Today is the 960th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings in 1066,
the day the Norman French conquered Saxon England.
Immortalized in the famous Bayeux Tapestry,
everyone is familiar with its embroidered
representation of that history-changing day.
To mark the anniversary, the Bayeux Tapestry is
currently on loan from France and on display at the
British Museum from September 2026 to July 2027.
How I would love to see it in person!
England has never been successfully conquered since then,
although Hitler's Third Reich tried its darndest.
Turns out the successful invasion went in the other direction.
This next discussion about the Bayeux Tapestry
is an actual story about an actual controversy.
Is the count total of depicted penises
(belonging both to horses and to men)
found in the 70 metre- (230 foot-) long tapestry
93 or 94?
The disputed image is shown below --
is that dangly bit meant to be the soldier's penis
OR is it the sheath of his sword/dagger?
[article about the controversy found here]
27 comments:
Who knew such a venerated artifact could generate such mirth?
The amazing women who embroidered history into tapestry that has lasted all of this time are to be venerated. Men's folly with their dicks hanging out , humor in desperate times.
That is no dangly "bit."
The Brittant Spears.....sigh.......
You will have to a post if you go see it! It would be rather cool to see. And the air friar......double eye roll....lol!!!!!!
And as far as penises go, I could pinpoint the count easily....but alas, the men in the tapestry are not South American... obliviously
The women who embroidered the tapestry are to be admired! The joke penises are evidence of men's folly. I , too, would love to see it in person, spend some time with it, minus the crowds of folks wanting the same. Every stitch appreciated.
Hahahaha
Oh dear. Bur really, the original should be awesome.
XOXO
I LOVE this!!! Thanks SO much for sharing!!
bobbie
How did the 960th anniversary of the Battle of Hasting slip my mind???
Too funny! Considering all the Brit jokes about 1066 and all that, they're some of the best. The Brittany Spears!!
Book a flight to London, off season prices can be very attractive. I have seen the tapestry, what surprised me, is it is narrow. I expected something ceiling height, and is is like 18 inches tall and 90-some feet long.
@ Tom -- Oh, you wag!
@ Boud -- I read the classic satire "1066 And All That" when I was a kid. It had a formative effect on my sense of humour! I was absolutely nuts for British history in those days.
I saw the Bayeux Tapestry in 2019 and it was a WOW! moment. It focuses on the battle and is filled with males but it's good to see that the women who did all the embroidery are becoming a remembered facet of its history.
I admire people who find a way to make history funny.
My husband and I were just talking about the Battle of Hastings on Monday, as one does. I've been to the field and the Abbey twice, once with each of my oldest kids. It was so interesting and I remember looking at the tapestry.
Love these.
I knew the tapestry existed, but knew nothing else about it, not even what it looked like. I like your "musical" improvements.
OMG. I absolutely want to see this. Preferrably alone or with a limited number of people so I can slowly walk down it and look closely at all the embroidery. BTW, my fave is Brittany Spears. Ha
So funny. If that is indeed that guy's penis, holy smokes. Definitely some nasty thing going on there.
I'm too Saxon for my shirt! LOL! LOL!
That’s unlike any penis I’ve ever seen. But I suppose things were different back then. Is that what they called the pox? The black death?
I love the fun take on the whole thing, Debra.
How great that this magnificent work of fiber, needle and thread has lasted and is still relevant. All hail the stitchers of history!
I love the modern interpretations: Bayeux City Rollers... lol.
I saw in the Reddit sub Visible Mending a repaired pair of jeans that took inspiration from the tapestry 'these pants are set on fire' or something like that. Brilliant!
I've said it before, but you are a genius at finding memes about anything, Debra! These were great fun, especially "I'm too Saxon for my shirt." 960 years ago? Boy time flies. It feels like yesterday. 😂
An air friar. :)
These are great.
Lucy Worsley just did a show about the Battle of Hastings, William the Conquerer and the Bayeux Tapestry that was very illuminating. No mention of the perplexing penis puzzle though, LOL.
@ Tundra Bunny -- Tsk, tsk, what an oversight!
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