Friday, February 22, 2008
Gestatorial chair
The gestatorial chair is used for carrying the Pope on certain occasions. Not sure which ones, but presumably pretty special occasions. What an exciting day on the blog. I thoroughly enjoyed reading all your meanings. Well done, everyone. You all deserve back pats. And especially well done to Scriptor Senex, today's poll winner.
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A gestatorial chair dates back to the 16th century and was used in child birth by the upper classes. The (unfortunate) woman was strapped in the chair at the time of her confinement to ensure that she gave birth to a legitimate son and heir. Poorer women fared much better in in this respect in that they were given a mattress stuffed with horse hair to lay on and were plied with copious amounts of wine until the the newborn arrived.
The chair great-great grannie sits in as she thumps her cane and demands her gin while maintaining utter control over the other women of the house.
Gestatorial chair is just a fancy more grown-up variation of the thinking chair, made famous on Blue's Clues. All of the most inventive ideas are borne from spending some time in one's favorite gestatorial chair.
A gestatorial chair is one specially reserved for guests one does not wish to outstay their welcome. It is designed to appear the most comfortable one in the house but it has hidden bumps and hollows, its back is at an odd angle and is too high for anyone's feet to reach the floor thereby bringing a whole new meaning to "Come on in and put your feet up".
First off, let me tell you where the Gestatorial Chair was used. It was used in the Uykyulalu (say Ü-ku-lä-lü) the indian tribe that was found mostly, well, extinked on an island off of Asia. FYI you will not often find this tribe in your history books, it held little to no importance in the History of us.
Any way, back to the Gestitorial Chair. The Gestatorial Chair was the chair the was made out of flaming hot mettle in order to burn flesh. Why, you ask, well the tribe thought those of elderly age ( 80-90 ) were bad luck. They thought that the frightening wrinkles on the 96 year old men and women would frighten away the gods. So once you were 80, if you had wrinkles ( which, of coarse we all do ) you new your days were done.
They would put you to sleep at noon sharp and when they new you were asleep they would grab your old, unclean, wrinkled body ( and with this you most likely awoke ) and carefully strapped you to the Gestatorial Chair. There you would sing your praises to the gods and thank them for their mercy upon you and close you eyes and burn into ashes. Horrid, I know it pains me to say it but it is true ...I think!
First off, let me tell you where the Gestatorial Chair was used. It was used in the Uykyulalu (say Ü-ku-lä-lü) the indian tribe that was found mostly, well, extinked on an island off of Asia. FYI you will not often find this tribe in your history books, it held little to no importance in the History of us.
Any way, back to the Gestitorial Chair. The Gestatorial Chair was the chair the was made out of flaming hot mettle in order to burn flesh. Why, you ask, well the tribe thought those of elderly age ( 80-90 ) were bad luck. They thought that the frightening wrinkles on the 96 year old men and women would frighten away the gods. So once you were 80, if you had wrinkles ( which, of coarse we all do ) you new your days were done.
They would put you to sleep at noon sharp and when they new you were asleep they would grab your old, unclean, wrinkled body ( and with this you most likely awoke ) and carefully strapped you to the Gestatorial Chair. There you would sing your praises to the gods and thank them for their mercy upon you and close you eyes and burn into ashes. Horrid, I know it pains me to say it but it is true ...I think!
Dear word imp,
I am very sorry for the two comments, it was an accident !
In times gone by, when mothers were revered, they would, after 30 days of bedrest receive wellwishers into their home. The proud mother would sit in the gestatorial chair which was handed down from generation to generation. The chair was carefully designed for maximum comfort and ease of breastfeeding.
It was fortuitous that the kings and queens of england lived in palacial surroundings with lofty ceilings, for the gestatorial chair (corruption of Jester's tall chair) was a special seat 25 feet high positioned next to the throne fromwhich the court jester could oversee royal proceedings and vocalise topical humour to amuse the monarch.
From this position he was safe from any retaliation by visitors irritated by his comments.
tgw44.blogspot.com
Hmm, this is actually a trick one, and the word imp tried to lead us astray telling us we all know what a chair is !!!
A gestatorial chair, for a start is not only chair, is is a person....
allow me to elaborate:
In Freemasonry in the olden days, (and perhaps to this day still) if there was ever a heated disagreement between members of the same masonic lodge then it would have to be resolved by calling in a senior mason from a neighbouring lodge (in order to ensure impatiallity)to preside over a meeting and act as chairman and Arbitrator, with his decision being final. This Mason was referred to as the "Gestatorial chairman", or chair for short.... but this is not all !!
Giving the important status of the Gestatorial chairman a special ceremonial high backed chair was created for him to sit in, much like a throne and this ironicly is also referred to as the Gestatorial chair.
A gestatorial chair is a chair that a pregnant woman sits in during the nine months of her pregnancy.
A gestatorial chair is one that a controversial bald cleric sits in when asked to be the dinner guest of an old classmate. Subjects of dinnertime discussion include (but are not limited to) politics, the arts, sports -- and where to buy a good box of donuts.
The chair that a bald cleric seldom sits in is called a barber's chair.
A gestatorial chair is the huge overstuffed armchair with the spindly curved dark wood armrests, coarse fabric and stiff seats that no one sits on except when company's over and there are no other chairs left.
Apparently its true origins are also rather bizarre !!!
Now the true definition has come out....
I also have bacome aware that tradition claims that around the year 1000, the papal throne was occupied for some time by a woman. Joan left England to study at Mainz and her love of learning made her decide to dress up as a man and to become a Benedictine monk. She graduated in theology and became famous all over Europe for her knowledge which enabled her to enter the papal court and to be elected cardinal. Her brilliance also led to her election as pope. Some time later though, she became pregnant by her servant, and gave birth during a procession in the area of St John Lateran. On discovering the truth, the outraged people lynched her and the baby. This episode led to the introduction of the gestatorial chair used by the cardinals before each election to check the sex of the pope!
apparently !!
:)
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