What was the prize for the best storyteller among the pilgrims in The Canterbury Tales?

The
innkeeper of the Tabard Inn is absolutely delighted to have his hostelry patronized by so many
clients, most of them quite well-heeled. In medieval times, pilgrimages were big business, not
just for religious houses or hawkers of relics, but for anyone needing to cater for the needs of
pilgrims. The journey from London to Canterbury was quite an arduous one in those days; pilgrims
needed to be fed, watered and restedtheir horses too. So we can well imagine how lucrative the
pilgrimage is to the Tabard's innkeeper.

In gratitude for his windfall, the
innkeeper offers a lavish prize for the best story-teller among the pilgrims: a feast in their
honor once they have returned to the Tabard from Canterbury.