The village idiot in strict terms is a person locally known for ignorance or stupidity,[1] but is also a common term for a stereotypically silly or nonsensical person. The term is also used as a stereotype of the mentally disabled.[2] It has also been applied as an epithet for an unrealistically optimistic or naive individual.[3]
The village idiot was long considered an acceptable social role, a unique individual who was dependent yet contributed to the social fabric of his community.[4] As early as Byzantine times, the "village idiot" was treated as an acceptable form of deranged individual that fulfilled the conception of normative social order. The concept of a "village savant" or "village genius" is closely related, often tied to to the concept of Pre-Industrial Anti-intellectualism, as both figures are subjects of both pity and derision.[5]