'Tis a Jute

• Jutes: along with the Angles and Saxons, one of the Germanic invaders of Britain who were the ancestors of the English

• Jutes: also associated with the giants of Norse mythology, who resided in Jutenheim. [1]

Commentary

There is a classic German joke about Jutes. Although it is difficult to know whether Joyce is referring to it, the dialogue in this section suggests that he is. The joke goes:

A German is walking in Jutland and loses his way. There are two Jutes leaning on a fence and so he goes over to them. "Sprechen sie Deutsch?" he asks. They shake their heads. "Parlez-vous Français?" Again no. "Do you speak English?" No. And so it goes on. In the end the German gives up in disgust and walks on. First Jute: "You know, we should really learn some foreign languages." Second Jute: "What would be the point? That man knew ten, and look where it got him!".