| Hershel of Ostropol’s ??? | |
|---|---|
|
Origin |
Hershel of Ostropol |
|
Type |
??? |
|
Effects |
Talk one’s way out of any argument through clever language |
|
Downsides |
Antics that get one into trouble |
|
Activation |
Vagabond status |
|
Section |
|
| [Source] | |
Origin[]
Hershel of Ostropol (1757–1811) is a prominent figure in Jewish humor. Hershel was a prankster from Ostropol, Crown Poland (now Ukraine), who lived in poverty and targeted the rich and powerful, both Jew and Gentile. Common folks were not safe from his shenanigans, either, but usually got off lightly. He is also remembered by Ukrainian Gentiles as something of an ethnic folk hero, who could take on establishment forces much larger than himself with nothing but his humor. Many of his misadventures display tricking others using witty wordplay and a roundabout logic to dupe people for goods or lack of manners.
Hershel was originally a shochet (kosher butcher) who, having offended some of his townspeople with his humor, left, wandered, and "found his calling" as court jester of the Baal Shem Tov's grandson. Publicity for the transition to reputation as a jokester is traced to a 1920s writer named Chaim Bloch and a book he wrote.
Effects[]
Gives one a silver tongue to talk their way out of any argument they enter. Gives them greater situational observation and comedic delivery to defuse a tense standoff with a laugh. Unfortunately causes them to continually cause the aforementioned incidents, forcing them to always play the genius fool to avoid harm.