Village idiot

The village idiot is, in strict terms, a person locally known for ignorance or stupidity but is also a common term for a stereotypically silly or nonsensical person or stock character.

[3] As early as Byzantine times, the "village idiot" was treated as an acceptable form of disabled individual compatible with then-prevailing normative conceptions of social order.

The concept of a "village savant" or "village genius" is closely related, often tied to the concept of pre-industrial anti-intellectualism, as both figures are subjects of both pity and derision.

[4] The social roles of the two are combined and applied, especially in the sociopolitical context, in the European medieval/Renaissance court jester.

[citation needed] The village idiot has become a character archetype, similar to an oaf or comic relief in narrative structure.