Jester

A jester, joker, fool, or buffoon, is a type of entertainer mostly (but not always) associated with the Middle Ages. Jesters typically wore brightly colored clothing. Their hats, sometimes called the cap ’n bells or cockscomb, were special; made of cloth, they were floppy with three points (liripipes) each of which had a jingle bell at the end. 

The three points of the hat represent the asses' ears and tail worn by jesters when they first appeared. Other typical things about the jester were his constant laughter and his mock scepter, known as a bauble or maharoof.

Other websites
 BBC News site story about the Tongaon Royal Jester's involvement in financial scandal 2003
 Royal decree proclaiming the Jester title by the Tongan Royal 1999 
 BBC News site story about Kester the Jester's appointment to English Heritage 2004
 University of California, Berkeley Online Medieval and Classical Library (OMACL) & links for medieval studies 
 Picture of Will Somers with Henry the Eighth 
 Mulla Nasruddin 
 Gesundheit! Institute
 Shakespeare search engine - A keyword search such as "fool", "folly", "jester" or "clown" reveals every reference in Shakespeare 

 Rumpelstiltskin - A rare modern day jester with an impressive resumé 
 Fooling Around the World (A history of the court jester)
 Foolish Clothing: Depictions of Jesters and Fools in the Middle Ages and Renaissance What 14th-16th century jesters wore and carried, as seen in illustrations and museum collections

Category:Entertainment occupations
Category:Middle Ages