tisdag 22 februari 2011

Tycho Brahes älg

Renen berättade en knäpp historia om Tycho Brahes älg som "bekräftas" av den engelska wikipediaartikeln.
Tycho's Elk (Moose)
Tycho was said to own one percent of the entire wealth of Denmark at one point in the 1580s and he often held large social gatherings in his castle.

He kept a dwarf named Jepp (whom Tycho believed to be clairvoyant) as a court jester who sat under the table during dinner.

Pierre Gassendi wrote that Tycho also had a tame elk (moose) and that his mentor the Landgrave Wilhelm of Hesse-Kassel (Hesse-Cassel) asked whether there was an animal faster than a deer.

Tycho replied, writing that there was none, but he could send his tame elk. When Wilhelm replied he would accept one in exchange for a horse, Tycho replied with the sad news that the elk had just died on a visit to entertain a nobleman at Landskrona.

Apparently during dinner the elk had drunk a lot of beer, fallen down the stairs, and died.