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Things Not Generally Known: German

Renard. A name given to a fox in fables or familiar tales, and in poetry. It is derived from the celebrated German beast-epic ("Thier-epos") entitled " Reinecke Fuchs," or "Reinhard Fuchs," which is a satire on the state of society in Germany during the middle ages and the feudal regime, originated at an unknown period among the Frankish tribes, and first made known through the medium of a Low German version in the fifteenth century. Written also Reynard. Right Foot Foremost. This phrase arose through the Roman superstition that it was an evil omen if a person entered the door of a house with his left foot foremost. A boy was stationed at the door to insist upon the opposite method of entry.