Monday, November 29, 2010

Round-Up: November 29

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email. I'm Twittering again now at Aesopus and AesopusEnglish.

HODIE: ante diem tertium Kalendas Decembres (and yes, you can have your own Roman Google Calendar).

VERBUM HODIERNUM: Today's word is the pronoun NOS - read a brief essay about the word at the Verbosum blog. Here's one of the sayings you can find in the essay: Nemo nostrum non peccat., "There is no one of us who does not make mistakes." (That's a great motto to keep in mind, especially since classicists seem especially prone to being perfectionists!)

FABULAE FACILES: The new easy-to-read fable is Fortuna et Puer, the story of a boy foolishly sleeping next to a well.

BESTIARIA PROVERBS: There are some new animal proverbs today for CABALLUS, the horse as it was known in later Latin, and CORNIX, the crow.

MILLE FABULAE: FABLE OF THE DAY: The fable for today is Apes et Iuppiter, the story of the bee and Zeus. (You can also a free PDF copy of the Mille Fabulae et Una book - and there's an English fable of the day, too.)

AESOP SLIDESHOW: Today's Aesop slideshow is Pater, Filii, et Agrorum Cultura, the story of how a father taught his sons the value of work.

TODAY'S MOTTOES & PROVERBS: Widgets available at SchoolhouseWidgets.com.

Tiny Proverbs: Today's tiny proverb is: Scito teipsum (English: Know yourself).

3-Word Mottoes Verb-less: Today's 3-word verb-less motto is Alteri, si tibi (English: For another as if for yourself - which is a very elegant little expression of the Golden Rule).

Latin Animal Proverb: Today's animal proverb is Simia quicquid agit, simia semper erit (English: Whatever a monkey does, a monkey she'll always be).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Saepe etiam est olitor valde opportuna locutus (English: Even a vegetable-grower often speaks very much to the point - or, as the English proverb goes, "a gardener has spoken to purpose").

Proper Name Proverb from Erasmus: Today's proper name proverb from Erasmus is Croesi pecuniae teruncium addit (English: He's adding a penny to the wealth of Croesus; from Adagia 4.10.48 - and for Croesus's proverbial wealth, see Wikipedia).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Ἕμπροσθεν κρημνὸς, ὄπιθεν λύκοι (English: A cliff in front, and wolves behind - or, as we would say, "between and rock and a hard place").

For an image today, here is an illustration for the story of Jupiter and the bee who asked him for a deadly sting to use against us, thieving humans that we are! 670. Apes et Iuppiter. Quod suos labores ab hominibus compilari apicula aegre ferret, elegantissime constructos favos Iovi obtulit et ab illo petiit letiferam ut aculeo suo vim adderet. Iuppiter, immanitate bestiolae offensus, “Immo potius vitalem vim tribuam,” inquit, “ut una cum illo tibi vita relinquenda sit.” (source)

apes et Iuppiter