Perkeo of Heidelberg
| Pankert Clemens (Perkeo) | |
|---|---|
 Perkeo is shown with his three symbols: wine goblet, key and clock. |
Perkeo of Heidelberg (born Pankert Clemens or Giovanni Clementi) was a notable court jester in 18th Century Heidelberg, Germany. He has since become an unofficial mascot of the city and region, as his name, story and image have been connected with a variety of festivals, traditional songs, cultural and scientific institutions, hotels, restaurants and private companies (in and out of the region) ever since.
Pankert was (apparently) born with dwarfism, in Salurn in the County of Tyrol, where he worked for the regional Prince Charles III Philip, Elector Palatine. In about 1720, Prince Philip took an interest in Pankert, and brought him along to the Heidelberg Castle (in what is today Germany) as an official entertainer for the court.
In Heidelberg, he allegedly adopted the nickname “Perkeo” after he famously replied "perché no?" (meaning “why not?” in Italian) many times after being asked if he wanted another glass of wine at various court events.
Perkeo quickly became celebrated for massive wine consumption despite his small figure (contemporary accounts document that he regularly drank between five and eight US gallons of wine a day). Since he knew much about wine, he was also given the responsibility of looking after the castle’s wine stocks. (Many found amusement in the striking contrast that tiny, funny Perkeo was in charge of the largest wine barrel in the world, the massive Heidelberg Tun, while famously having a strong love of drinking.)
Aside from his official court duties, he is often celebrated for a variety of humorous legends connected to his life and comical court pranks. These stories range from a tale of a mysterious clock that he used in wine production, a large key he had gotten on a misadventure into town to have an official uniform created, and most famously his demise.
According to popular legend, Perkeo lived happily into his eighties having never drunk anything in his life, save for wine. Yet one day he took ill and the town doctor had him drink water. He died the next day.
Further reading
Harry B. Davis: "What Happened in Heidelberg: From Heidelberg Man to the Present": Verlag Brausdruck GmbH, 1977.
Victor Hugo: "Heidelberg" of Frankfurt am Main: Societäts-Verlag, 2003.
References
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perkeo
http://www.perkeo.co.uk/about.html