FFBP

Not exactly an obscure allusion, but this news article will have to do:

3.5 percent tax hike still won’t cut it 

EAST PROVIDENCE - “In Greek Mythology, Sisyphus is condemned to an eternity of rolling a boulder uphill and then watching it roll back down again. This, it seems, is a fitting metaphor for budget and financial management in Rhode Island as we developed this budget.”

The rest of the article was sadly enough not about Sisyphus.  It is about some boring budget that I'm sure I would care about if I lived in Rhode Island.  But since I don't... (no offense at all meant toward Rhode Islanders, I'm sure it is a great place to live)

While we're here, let's discuss Sisyphus.  Most of us know the name and are familiar with the rock pushing guy.  But why is he doing this?

Well, this Sisyphus was a king.  Not just a king, mind you, but the king and founder of the city of Corinth (the same Corinth that has a book of the Bible written to it).  He was well known for being clever and tricky.  He was also the grandfather of Bellerophon.

When he died, he was so important that Hades himself came to collect him.  Now, Sisyphus was not quite ready (who is, right?) and must have been on good terms with the gods because he began to talk to Hades.  The conversation went a little like this:

Sis "Hey!  Good to see you, I've been meaning to call and all, but you know how things get."

Hades "Let's go." (Hades has never been one for small talk)

Sis "You know, I've always been interested in how you make people come with you.  Let's say that I don't want to go and wish to put up a fight, I wouldn't, you know, but let's just pretend for argument's sake.  What would you do about it?"

Hades (reaching into his back pocket) "Well, that's why I have these handy dandy handcuffs."

Sis "Man those sure are nice, but what would you use against a big guy?"

Hades "These things are stronger than they look.  They could hold Hercules himself."

Sis "Strong?  Those things?  No way."

Hades "I'm serious.  Why I bet they could even hold me they're so strong."

Sis "Now you're just teasing me.  I bet ten (whatever would be an ancient Greek dollar) that they couldn't hold someone as big and strong as you are.  Why I bet you couldn't even get them over your wrists."

Hades "You're on!"

Well, after Hades locked himself up, Sisyphus pushed him into a conveniently located closet and went on with his life.  While Hades was gone, nobody could die (which reminds me of a Piers Anthony book I read a long time ago called A Pale Horse which was about Death.  Not a bad book if I remember, but I read it in high school or jr. high, so it has been a while).  That might sound col and all, but think about the poor sap that gets trapped underwater and can't drown - lungs still scream for air and all, or the poor sap that drives his chariot over a cliff and lies in a mangled mess at the bottom, still alive.

Eventually Hades gets free and immediately sends for Sisyphus.  Sisyphus, however, was having great fun and decided that Hades was a push over.  He told his wife not to bury him when he died.  So, here he stands before Hades, ready to receive his punishment for making Hades look like a fool in front all of his god buddies and he complains to Persephone that he wasn't properly buried.  Plus, he had no coin to pay for his spot in the underworld.  Persephone, feeling sorry for him, lets him go back up to tell his wife to bury him properly.  Letting him go back up for a few moments is akin to me letting some of my students leave to go use the bathroom.  They may or may not come back.

Finally, (after another good several days) they get him back.  He is charged with various crimes (one being that he snitched on Zeus for having an affair with Aegina and another for using magic) and receives one of the most famous punishments in the world - pushing the rock up a hill for all eternity.  I bet when he gets near the top he can even see Tantalus, one of the other FFBP (Famous For Being Punished).  You know, he may even be able to see Rhode Island.

This picture below is titled, "Sisyphus Resigns!"

Beware of Kids Bearing Gifts

I ran across this while looking for allusions to Greek mythology (nerd that I am).  I thought this was pretty neat that these kids were having so much fun learning about mythology. Look at that horse prop and their costumes!  Pretty cool!  No school around here has done any of this.  How about you?  Anything like this where you're from?

Trojan horse is no myth at Tate Street Primary School

September 18th, 2009

A GIGANTIC wooden horse was the centrepiece of Tate Street Primary School's latest stage show.

The play, put on by years 5 and 6 students, was The Legend of Troy and was the culmination of weeks of studying Greek mythology.

"The kids have learned enthusiasm, teamwork, persistence and personal growth because of the huge amount of work that has been put into it," acting principal Debra Stavenuiter said of the play.

Students had worked with artistic director Dave Kelman for three hours every Friday for the last 20 weeks to get ready for the play.

The Trojan horse was created by local artists Glen Romanis and Stuart Guthrie.

A $36,000 grant from Arts Victoria helped make the horse and the play possible.

Lycanthropy Cures

As far as cures go, I have found some home remedies in case you are experiencing lycanthropy (or more commonly known as Wolf-Flu).  One states that while in werewolf form, three drops of blood must be extracted from the victim (seems to be a partial remedy, surely there is something else to that).  Another home remedy is to avoid human flesh for 9 years (not really practical - especially if you happen to have some Buffalo sauce...mmmmm...).  We once tried to cure a friend of ours by throwing him in the washer machine.  Sadly it didn't work, but he did become a wash-and-wearwolf.

Other cures I came across:

* Convert to Christianity (Although, what if you are already a Christian?  Are you immune?)

* Exhaust yourself - this is what the ancient Greeks believed would do it

* Exorcism - by the way, what do you get when you don't pay your exorcist bill?  Repossessed!

For tips on how to determine if your friend is a werewolf (can never be too careful), click here for an older post.

A Watched Pot Never Boils

One day, I'm at my mother-in-law's house and she asks me if I would take something to her storage shed.  Being the great guy that I am, I say, "Sure thing!"  WhenI get to the shed, she unlocks it and, lo and behold, there is a huge black cauldron right there in the doorway.  Before I thought, I said, "So THAT'S where you keep it!"

You know, I've always had my suspicions...

Anyway, the cauldron story is a lead in on the next Treasure of Britain.  The Cauldron of Dyrnwch the Giant (Pair Dyrnwch Gawr) is a large cauldron that only works for the brave.  If you are a coward, you can heat the water up all you want, but the meat will never boil. However, if you were a brave man, it would boil almost immediately.

There is an Irish story that is similar and the two are most certainly connected.  In this story the owner is Diwrnach, who is sometimes described as a giant.  Just as the British treasure, the cauldron is picky about who cooks it.  Along comes this guy, Olwen, who has a quest to gather several treasures together, including this cauldron (much the same as the idea of gathering the 13 treasures together).   Arthur, ever the helpful friend to Olwen, had his man persuade Diwrnach to give it up willingly, but Diwrnach's steward refuses to let it go.  After trying again, Arthur just takes the thing, fills it with treasure he took from Ireland, and goes home.

Also, the Preiddeu Annwfn, a poem that may have been written by Taliesin, the cauldron is not only mentioned, but described as well.  The poem goes on to detail a trip by Arthur into Annwfn (I believe to be a section of the Otherworld).  While there, he finds the cauldron and here we learn that it is not some big black witches cauldron (such as you might find in my mother-in-law's storage shed), but it is finished in pearl.

R. S. Loomis suggests that this cauldron was an early Celtic idea that the holy grail evolved from.  Bernard Cornwell, in his series about Arthur, has the cauldron also with the ability to restore life (drawing from this connection Loomis makes).  As I have already stated, I think this is an excellent book series and provides a nice alternative view of Arthur.  

Whatever the case, this cauldron seems to me to be a strange treasure.  Maybe a cauldron that turns things to gold or a cauldron that feeds thousands or something.  Refusing to boil food for a coward...  well, it just doesn't seem, I don't know, all that treasurey* to me.

*I am an English teacher, so if I say "treasurey" is a word, then it is!

Chi-Chi-Chia

"I pity the fool that doesn't water my Chia!"

Before you think I have completely lost it, I do have a connection between the wonderful Chia pet and mythology.

For the Aztecs and Mayans, chia pets may not have been the rage, but chia seeds were. They were cultivated for consumption as far back as 3400 BC. The Aztec warriors used it in their rituals and it was believed that a tablespoon of seeds would sustain a warrior for 24 hours. It was so much a part of their mythology that the Spanish conquistadors banned it.

There is even a South American goddess named Chia, although I think that is just a coincidence. Doesn't matter to me. This goddess would give any Greek goddess a run for her money. Here is what God Checker says about her:

CHIA: Evil Moon Goddess and wife ofBOCHICA.

Identified with HUITACA, the drunken Goddess of Bad Behavior, she is believed to have caused a number of floods — possibly in association withCHIBCHACHUM.

As punishment for her crimes against humanity, she was transformed into the Moon. Or — if you prefer a different version of the legend — an owl. Or possibly the owl in the moon, or an owl that moons.

She was known to be on friendly terms with CHIBCHACHUM, but the rumor mill has long since closed down.

Now I was able to beat the Obscure Goddess Online Dictionary on this one, but that is only because they have their hands full with other cultures and are smart enough not to tackle Meso-American cultures. Unfortunately, Goddess-a-Day has beaten me to it with this entry:

Huitaca is the Chibcha Goddess of the moon, pleasure, and drunkenness. Also known as Chia or Chie, she advised her followers to live a life of happiness and joy, much to the chagrin of her husband, Bochica, God of laws and morals. Tired of having Huitaca undo all his hard work, Bochica turned her into an owl.

I think we need to petition the Chia Pet company to stop avoiding mythological chia ideas. I mean, come on, there are Obama Chias, Mr. T Chias,Shrek Chias, Homer Simpson Chias, and every type of everyday normal animal chias, but no Cerberus Chia, or Pegasus Chia. How ridiculous is that? Just imagine, if we can get the goddess Chia into the mainstream, then maybe we could have a Chia Chia!

You know, that idea is right up there with my CuChulainn action figure...

I'll leave you with this. I found this picture on the internet from Guatemala. Evidently, someone has taken my idea of mythological chia and has stopped at no expense to make sure it is down right - after all, if it is worth doing, it is worth overdoing (which I think is from Mythbusters... - another myth connection!)

Being a Couch Potato Is Not as Bad as It Seems...

A Berlin student needed a couch to lounge about in. She didn't have a bunch of money, so went to the local thrift store. There, she makes a fantastic find...

This painting was hidden inside the sofa. The painting is called Preparation to Escape to Egypt." Who the artist is, no one knows. All the reports I could say the same thing - an "unknown artist close to Venetian painter Carlo Saraceni between 1605-1620."

The student paid $215 for the thing. She sold it for $27,630. That's a bargain.

Why do I have it here? While the "escape to Egypt" part of the title is very Biblical - several people, including Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus did that - it sure seems more of a painting of Daedalus and Icarus, which, as long time readers of Bubo's Blog know, I have a fond place in my heart for. I looked on the Internet for verification, but could not find anything other than what I mentioned above. But it has got to be this story. The bottom guy could be passed off as an angel, I guess, but it is obvious that his arms are strapped to the wings and it still doesn't explain the falling guy above him.

Stinks to be me. I just checked my couch and only found what my kids have stuffed in there. I don't reckon that the old yellow crayon I found is worth anything...

What do you get when you cross a . . .

O.K., try these out -

What do you get if you cross an elephant and a kangaroo? 
Big holes all over Australia!

What do you get if you cross an insect with the Easter rabbit?
Bugs Bunny.

What do you get when you cross a stream and a brook?
Wet feet.

What do you get when you cross poison ivy with a 4-leaf clover? 
A rash of good luck.

O.K., how do these bad jokes relate to mythology?  Well, check out the picture below -

I found this picture and thought it rather neat.  The picture placed here is small, but you can view it big at http://www.flickr.com/photos/preshaa/3847027500/sizes/l//.  I like the three dog bubbles.  I've also never heard of a mermahuataur before.  That's got to be a post for the future.  Anyone got any info on this?  

Anyone know how I can make Blogger show a bigger picture than this?  It gives me three options, small, medium, and large.  I want a huge option.