Jesters

Jesters are an old-world breed of clown, descended from breeds like the Court Jester (now extinct). They have a distinctly traditional, old-world appearance, often seen with opaque tights, capelets, puffy sleeves (similar to other old-world breeds like the Pierrot), and often with the distinctive pointed hat, usually ending with three points.

## Diet

Jesters tend to prefer traditional, European and Middle Eastern sweets, such as sweetmeats, dates, figs, mince pies, and candied fruits.

## Housing

Jesters are a very traditional clown breed, and thus prefer housing that reminds them of places they traditionally would have performed, so a medieval-style circus tent will be the best housing for them. Their outside play area should be reminiscent of a medieval or renaissance faire, as this is where they enjoy playing the most. They also enjoy environments reminiscent of medieval castles and theaters.

## Social Behavior

Jesters are extremely sociable clowns, doing best in a small troupe setting. They do well entertaining adults, but aren't the best breed for entertaining children as they have a proclivity for lute music and lewd humor, which may not be appropriate for younger audiences.

## Temperament

Jesters are very noisy and excitable, finding excitement and fun in almost anything they come across. They are best suited to an owner with an active lifestyle and lots of spare time. There are rumors that Jesters can be aggressive to other breeds of clown, especially more docile ones like the Pierrot or the Saccharine, but with proper training, the Jester breed can befriend almost any other clown breed, hence the proclivity of Jester mixes found today.

## Health

Many of the few purebred Royal Jesters remaining in the modern age struggle with poor health. Some speculate this is because little was known about proper clown care when jesters were at their most popular, and unhealthy behavior was passed down through generations of jesters. As a result, most modern jesters have been crossbred in order to improve their health and to achieve desired patterns or colors. Purebred jesters are incredibly fragile and often require frequent medical attention.

## History

The history of Jesters appears to go back to Egypt, where fools started to be domesticated for entertainment and companionship. It is however only in the Roman Empire that the first kind of registred Jester appears : the extinct breed of the Balatrones, complete latin name *Servilius Balatro.* It is not certain what they looked like, but it is theorized that they did not yet have the pointed hats of medieval and modern jesters. From historical work, it is supposed that these jesters dwelled in markets, where they grabbed the attention of passants with their tricks and mimicry of rude maneers. They seemed to have been common in wealthy household, where they delighted the guests of their owner during dinners. Records of them seem to indicate a still rather wild nature involving a great appetite for wines and sugary foods as well as meats, and a tendency to run free.

In a similar manner, a parallel domestication of fools has been recorded in aztec civilizations, although we do not have much informations on it.

### The Early Jesters

Jesters, or jester lookalike that enter under the category of jester due to their similar behavior, popped up all over the world.

They are one of the oldest breed of clowns, and do not usually show as complex facial patterns as modern clowns, but coats that are much more decorated. They also often have the typical three pointed hat, although two point, or donkey ears are also common in old breeds.

In Europe, the source of jesters is muddy, but it is likely that they are the result of Balatrones being sold to other countries, which is also the reason why clowns as a whole are so diverse and prevalent in European culture. European Jester breeds include English Jesters and fools, French Bouffons, Polish Blazens, German Hoffnars or Spanish Bufons to cite a few. These breeds also often have english names.

There are also jesters in asia, for exemple the taikomochi in Japan.

### English Royal Court Jesters

The golden age of Jesters is usually attributed to the English Royal Court Jesters, a type of breed that has sadly for the most part gone exctinct, common during the late medieval age and renaissance. They were also at the time called domestic fools due to their origin, with a few modern breeds keeping that name due to it's history (for exemple the Italian Masked Fool). English Royal Court Jesters were known for their acrobatics, pleasing songs, juggling, and physical comedy. Some particularly talented one were told to perform storytelling with their partner. They are peculiar in their appearance, often deviating from the norm for Jesters.

English Court Jester breeds include the Archy Fool (extinct), a breed renowned for it's particularly mean and mischievious tricks, and it's tendency toward jealousy and wild nature. It has gone out of style during the 18th century due to its flaws, replaced by more good natured jester breeds. They sported a short crimson velvet like pelt, were rather humanoid, being around the size of a person, and had gold accents. They did not sport a pointed cap, but a feathered crest. They however did have a frilled collar, but overall looked a lot more like fools than jesters, perhaps because they were crossed with them as some historian theorize.

Another is the Royal Dwarf Jester, a small sized jester (18 or 19 inches was considered the norm) who also sported a feathered cap and a frilled collar, but this time paired with pointed shoes. They were known to be loyal, and come with a variety of masks used to entertain the court. They were extremely intelligent, with enough wit to rival an harlequin or a fool. Although this breed also fell out of grace, a modern breed, the Dwarf Court Jester, tries to replicate most of its trait, although with a more modern appearance including the three point hat, bells, and flashing colors.

The Jane Foole, a breed sporting long feminine gowns and a eared cap, similar to a donkey, was also recensed at a few point in history, although it is unknown how this peculiar breed came to be. It is considered extinct, although other donkey eared jesters exist.

The Shropshire court jester is similarly extinct, also sporting a feathered crest and extravagent markings. It was known for being good natured and performing with jugglers, although tales of fights between the two breeds also exist. It is possible that hybrid between Court Jugglers and Shropshire Court Jesters might have existed.

## Breeds

Note : This article is not complete. You may encounter or own jesters that are not registred on this list. Feel free to add them in to better the honkapedia.

### Modern Court Jesters

These breeds are meant to imitate the old jesters found during the golden age in all of Europe. Although some carry fragility due to a small population and very specific traits, other are only physically similar to golden age jesters, and completely healthy.

* King Jester (*Joculator regis*)
* Maroon Court Jester (*Joculator rubrum*)
* Tricolor Court Jester (*Joculator atrium*)
* Masked Fool (*Joculator persona*)
* Donkey-Eared Court Jester (*Joculator asinus*)
* King Buffoon (*Balatro regis*)
* French Buffoon (*Balatro griseo*)
* Dwarf Court Jester (*Joculator parvos*)

### Three-pointed Jesters

The most common breed seen in jester-keeping, these colorful jesters all share the three-pointed hat that made them famous nowadays.