Panurg

In accordance with the etymology of his name ( dr. Greek πανοῦργος - “illegible in means, capable of anything; cunning, treacherous, rogue, swindler”), Panurgh is depicted as very quirky and crafty; he does not neglect rogues, even theft, boasts of his courage, and on occasion he is a coward, differs in cynicism and shamelessness, thinks only of his well-being, leads a hectic life, devoid of ideal drives, sometimes shows cruelty. But, on the other hand, he personifies common sense, endowed with humor and a satirical vein, skillfully observes and ridicules human weaknesses.

Panurg knows several foreign languages ​​- in any case, at the first meeting with Pantagruel, he addresses him in German, Italian, Dutch, Danish, Greek, Basque and other languages, including those that were invented by Rabelais himself, and which Pantagruel and his companions define it as “the language of antipodes” (Epistemon’s words), “lantern language” (Epistemon’s words) and “the language of my native land of Utopia” (Pantagruel’s words).

According to Panurg, he was born in the "green garden of France, that is, in Touraine ."

Pantagruel meets him in Paris , and from then on Panurge plays a prominent role in the novel; his upcoming marriage is becoming an occasion to Pantagruel’s famous trip (this includes the famous episode with the “ Panurg herd ” included in the proverb). The opposite of Panurgh in the novel is brother Jean.

When creating the Panurg type Rabelais partially imitated the Italian writer Folengo (his pasta poems ). Some critics ( Theophile Gauthier , Gebard) saw the poet Francois Villon in Panurg - which is hardly fair; others consider him the ancestor of Mascaril , Gilles Blaise , etc .; Stapfer compares him to Falstaff .

• Panurgh is mentioned in the play “ Mean ” (1669): “Sir, do not be offended if you are told, you are walking on a beaten destructive path in the footsteps of Panurg. To buy at an exorbitant price, to sell cheaply, to live off an inheritance in advance is a direct way to ruin ”.
• In the novel “The Countess de Monsoro ” (1846), the Genevieve monk , brother Goranflot, reminiscent of Panurg ’s temperament, “names” his donkey with this name. In the novel “ Forty Five ” (1847) (continuation of the trilogy about Henry of Navarre ), Goranflot, who became abbot of the abbey, calls Panurg one of the members of the monastic fraternity (the donkey had already died by then).
• The image of Panurgh was also used in the novel " The Tale of the Three " (1968), where Panurgh appears figuratively at critical moments with short humorous stories from the life of historical figures.

• Panurg // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.
• Emile Gebhart . Rabelais, la Renaissance et la Réforme (P., 1877)
• P. Stapfer . “Rabelais, sa personne, son génie, son oeuvre” (P., 1889)
• René Millet . Rabelais (P., 1892, in the collection of Grands écrivains Français).