# The first recorded fat person in fiction or history

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-recorded-fat-person-in-fiction-or-history/622910>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [May 24, 2012, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-recorded-fat-person-in-fiction-or-history/622910 "2012-05-24T02:34:54Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2012, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-recorded-fat-person-in-fiction-or-history/622910/21 "2012-05-25T03:36:57Z")

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[Charles the Fat](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_le_Gros) (839 – 888).

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**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2012, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-recorded-fat-person-in-fiction-or-history/622910/22 "2012-05-25T17:11:22Z")

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> [@Shakester](#):
>
> [Charles the Fat](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_le_Gros) (839 – 888).

Does this coin make me look fat?

“Usually considered lethargic and inept” – it’s like Wikipedia is cribbing from my employee evaluation.

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**Author:** ![Svejk\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@Svejk\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svejk_1)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2012, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-recorded-fat-person-in-fiction-or-history/622910/23 "2012-05-25T22:38:37Z")

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> [@RealityChuck](#):
>
> There’s also some doubt now as to whether they were fertility symbols. Some scholars think they’re the paleolithic equivalent of a photo of your girlfriend, with the sexiest parts emphasized.

How are those things different? 😃

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**Author:** ![SiXSwordS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/49beb7/32.png) [@SiXSwordS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SiXSwordS)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2012, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-recorded-fat-person-in-fiction-or-history/622910/24 "2012-05-25T23:41:23Z")

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> [@njtt](#):
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> The [fat “Buddah”](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budai) is not [the actual Buddah](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gautama_Buddha), who is traditionally depicted as fairly slender.

My take is that the “actual” Buddha is [Shakyamuni Buddha](http://www.berzinarchives.com/web/en/archives/approaching_buddhism/teachers/lineage_masters/life_shakyamuni_buddha.html).

He is the person generally called [Gautama](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gautama_Buddha), or Siddhartha.

But in the [Diamond Sutra](http://www.buddhistdoor.com/oldweb/passissue/9611/sources/diamond6.htm) there are these lines:

> [@](#):
>
> The Buddha further elaborates… The criterion is that they have planted good roots for countless number of [kalpas](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalpa_%28aeon%29), with “measureless millions of Buddhas”.

And there are stories of the earlier lives of Gautama as well. The basic idea being that the Buddha spent lifetimes attaining enlightenment. And more importantly, that there were Buddhas before him from whom he took inspiration.

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