The Poetic Beginnings of the F-Word

Most people know what the F-word means and the different capacities it's used in. In raw terms, it can mean having sex. In anger, it's used as an insult. It can also be used as a form of surprise, "What the f**k?" or as a descriptive word, "It was f**king awesome!" But how did this word begin, and what does it have to do with poetry? Let's take a look back in time.

Note: I will not be spelling out the actual word as it could be offensive to some readers.

The F-word itself appears to have been derived from a surname. The earliest known is that of John le F++ker, an Englishman whose name appears in a 1278 administrative record. However, it doesn't appear as if this is how the F- word originated, as it seems his last name meant soldier.

Where the word is probably derived from is Roger F**kebythenavele, who appeared in court records three times during 1311 in Chester County, Medieval England. It is unclear exactly what his charges were, but it seemed to have something to do with sex. (Some believe the last name is actually a nickname meaning he tried to have sex with a navel.)

An early theory of the actual word is that it was an acronym for Fornication Under the Consent of the King, in which couples had to get the king's permission in order to have sex. This has proven to be false. Where the word was actually used was in poetry.

Written in poetry, the word first appears in Flen Flyys, a 1475 satirical poem by an unknown author. The title translates to Fleas, Flies, and Friars and contains the verse:

"Fratres Carmeli navigant in a bothe apud Eli,

Non sunt in cœli quia gxddbov xxkxzt pg ifmk. [fuccant uuiuys of heli]

Omnes drencherunt, quia sterisman non habuerunt,

Fratres cum knyvys goth about and txxkxzv nfookt xxzxkt, [suuiuyt mennis uuyuis]"

Translation:

"The Carmelite monks sail in a boat to Eli,

Having no place in Heaven, for they f**k the women of Eli.

All drenched, for they had no steersman,

Monks with knives go about and swive men's wives."

The F-word appears again in the Bannatyne Manuscript, a collection of Scottish poetry compiled by George Bannatyne in 1658 during a Scottish plague, featuring 40 prominent poets.

A highlight of the manuscript is “The Flyting of Dunbar and Kennedie,” which is an insulting battle of the words between William Dunbar and Walter Kennedy featuring the verse:

"Dreid, dirtfast dearch, that thow hes dissobeyit

My cousing Quintene and my commissar.

Fantastik fule, trest weill thow salbe fleyit.

Ignorant elf, aip, owll irregular,

Skaldit skaitbird and commoun skamelar,

Wanfukkit funling that Natour maid ane yrle,

Baith Johine the Ros and thow sall squeill and skirle

And evir I heir ocht of your making mair."

A more modern translation:

"Dread, dirtfast durch, that thou hast disobeyed

My cousin Quintin and my commissar.

Fantastic fool, trust well thou shalt be flayed.

Ignorant elf, ape, owl irregular,

Skalded skaitbird and common skamelar,

Wanfuckėd foundling that Nature made an yrle,

Both John the Ross and thou shall squeal and skirle

An’ ever I hear aught of your making more."

Although socially acceptable at the time, the F-word became taboo in the 18th century and no longer was considered proper to use in print.

Flash forward to today. The F-word has become quite common in everyday language and while there was a time it was used an expressive poetic word, today the word can be commonly heard on the street and found quite often in song lyrics, particularly that of the rap genre.

Sources:

https://reason.com/2015/09/21/the-return-of-roger-fuckebythenavele/

https://www.tumblr.com/a-l-t-1-1-1/179403237096/flen-flyys-14th-c-anonymous-pages

https://www.clanstrachan.org/history/Flyting_of_Dunbar_and_Kennedy.pdf