Władysław I the Elbow-high of Kujawy, however, as he had two older half-brothers from Casimir’s second marriage to Constance of Wrocław: Leszek II the Black ("Leszek Czarny") and Ziemomysł. He was named after his uncle, his mother's brother Władysław, Duke of Opole. Already in contemporary sources he was nicknamed ""Łokietek"", a diminutive of the word "łokieć". It translates as "elbow" or "ell" – a medieval unit of measure similar to a cubit, as in "elbow-high". The origin of this nickname, as resulting from Władysław’s short stature, was explained only in the 15th century by historian Jan Dlugosz. In 1267, when Władysław the Elbow-high was
The finger as obscene. The index finger and ring finger besides the middle finger in more contemporary periods has been likened to represent the testes. The middle finger gesture was used in ancient times as a symbol of sexual intercourse, in a manner meant to degrade, intimidate and threaten the individual receiving the gesture. It also represented the phallus, with the fingers next to the middle finger representing testicles; from its close association, the gesture may have assumed apotropaic potency. In the 1st-century Mediterranean world, extending the "finger" was one of many methods used to divert the ever-present threat of the evil