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Encyclopedia ID 393

Water Jousting

Also known as Joutes nautiques (Sète tradition)

Water Jousting: photograph by Jorge Franganillo
Photo: Jorge Franganillo, CC BY 2.0, source on Wikimedia Commons

Two boats row at each other; each jouster on a high stern platform tries to knock the opponent into the canal with a blunt lance while shielding.

Heritage note

Part of the living heritage of France.

Origins

Usually placed in the era of Crossroads and Golden Ages (about 500 to 1500), although its exact origins are uncertain, within the cultural world of Celtic and Atlantic Europe.

Sources

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