Adam de Halle (13th century) is quite rightly the most famous of the trouvères. He was also commonly known as Adam le Bossu (Adam the Hunchback). Funny thing is, we have record of him explaining that it was a family name and that he wasn’t personally a Hunchback.
I’m just trying to imagine how often that must have played out in court. “Lords and ladies, I present to you the most famous singer in the world, Adam the Hunchback.”
“I’ve know some Hunchbacks in my time, and you, sir, are not a Hunchback. Why are you called Adam the Hunchback?”
“Well, it’s a family name. One of my great grandfathers was probably a Hunchback, so everyone called him Paul the Hunchback. He passed the name onto his son, and everyone has called us Hunchback ever since. It’s really more of a marketing ploy than anything.”
It’s sort of the Medieval version of Bare Naked Ladies. There aren’t any BNL’s in the group, but you remember the name. Same thing here. No hunchback, but you remember that a guy who isn’t a hunchback calls himself one.
I’m thinking of some names for myself, but I’m willing to hear suggestions.
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