Pop Goes The Weasel
By tony leather, 31st May 2012 | Follow this author
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Posted in WikinutNewsEducation
Strange to think that there used to be a social stigma attached to such actions, when the history of pawn broking tells a story of the rich needing help just as much as the poor.
Pop Goes The Weasel
Be honest. Was there never been a time, in your family history, when you HAD to visit the pawn-shop? Money was really tight, and your only option was to visit that shop in the high street with the three golden balls on the sign that hung outside. Strange to think that there used to be a social stigma attached to such actions, when the history of pawn broking tells a story of the rich needing help just as much as the poor.
Did you know that this nursery rhyme of the title has a far more serious side to it, as well as links to an annual celebration that we all adore? Like many other 'children's songs' this one is rooted in a very adult pursuit. Though the appearances and names have changed with the times, the practice of pawning goods is almost as old as civilisation itself, and as popular today as ever it was.
Pawn-broking can, historically be traced back at least 3,000 years. China has many early records for it, and references can be found in early histories of both the Greeks and Romans. Pawning has employed as a source of capital for people in need, as well as for the financing of business ventures. "Pop Goes The Weasel" is all about pawning. A weasel could be a shoemaker's tool, perhaps and to "pop" is to pawn. It was very common in times past to find pawnbrokers on many street corners.
The Bible refers to pawning goods often. Deuteronomy 24:6-13 says: "No man shall take the nether or the upper millstone to pledge, for he taketh a man's life to pledge". This means is: you should not take in pledge anything a man needs to make a living. Interestingly enough, debtors could pledge thier children, and Deuteronomy 23:21 states that people were told not to take interest from their own countrymen, but only from foreigners. The interest rates were high, even in those days, Ancient Mesopotamian laws state that they were 20% for silver, and 33% for grain.
Pop B
Moneychangers at the time of Jesus had a twofold purpose. They would exchange Antiochian money for local currency taking a 4% - 8% fee. Also, they acted both as bankers and lenders. The Gospel story tells that Jesus overturned their tables because the gates of the Temple were the wrong place to do such business. Truth be told, their presence was a community service for those wishing to pay the half-shekel temple tax, because rabbis insisted on it being paid in silver coins of Tyre.
Middle Age laws imposed by the Church forbade charging interest on loans, so pawning was limited to those who did not frequent the churches. Problems with the banking system ensured that pawnshops climbed back into favour in okly a few years, and the House of the Lombard operated pawnshops throughout Europe. They even, supposedly, counted royalty like England's King Edward III as clients during the 14th century.
The highly recognisable symbol of the three balls was taken from the coat of arms of the Medici family of Florence, Italy. A 15th century Italian family of bankers and lenders, with considerable fame and fortune. Legend maintains that a Medici employed by Emperor Charles the Great fought and a giant with three sacks of rocks. These were represented as three golden globes on the family crest, ultimately becoming the sign of pawn-broking
They became so well known in the finance and lending profession that the other lenders, wanting to share in their success, adopted similar coats of arms, signs, shields and symbols, with three golden balls being the most popular. Once other merchants involved in monetary dealing adopted the three golden balls as their symbol, the three balls came to symbolize the entire profession founded on the ethic of mutual trust.
One of the least known origins of this symbol is thought to have been the coin known as the "Silver Shekel" or "Shekel of Israel"- issued in A.D. 68 after a Jewish revolt against the Romans. One side of the coin depicted three pomegranates, with a common stalk.
The word pawn originates from the Latin word "patinum" which means cloth or clothing. The French word "pan" refers to a skirt or blouse. In the early centuries, the principle assets people had were their clothes and borrowed money by pawning their clothing.
Many coats of arms bearing three balls, orbs, plates, disks, or coins were soon appearing on family crests, usually as symbols of monetary success. When Italian bankers opened branches in other countries, the symbol of the three golden balls spread throughout the European West. There was definite pawn-broking in Spain because Queen Isabella pawned some of her royal jewellery in order to finance the exploratory voyages of Christopher Columbus.
The symbol of the three golden balls migrated to the United States from England, where pawnbrokers still display the symbol to this day. Did you know that St. Nicholas, better known by a different name today, is actually the patron saint of Pawnbrokers and bankers? Born in 280AD in Patara, fifty miles west of Myra, in Turkey, to a wealthy Christian family, he was ordained into the priesthood at 19, quickly becoming renowned for his selfless acts of generosity.
When his uncle, Bishop Nicholas, went to Jerusalem, he appointed young Nicholas as his deputy, overseeing the monastery, and the legend of the ‘boy bishop’ began to take shape. Over time, he came to be regarded as a saint by all who knew of him, or his deeds. Pawnbrokers and bankers in northern Italy, who would look to Saint Nicholas as their patron saint, would hang three golden balls above the doors of their shops in tribute to, and for good luck from, their Saint Nicholas.
One legend tells of the pawnbroker who loaned money to a friend, who swore on the icon of Saint Nicholas that he would repay the loan on a fixed date. On that date he refuses to pay and they take their case to court for the judge to decide. The debtor had secretly deposited the money owed into the hollow shaft of his walking cane, which he had given the pawnbroker to hold, whilst he declared that he had, in fact, repaid the debt in full. the judge of the court decided for the debtor. The pawnbroker felt betrayed by Saint Nicholas.
On his way home, the guilty borrower was run over by a runaway horse and wagon, suffering a painful death. The debtor's walking cane had been broken by the wheel, spilling the coins on the ground. Pawnbroker and judge were called to the scene. Pawnbroker realises that this is indeed the amount borrowed from him, but refuses to take it from the lifeless body of his old friend.
The pawnbroker prays that power of Saint Nicholas is great enough to bring his friend back to life. Heartened by his good will and generosity, Saint Nicholas answers the prayer, and the debtor opens his eyes, stands, and repays all the money he owed. This story helped establish the role of Saint Nicholas as the protector of financial integrity and guardian of commitments made in good faith
This most generous Saint of Myra is known as Saint Nicholas, to be sure, but his spirit has bred many other names around the world.. Sankt Nicholas, Sint Nicholas, Santa Klass, Father Christmas, Pere Noel, Befana, and Krist Kindleinare just some of them. We know him as Santa Claus, but whatever name we give him, the emotion his image provokes remains the same. Good will and generosity both transcend time and tradition, are the things about Saint Nicholas that we all aspire to.
Saint Nicholas became Father Christmas or Father January in Germany first, in the late 19th century, then in countries where the Reformed Churches were the majority, the feast day being Christmas or New Year's Day. Dutch Protestant settlers in New Amsterdam (New York City) replaced Saint Nicholas (Sinter Claes) with Santa Claus, thus adding further weight to his spreading folklore.
Main image of the Christmas celebration and patron saint of pawn-broking, Saint Nicholas was an inspiration to many. Kings and Queens have used pawnbrokers just as freely as ordinary people, simply because the shops which display the famous sign are as dependable, and sometimes as important, as the biggest golden ball of all, the sun that gives life to us all.
Pop C
The highly recognisable symbol of the three balls was taken from the coat of arms of the Medici family of Florence, Italy. A 15th century Italian family of bankers and lenders, with considerable fame and fortune. Legend maintains that a Medici employed by Emperor Charles the Great fought and a giant with three sacks of rocks. These were represented as three golden globes on the family crest, ultimately becoming the sign of pawn-broking
They became so well known in the finance and lending profession that the other lenders, wanting to share in their success, adopted similar coats of arms, signs, shields and symbols, with three golden balls being the most popular. Once other merchants involved in monetary dealing adopted the three golden balls as their symbol, the three balls came to symbolize the entire profession founded on the ethic of mutual trust.
One of the least known origins of this symbol is thought to have been the coin known as the "Silver Shekel" or "Shekel of Israel"- issued in A.D. 68 after a Jewish revolt against the Romans. One side of the coin depicted three pomegranates, with a common stalk.
The word pawn originates from the Latin word "patinum" which means cloth or clothing. The French word "pan" refers to a skirt or blouse. In the early centuries, the principle assets people had were their clothes and borrowed money by pawning their clothing.
Many coats of arms bearing three balls, orbs, plates, disks, or coins were soon appearing on family crests, usually as symbols of monetary success. When Italian bankers opened branches in other countries, the symbol of the three golden balls spread throughout the European West. There was definite pawn-broking in Spain because Queen Isabella pawned some of her royal jewellery in order to finance the exploratory voyages of Christopher Columbus.
The symbol of the three golden balls migrated to the United States from England, where pawnbrokers still display the symbol to this day. Did you know that St. Nicholas, better known by a different name today, is actually the patron saint of Pawnbrokers and bankers? Born in 280AD in Patara, fifty miles west of Myra, in Turkey, to a wealthy Christian family, he was ordained into the priesthood at 19, quickly becoming renowned for his selfless acts of generosity.
When his uncle, Bishop Nicholas, went to Jerusalem, he appointed young Nicholas as his deputy, overseeing the monastery, and the legend of the ‘boy bishop’ began to take shape. Over time, he came to be regarded as a saint by all who knew of him, or his deeds. Pawnbrokers and bankers in northern Italy, who would look to Saint Nicholas as their patron saint, would hang three golden balls above the doors of their shops in tribute to, and for good luck from, their Saint Nicholas.
Pop D
One legend tells of the pawnbroker who loaned money to a friend, who swore on the icon of Saint Nicholas that he would repay the loan on a fixed date. On that date he refuses to pay and they take their case to court for the judge to decide. The debtor had secretly deposited the money owed into the hollow shaft of his walking cane, which he had given the pawnbroker to hold, whilst he declared that he had, in fact, repaid the debt in full. the judge of the court decided for the debtor. The pawnbroker felt betrayed by Saint Nicholas.
On his way home, the guilty borrower was run over by a runaway horse and wagon, suffering a painful death. The debtor's walking cane had been broken by the wheel, spilling the coins on the ground. Pawnbroker and judge were called to the scene. Pawnbroker realises that this is indeed the amount borrowed from him, but refuses to take it from the lifeless body of his old friend.
The pawnbroker prays that power of Saint Nicholas is great enough to bring his friend back to life. Heartened by his good will and generosity, Saint Nicholas answers the prayer, and the debtor opens his eyes, stands, and repays all the money he owed. This story helped establish the role of Saint Nicholas as the protector of financial integrity and guardian of commitments made in good faith
This most generous Saint of Myra is known as Saint Nicholas, to be sure, but his spirit has bred many other names around the world.. Sankt Nicholas, Sint Nicholas, Santa Klass, Father Christmas, Pere Noel, Befana, and Krist Kindleinare just some of them. We know him as Santa Claus, but whatever name we give him, the emotion his image provokes remains the same. Good will and generosity both transcend time and tradition, are the things about Saint Nicholas that we all aspire to.
Saint Nicholas became Father Christmas or Father January in Germany first, in the late 19th century, then in countries where the Reformed Churches were the majority, the feast day being Christmas or New Year's Day. Dutch Protestant settlers in New Amsterdam (New York City) replaced Saint Nicholas (Sinter Claes) with Santa Claus, thus adding further weight to his spreading folklore.
Main image of the Christmas celebration and patron saint of pawn-broking, Saint Nicholas was an inspiration to many. Kings and Queens have used pawnbrokers just as freely as ordinary people, simply because the shops which display the famous sign are as dependable, and sometimes as important, as the biggest golden ball of all, the sun that gives life to us all.
One legend tells of the pawnbroker who loaned money to a friend, who swore on the icon of Saint Nicholas that he would repay the loan on a fixed date. On that date he refuses to pay and they take their case to court for the judge to decide. The debtor had secretly deposited the money owed into the hollow shaft of his walking cane, which he had given the pawnbroker to hold, whilst he declared that he had, in fact, repaid the debt in full. the judge of the court decided for the debtor. The pawnbroker felt betrayed by Saint Nicholas.
On his way home, the guilty borrower was run over by a runaway horse and wagon, suffering a painful death. The debtor's walking cane had been broken by the wheel, spilling the coins on the ground. Pawnbroker and judge were called to the scene. Pawnbroker realises that this is indeed the amount borrowed from him, but refuses to take it from the lifeless body of his old friend.
The pawnbroker prays that power of Saint Nicholas is great enough to bring his friend back to life. Heartened by his good will and generosity, Saint Nicholas answers the prayer, and the debtor opens his eyes, stands, and repays all the money he owed. This story helped establish the role of Saint Nicholas as the protector of financial integrity and guardian of commitments made in good faith
This most generous Saint of Myra is known as Saint Nicholas, to be sure, but his spirit has bred many other names around the world.. Sankt Nicholas, Sint Nicholas, Santa Klass, Father Christmas, Pere Noel, Befana, and Krist Kindleinare just some of them. We know him as Santa Claus, but whatever name we give him, the emotion his image provokes remains the same. Good will and generosity both transcend time and tradition, are the things about Saint Nicholas that we all aspire to.
Saint Nicholas became Father Christmas or Father January in Germany first, in the late 19th century, then in countries where the Reformed Churches were the majority, the feast day being Christmas or New Year's Day. Dutch Protestant settlers in New Amsterdam (New York City) replaced Saint Nicholas (Sinter Claes) with Santa Claus, thus adding further weight to his spreading folklore.
Main image of the Christmas celebration and patron saint of pawn-broking, Saint Nicholas was an inspiration to many. Kings and Queens have used pawnbrokers just as freely as ordinary people, simply because the shops which display the famous sign are as dependable, and sometimes as important, as the biggest golden ball of all, the sun that gives life to us all.
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