Rain of food
The Land of Cokaygne was represented, not merely by mediaeval
tales1 of a far country where viands of the choicest sort were to be
had for the asking, but also by popular customs in which a deter-
mined effort was made to get there and feast to heart's content-
Thus at Naples the name Cuccagna2 was given to a yearly merry-
the fish actually fall, but when the sun dried up the water which filled the crevices
between the cobbles after the heavy showers, it was found that a large number of small
fish were lying there. Some were silver, some red, and some of an entirely different
colour. With them was found a small quantity of vegetation...one stallholder recall
and
of
that three years ago he had a similar experience on the road between Foxton
Shepreth, when a multitude of small frogs suddenly descended. The Superintendent
the Cambridge Botanical Gardens also recollected a similar experience with minn01*
and tadpoles on the Bath—London road some years ago.'
In speaking of fish, frogs, and meal as dropped from the sky, Athenaios and 1
sources used throughout, not the name Zeis, but the vaguer term 6 Beds. The RoWan
historians omit even that acknowledgement of the divine, when they record—
(1) a rain of flesh:
461 B.C. (Liv. 3. 10, Dion. Hal. ant. Rom. 10. 2, Nepotian. epit. Val. Max, '' *jj
Plin. nat. hist. 2. 147, Lyd. de ostent. prooem. 6 p. 13, 3 ff. Wachsm
at Rome.)
(2) a rain of milk:
■274 B.C. (Oros. 4. 5. 1.)
209 (Liv. 27. 11.) A_
194 (Liv. 34. 45 Interamnae lac fluxisse with many variants, for which see
Drakenborch ad loc. J. F. Gronov cj. Nare amni.)
163 (Iul. Obs. 73 = 14 Gabiis.)
130 (Iul. Obs. 87 = 28 Romae in Graecostasi.)
125 (Iul. Obs. 90=30 in Veiente.)
124 (Iul. Obs. 91 = 31 in Graecostasi.)
118 (Iul. Obs. 95 = 35.)
117 (?) (Iul. Obs. 96 = 36 Praeneste.)
114 (Plin. nat. hist. 2. 147.)
106 (Iul. Obs. 101=41 in agro Perusino et Romae locis aliquot.)
104 (Iul. Obs. 103 = 43 m Lucanis.)
95 (Iul. Obs. 110 = 50 Caere.)
92 (Iul. Obs. 113 = 53 Romae.)
(3) a rain of oil:
125 B.C. (Iul. Obs. 90 = 30 in Veiente.) v0
1 These have been collected and discussed by J. Poeschel 'Das Marche"
Schlaraffenlande' in H. Paul—W. Braune Beitrdge zur Geschichle der dentsche" ^ gfc
undLiteratur 1878 v. 389—427 (universal belief in a happy childhood of mankin •
reign of Kronos and its parodies, in which distant age becomes distant place e-S' #0
Romance-languages postulate a definite' wunschland,' the Latin Cucania, Italian ' 0liJ)
Spanish Cucana, French Coquaigne, Cocagne: German
Schlaraffenland ?o\v^ the g ('11
A. Graf Mili, Leggcnde e Stiperstizioni del Medio Evo Torino 1892 pp. ; 3Reibe
Paese di Cuccagna e i Parodist artificiaW), E. Schmidt Charakteristihen Z«el ,gildei"
Berlin 1901 pp. 51—70 ('Das Schlaraffenland' with verse-quotations), J- ?^ \9l°
bogen des 16. und 17. Jahrhunderts' in the Zeitschrift des Vereins fiir Volksk* ^Jfr
xx. 187—193 ('Das Schlaraffenland' with a woodcut of 1575—1C00), J- Bolte—
Anmerkungen zu den Kinder- u. Ilausmdrchen der Rriider Grimm Leipzig '9ia;e;.siolls)-
258 ('158. Das Marchen vom Schlauraffenland'—a full account of all European
2 J. Poeschel loc. cit. 1878 v. 409 f., J. Bolte—G. PoHvka op. cit. Hi. ^48-
The Land of Cokaygne was represented, not merely by mediaeval
tales1 of a far country where viands of the choicest sort were to be
had for the asking, but also by popular customs in which a deter-
mined effort was made to get there and feast to heart's content-
Thus at Naples the name Cuccagna2 was given to a yearly merry-
the fish actually fall, but when the sun dried up the water which filled the crevices
between the cobbles after the heavy showers, it was found that a large number of small
fish were lying there. Some were silver, some red, and some of an entirely different
colour. With them was found a small quantity of vegetation...one stallholder recall
and
of
that three years ago he had a similar experience on the road between Foxton
Shepreth, when a multitude of small frogs suddenly descended. The Superintendent
the Cambridge Botanical Gardens also recollected a similar experience with minn01*
and tadpoles on the Bath—London road some years ago.'
In speaking of fish, frogs, and meal as dropped from the sky, Athenaios and 1
sources used throughout, not the name Zeis, but the vaguer term 6 Beds. The RoWan
historians omit even that acknowledgement of the divine, when they record—
(1) a rain of flesh:
461 B.C. (Liv. 3. 10, Dion. Hal. ant. Rom. 10. 2, Nepotian. epit. Val. Max, '' *jj
Plin. nat. hist. 2. 147, Lyd. de ostent. prooem. 6 p. 13, 3 ff. Wachsm
at Rome.)
(2) a rain of milk:
■274 B.C. (Oros. 4. 5. 1.)
209 (Liv. 27. 11.) A_
194 (Liv. 34. 45 Interamnae lac fluxisse with many variants, for which see
Drakenborch ad loc. J. F. Gronov cj. Nare amni.)
163 (Iul. Obs. 73 = 14 Gabiis.)
130 (Iul. Obs. 87 = 28 Romae in Graecostasi.)
125 (Iul. Obs. 90=30 in Veiente.)
124 (Iul. Obs. 91 = 31 in Graecostasi.)
118 (Iul. Obs. 95 = 35.)
117 (?) (Iul. Obs. 96 = 36 Praeneste.)
114 (Plin. nat. hist. 2. 147.)
106 (Iul. Obs. 101=41 in agro Perusino et Romae locis aliquot.)
104 (Iul. Obs. 103 = 43 m Lucanis.)
95 (Iul. Obs. 110 = 50 Caere.)
92 (Iul. Obs. 113 = 53 Romae.)
(3) a rain of oil:
125 B.C. (Iul. Obs. 90 = 30 in Veiente.) v0
1 These have been collected and discussed by J. Poeschel 'Das Marche"
Schlaraffenlande' in H. Paul—W. Braune Beitrdge zur Geschichle der dentsche" ^ gfc
undLiteratur 1878 v. 389—427 (universal belief in a happy childhood of mankin •
reign of Kronos and its parodies, in which distant age becomes distant place e-S' #0
Romance-languages postulate a definite' wunschland,' the Latin Cucania, Italian ' 0liJ)
Spanish Cucana, French Coquaigne, Cocagne: German
Schlaraffenland ?o\v^ the g ('11
A. Graf Mili, Leggcnde e Stiperstizioni del Medio Evo Torino 1892 pp. ; 3Reibe
Paese di Cuccagna e i Parodist artificiaW), E. Schmidt Charakteristihen Z«el ,gildei"
Berlin 1901 pp. 51—70 ('Das Schlaraffenland' with verse-quotations), J- ?^ \9l°
bogen des 16. und 17. Jahrhunderts' in the Zeitschrift des Vereins fiir Volksk* ^Jfr
xx. 187—193 ('Das Schlaraffenland' with a woodcut of 1575—1C00), J- Bolte—
Anmerkungen zu den Kinder- u. Ilausmdrchen der Rriider Grimm Leipzig '9ia;e;.siolls)-
258 ('158. Das Marchen vom Schlauraffenland'—a full account of all European
2 J. Poeschel loc. cit. 1878 v. 409 f., J. Bolte—G. PoHvka op. cit. Hi. ^48-