“Our forefathers and ancestors of all times have been of this nature and disposition, that, upon the winning of a battle, they have chosen rather, for a sign and memorial of their triumphs and victories, to erect trophies and monuments in the hearts of the vanquished by clemency than by architecture in the lands which they had conquered. For they did hold in greater estimation the lively remembrance of men purchased by liberality than the dumb inscription of arches, pillars, and pyramids, subject to the injury of storms and tempests, and to the envy of everyone.”

Gargantua and Pantagruel by François Rabelais

 

It’s very disconcerting to read old favourites with a different pair of eyes.

Rabelais’ very famous book was written at the height of the Reformation. Today it’s considered a literary masterpiece. But…

From NC:

 

And, finally, we note once again that the text of the Rabelais reformer was executed in a cheeky, mocking manner, aimed at insulting the faithful and undermining the religious and ideological foundations of the Great Empire.

Of course, sometimes the kings of the Great Horde Empire could respectfully be called giants, emphasizing their role in the then world. Rabelais called his main characters giants precisely because he wanted to show who exactly he was mocking.

Conclusion. At the beginning of his “novel” under the name of the giant Gargantua Rabelais brought Christ, plunging his story into a murky stream of criticism, allusions, allegories and humour “below the belt”. And under the name Gargamella described the Virgin Mary.

 

So Rabelais’s “novel” successfully set the stage for “the clang of swords and the shedding of blood”. It was in this that was his true role. Soon the Great Empire was split. However, after some time the pendulum went back. The Romanovs, being initially obedient to Western henchmen, after some time were reborn on the Horde soil, and to a large extent restored the wide influence of the metropolis of the Empire.