Achilles' Heel, Origin and meaning

To have an Achilles’ heel implies that one has a vulnerable point. If this vulnerable point is attacked it will bring about the ruin of a person, country, object or idea, irrespective of any inherent strength.
In Greek mythology, this referred to a physical weakness. Modern usage is more symbolic for the downfall of virtually anything due to an inherent weakness.
In the mythological sense, Superman had an Achilles’ heel as in kryptonite. In the modern sense a marketing plan could have an Achilles’ heel if for example one was reliant on poor salesmen.
Origin is from Greek mythology. As a baby, Achilles was dipped in the river Styx by his mother to make him immortal. During the dunking process his mother had to hold him by the heel, and this part of his body, was covered by her hand, and no contact was made with the water. This became his vulnerable spot. He was invulnerable except for his heel.
Achilles excelled during the Trojan War, specifically during the final stages. After he had killed Hector, Achilles was killed by Paris, with an arrow to his heel. Some sources say the arrow was poisoned.
Achilles therefore, considered immortal, was killed via his heel, his only weak point.

The origin and meaning of “(Caught) on the horns of a dilemma”

The origin and meaning of “(Caught) on the horns of a dilemma” turned out to be more difficult than I imagined. The meaning was the easier part, and the origin more difficult.
Meaning : Refers to a situation where one is confronted with making a decision based on two options, the results or consequence of either decision having equally unpleasant results. So, no matter what decision you have to take, the outcome is unfavourable.
Origin
From the 1933 print of the Oxford Shorter Dictionary, Dilemma has Greek origins. Di meaning two and lemma an assumption or a premiss. According to the same source dilemma was a form of argument,(Rhetoric), in which an adversary was given the choice of usually 2, "but possibly more" alternatives equally unfavourable. The alternatives are the horns of the dilemma, either of which can cause pain.
The origin of the horns I could not determine. Most refer to the horns of a bull, and even to the devils horns. Somewhere I saw a source that quoted a Greek translation meaning a four legged animal with a tail, but lost the site.
An example of the phrase in modern terms by Oxford " the dilemma of a swimmer among drowning men, who all catch at him" (Page 510).

Silly Signs: Cops Hiding

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Et Tu, Brute (And you too, Brutus) : Origin and Meaning

What does Et tu Brute mean? These words are said to have been Julius Caesars last words after being assassinated on the Ides of March by a group of Senators, including Marcus Brutus, someone he had considered a close friend.
A number of translations exist:-
“And you, Brutus?”
“You too, Brutus?”
“Even you Brutus?”
“And you, (too) Brutus?”
Today, this quotation is mostly used to refer to an act of ultimate betrayal, usually from a trusted person.
The source of this quote appears to be from William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar: -
“Caesar: Doth not Brutus bootless kneel?
Casca: Speak, hands, for me! (They stab Caesar.)
Caesar: Et tu, Brute? Then fall, Caesar! (Dies.)
Cinna: Liberty! Freedom! Tyranny is dead!”
Purists are still debating the correct translation, but the question is whether the translation efforts are directed towards translating the Shakespeare version, or Caesars last words.
Further sources of Caesars demise are the writings of Suetonius, a Roman biographer and historian. (69 AD- 122 AD). In his biography of Julius Caesar reference is made to a Greek phrase "καὶ σὺ τέκνον”. This has been translated by scholars to “You too, my child?”.
Why Greek at this serious point in time? It would appear as though the words uttered by Caesar were also the first few words of a Greek saying "You too my son, will have a taste of power," which implied that he (Brutus) would be heading for the same fate.
Suetonius : “ ….was stabbed with three and twenty wounds, uttering not a word, but merely a groan at the first stroke, though some have written that when Marcus Brutus rushed at him, he said in Greek, You too, my child?”.
So, according to Suetonius there was written documentation as to Caesars last words. Plutonius, another respected philosopher and historian, maintained that Caesar died witout saying a word.
More Caesar quotes at a later post.
Image : Wikipedia
Source : Suetonius " The Lives of the Caesars- The Deified Julius"
Shakespeare : Julius Caesar
>Updated 23 June 2009<

Kahlil Gibran - On Children

Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might
that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let our bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.

Kahlil Gibran

Silly Signs : Get her a Diamond...

Says it all....
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Mythology: The Phoenix, the bird that rose from the ashes

The Phoenix was the mythological bird that rose from the ashes of its own destruction. I was reading up on Salamander Bay (RSA), and this led to the salamander then fire and ultimately to the Phoenix.
The Phoenix has Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Oriental, Persian and Christian origins, with different interpretations. The Egyptian Phoenix, Bennu, appears to be the oldest reference.
From Greek Mythology the name Phoenix was derived from the colors red, crimson, purple and gold, denoting fire
Only one Phoenix lived at any given time, and lived from 500 to 1,500 years, depending on the source. Some sources say that this bird was never seen eating. The Phoenix had a beautiful song, and in the morning as it bathed the sun god would stop a while to listen to it singing.
When the Phoenix knew death was approaching he would build a nest of cinnamon sticks and set it alight, to be consumed by the flames. From these ashes a young Phoenix arises. (Some sources say an egg, others a young bird).
The bird rising from the ashes signifies regeneration and immortality.
A good starting point, is Wikipedia, sufficient links to keep you busy for a couple of days if you need to dig deeper

Salamander Bay

"I think you should go through the dunes and the grain fields to Salamander Bay one day in the spring, when the wildflowers are blazing in the sailor's cemetery. There are ghosts of ships and seamen in that old harbour, but the ghosts of Salamander harm no one when they strike eight bells at midnight"

Passage from the book "Eight Bells at Salamander" by Lawrence G Green, 1947.

South African Salamander Bay, Langebaan, nothing to do with the amphibian with the same name. Bay was named after the Dutch ship from Delft that stopped over there about 350 years ago, with crew suffering from scurvy

Silly Signs : Bill Stickers

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What does a Pyrrhic victory mean?

I have never heard of this expression before. (Unfortunately there is no medication for ignorance)Bumped into it while reading up on War Elephants.
Background before meaning.
Pyrrhus was a ruler of a minor Grecian kingdom roundabout 300BC. He came to the throne at the age of 12, shortly after the demise of Alexander the Great, and became a brilliant soldier, especially known for his use of elephants in battle.
Anyhow, there was a conflict situation between the Romans and the Greek city of Tarentum in southern Italy. Pyrrhus was asked to help out and he sent 25,000 troops and a bunch of elephants to assist. The Romans were defeated but at great cost. After the battle it is said that he exclaimed, “ Another such victory and we are lost!”
Thus a “Pyrrhic victory”, where the cost of achieving something is so expensive that it is little better than a defeat.
I can relate this to buying special offers. Save this much, save that much, buy before the offer ends etc” in the end you can save yourself into bankruptcy.
Pyrrus died in battle, a tile thrown from a roof killed him during a street battle.
Source was from a book I read while visiting a friend, cannot recall the name. Image from Wikipedia that has lots and lots on Pyrrhus if you are interested.

Mythology: Who or what was Delphi, Meaning and Origin

According to ancient belief Delphi was situated in the exact centre of the habitable earth and the centre of the Universe. (Zeus set two eagles free on the opposite ends of the earth and where they met denoted the centre.)
Situated on Mount Parnassus in Greece, this was the place of the oracle of Delphi.
From this place, Apollo, the god of light, music, poetry and prophecy made known to mankind the will of the heavens.
At Delphi there was a crack in the earth from which came intoxicating vapours. A priestess known as the Pythia (Pythoness) would drink water from the river Cassostis and then eat leaves of the sacred laurel. Afterwards she would sit on a tripod over the opening and inhale the fumes. This would send her into an inspired trance.
Questions put to her were written down, put into verse form and communicated to the enquirer as the revelations of Apollo. It would appear as though these oracles were expressed in such a manner that they could be interpreted in various ways.
The oracle at Delphi was always consulted before an important decision was made and exerted a powerful influence on Greek history.
People who sought the advice of the oracle were also the bearer of gifts, in payment of services rendered. All accounts are that very large treasuries were built to house the gold, silver, artifacts and works of art so received.
The Pythian games, the forerunner of Olympic games were held here every four years.

Silly Signs : Time Travel

I really enjoyed this one, appeals to my warped sense of humor, no pun intended.
Found this picture on a blog while looking for good stuff to read and I am embarrassed to say I can't find the site to give the necessary credit and link. Let me know if I pinched it from anyone and I will do justice to the occasion. ( More tan 500,000 images for time travel on the web, cannot go through all of them to look for a source. Not enough time....unless I can get back to last Thursday...)

As Dead as a Dodo: Origin and Meaning

As dead as a Dodo means dead as in extinct. There is consensus as to the meaning. Something that has disappeared entirely from the face of the earth. It is no longer around. Although Dodo refers to a flightless bird the expression can be used for other criteria such as customs, beliefs, objects, animals, anything that is no longer around or in use.
Origin. A flightless bird encountered by the Portuguese on the Island of Mauritius in the 1570’s was named a Dodo, from the Portuguese word meaning stupid.
Why Stupid?
It would appear as though the Dodo was an ungainly bird. A flightless pigeon with a big fat round body, about the size of a goose with imperfect wings that were no use for flying and underdeveloped legs that could barely carry the weight of the body.
The Dodo had no enemies and could wander about Mauritius without fear. This, over time, made them slow and clumsy. Having no fear they were easily killed by explorers, and their cats and dogs. Basically an ugly bird.
Another possible source of the name is from Dutch ‘dodoor” meaning sluggish or slow, and also from a Dutch word meaning “plump arse”. The Portuguese were in Mauritius about 100 years before the Dutch and my personal belief is that the Portuguese version has more merit.
Another version maintains that the dodo derived its name from the sound it made…”doooo …..dooooo”
If I was a betting person, I would bet on thr Portuguese option.
As far as I can determine all the birds had been killed by the 1800’s, never to be seen again.
Image and greater detail at Wikipedia
Source: Based on "Book of Knowledge"

MYTHOLOGY: Ceres, Goddess of Agriculture (Demeter)

The protector of all the fruits of the earth was known as Demeter in Greek mythology, and known to the Romans as Ceres.
The early Greeks were much struck by the changing of the seasons. Fruitful summer seasons would turn into desolate grey and bleak winter seasons and questions were asked as to what caused this transition from bountiful times to times of need.
They found their answer in the stories of the goddess of Agriculture, Ceres or Demeter.
She was the sister of Zeus (Jupiter), king of the gods, and was one of their greatest deities.
At first, according to these stories, there was no winter. The earth was always green and lush with an abundance of produce. It was everlasting summer.
Then one day while Ceres’ daughter was out at play with her playmates collecting flowers, the earth opened up and Pluto, the god of the dead, appeared and carried her off into the depths of the earth to be his wife.
Ceres was inconsolable; with torch in hand she searched the whole earth for her missing daughter. During her search she did not allow the earth to produce any of her fruits until such time as her daughter had been found.
For a year the earth did not produce a grain of wheat, and mankind was facing starvation. At this point Zeus intervened and persuaded Pluto to let Ceres’ daughter free. There was one condition, and that was that Persephone, Ceres’ daughter must not have had anything to eat during her stay in the underworld. She had however eaten a pomegranate seed, and therefore could not stay away forever.
An arrangement was made that she would spend 9 summer months of the year with her mother and the gods, and the remaining 3 winter months of the year would be spent with Pluto in the world of the dead.
Her 3-month stay in the world of the dead related to the winter months when seeds are dormant. When she returns to her mother she is the corn rising from the earth.
The word cereal originated from her Roman name
Source: Book of Knowledge
Update 17 November 2008
Ceres was absent so long that Zeus sent Iris ) Messenger of the gods to look for her and to instruct her to return.
" First Zeus sent golden-winged Iris to call rich-haired Demeter, lovely in form(to return to the gods on Olympos). So he commanded."
" ..and there finding dark-cloaked Demeter in her temple spake to her and uttered winged words: 'Demeter, father Zeus, whose wisdom is everlasting, calls you to come join the tribes of the eternal gods: come therefore, and let not the message I bring from Zeus pass unobeyed"
HOMERIC HYMN 2

Sick Leave for Thinking too Much...

All kinds of questions rushed through my mind when I saw this image, none of them positive. Is this a valid/ legal document?
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