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Carousel (History)
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N R Scott


In: Middlesbrough
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The other morning I accidentally found myself watching a TV show where former politician Michael 'Choo-Choo' Portillo was being told about the history of the carousel. It got me wondering how far back the history goes. I'd also been reading Chronology 1 where Fomenko states that the planets were represented as horses and chariots on the medieval zodiac. Horses/hours/horoscope.

Did the circling horses on the fairground carousel once represent something more mystic?

After all the fairground is the traditional hangout of gypsies, tarot cards and fortune tellers.
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N R Scott


In: Middlesbrough
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From Wikipedia;

The modern carousel emerged from early jousting traditions in Europe and the Middle East. Knights would gallop in a circle while tossing balls from one to another; an activity that required great skill and horsemanship. This game was introduced to Europe at the time of the Crusades from earlier Byzantine and Arab traditions. The word carousel originated from the Italian garosello and Spanish carosella ("little battle", used by crusaders to describe a combat preparation exercise and game played by Turkish and Arabian horsemen in the 12th century). This early device was essentially a cavalry training mechanism; it prepared and strengthened the riders for actual combat as they wielded their swords at the mock enemies.

From another site online;

Carosello was adopted by the French into an exhibition (now called carousel) of many types of horsemanship pageantry and competition, including spearing a ring suspended from a post or tree, while riding at full speed. A practice machine was created to help young knights prepare for this competition - a series of legless wooden horses attached to a rotating platform (driven by human-power or horse-power). When this practice machine proved to be as popular with women and children as it was with the young knights, the carousel was born.

So I guess the history is more military than planetary...

The Knights of the Round Table? Could the Round Table have been a carousel-style combat exercise?
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N R Scott


In: Middlesbrough
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spearing a ring suspended from a post or tree

From Wikipedia's page on Maypoles;

The traditions surrounding the maypoles vary locally, as does the design of the poles, although the design featuring a cross and two rings is most common nowadays. A perhaps more original incarnation is the one still in use in the Swedish landscape of Sm�land where the pole carries a large horizontally suspended ring around it, hanging from ropes attached at the top of the pole.

A maypole in Ammeberg, Sweden;



A maypole in East Frisia, Germany;



So the maypole had a military purpose as well.

Now we know why Robin Hood figures so heavily along with Maid Marian in May Day celebrations.
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N R Scott


In: Middlesbrough
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This is a description of May Day given by a 16th century diarist. Note the militaristic overtones;

On the 30th day of May was a jolly May-game in Fenchurch Street (London) with drums and guns and pikes, The Nine Worthies did ride; and they all had speeches, and the morris dance and sultan and an elephant with a castle and the sultan and young moors with shields and arrows, and the lord and lady of the May.

Maybe this is why May Day was prohibited and clamped down on by Protestant states. Maybe they were magnets for chivalrous upstarts and rallying points for rebellion. If you wanted law and order it was probably best to get rid of them.
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N R Scott


In: Middlesbrough
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Back to modern carousels;

A brass ring is a small grabbable ring that a dispenser presents to a carousel rider during the course of a ride. Usually there are a large number of iron rings and one brass one, or just a few. It takes some dexterity to grab a ring from the dispenser as the carousel rotates. The iron rings can be tossed at a target as an amusement.
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Hatty
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In: Berkshire
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N R Scott wrote:
From Wikipedia;

The modern carousel emerged from early jousting traditions in Europe and the Middle East. Knights would gallop in a circle while tossing balls from one to another; an activity that required great skill and horsemanship.


A brass ring is a small grabbable ring that a dispenser presents to a carousel rider during the course of a ride. Usually there are a large number of iron rings and one brass one, or just a few. It takes some dexterity to grab a ring from the dispenser as the carousel rotates. The iron rings can be tossed at a target as an amusement.

Galloping in a circle, grabbing rings, catching things mid-air, all sound like skills connected with animal-herding, where the horses and riders have to be co-ordinated. But then perhaps everything goes back to animal-herding.
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Wile E. Coyote


In: Arizona
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Hatty wrote:
catching things mid-air, ....


It looks like an airborne variant of polo (ball).....to me...
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Wile E. Coyote


In: Arizona
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carousel
carnival
circus
chariot

All look the same. But orthodoxy, will tell you that carnival, is to do with meat and lent.....
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Ishmael


In: Toronto
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N R Scott wrote:
Did the circling horses on the fairground carousel once represent something more mystic? After all the fairground is the traditional hangout of gypsies, tarot cards and fortune tellers.


Astounding idea.
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N R Scott


In: Middlesbrough
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Hatty wrote:
all sound like skills connected with animal-herding, where the horses and riders have to be co-ordinated. But then perhaps everything goes back to animal-herding.


Corral

1. An enclosure for confining livestock.
2. An enclosure formed by a circle of wagons for defense against attack during an encampment.
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Wile E. Coyote


In: Arizona
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Bravo Scotty....

In one version of the Round Table, it could be spun....in others the seating arrangement magically switched....

Seating arrangements matter. Each knight wants to be next to the king, so each knight must take turns........


Which reminds me of the popular children's game Musical Chairs........
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N R Scott


In: Middlesbrough
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Cool.
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N R Scott


In: Middlesbrough
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Wile E. Coyote wrote:
Which reminds me of the popular children's game Musical Chairs........

Also called Going to Jerusalem, which sounds quite knightly to me.
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Wile E. Coyote


In: Arizona
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N R Scott wrote:
Corral

1. An enclosure for confining livestock.
2. An enclosure formed by a circle of wagons for defense against attack during an encampment.


I like your idea of Native Americans carousailing round the wagons....
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N R Scott


In: Middlesbrough
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Wile E. Coyote wrote:
Which reminds me of the popular children's game Musical Chairs........

Actually, come to think of it, this chimes in with an earlier train of thought I had - namely that all games have their big and small (or indoor and outdoor) equivalents. Darts, complete with its bullseye, being the smaller, indoor archery etc.

I was thinking that Jester and Jouster were the same word - to jest with someone and to joust with someone having the same sense of meaning. Outdoor games centre on the jouster, indoor games centre on a jester.

In legend the King's most loyal companion is generally either his jester/fool or his finest knight. The indoor king, the outdoor king.

Also tournament is another turn word.
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