkgEDNs

[Diana]

On the spoon...

I just think it's a cool story...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCjVGkgEDNs

Wow!!!!! That's so cool. I'd never heard it. And I've been the biggest fan of Desmond Tutu since forever and ever. (I grew up in apartheid South Africa.)

[Demon Goddess]

My gift to you. <3

T'is the long handled spoon parable that got me indirectly looking at needing to understand (at least) the basic elements of kaballah. (she says as if that were even remotely possible in this meat suit.)