I'm writing a bit about literacy in Medieval Europe and just wanted to share the lovely writings 7 year old Onfim who lived in the 13th century left behind.
He wrote stories, made drawings and did his homework on birch bark.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onfim
Onfim left us only 17 bits of writing/drawing, but over 1100 birch writings have been found since the 1950s and new ones are still being found in and around Veliky Novgorod in Russia.
Written by common people about daily things.
Homework but also shopping lists, complaints, etc.
A note from a father to his son;
Send me a shirt, towel, trousers, reins, and, for my sister, send fabric. If I am alive, I will pay for it.”
A chap called Mikita wrote a birch bark letter to Anna between 1280 and 1300 that said:
“Marry me. I want you, and you me.”
"Feshko Jurgia beats his forehead. Need salt urgently, I did not receive salt from you for two years; yes come."
Oh Boris, so forgetful.
"From Boris to Nastasya. As this letter comes, send me a man on a stallion, because I have a lot to do here. Yes came the shirt - forgot the shirt. ”
Oh no Boris!
"A bow from Nastasya to the gentlemen of my brothers. I have Boris [no longer] alive. How, gentlemen, take care of me and my children?"
Anyway, as you can imagine having such a rich source of common people writing about common stuff changes our perspective on a few things.
Source of translations and images is this excellent site;
gramoty.ru/birchbark/
How does this match the common idea of 99% of Medieval people being illiterate?
Just because most of the writings of the era that survived to this day were fancy books and letters written in Latin doesn't mean there was nothing else out there at the time.
Am I the only one who can almost imagine little Onfim and based on just a few scribbles, notes and drawings has grown to like the little cheeky kid?
He just seems adorable.
"ГИ ПОМОЗИ РАБУ СВОЄМУ ОНѲИМУ"
“Lord, help your servant Onfim!”
I hope little Onfim got the help he needed.
When I was a kid the world was a very different place.
This is what I drew when I was Onfim's age
Interesting link, bunch of Vikings leaving graffiti, quite a lot, suggesting that among a bunch of Vikings at least a few knew how to write.
Language warning; they were Vikings, naughty naughty boys.
Thanks @LorrHayn!
orkneyjar.com/history/maesho…
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