Latin Proverbs and Fables Round-Up: December 21

Here is a round-up of today's proverbs and fables - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. If you have not downloaded a free PDF copy of Brevissima: 1001 Tiny Latin Poems, it's ready and waiting, and so is Mille Fabulae et Una: 1001 Aesop's Fables in Latin.

HODIE (Roman Calendar): ante diem duodecimum Kalendas Ianuarias.

MYTHS and LEGENDS: The art image for today's legend shows Zeus and Semele; you can also see the legends for the current week listed together here.

TODAY'S MOTTOES and PROVERBS:

TINY PROVERBS: Today's tiny proverb is: Utere loris (English: Use the reins).

3-WORD MOTTOES: Today's 3-word verb-less motto is Libertas pretiosior auro (English: Freedom is more precious than gold).

ANIMAL PROVERBS: Today's animal proverb is Quis miserebitur incantatori a serpente percusso? (English: Who will pity the snake charmer who is bitten by the snake?).

POLYDORUS: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Nolite iudicare secundum faciem (English: Don't judge based on appearances).

PROPER NAME PROVERBS: Today's proper name proverb from Erasmus is Sero sapiunt Phryges (English: The Phrygians get wise too late; from Adagia 1.1.28 - the Phrygians here are the Trojans who learned too late what peril was contained inside that wooden horse!).

GREEK PROVERBS: Today's proverb is Λύκος ποιμήν (English: The wolf as shepherd - something like our saying about setting the fox to guard the henhouse).

BREVISSIMA: The distich poster for today is Lex et Iustitia. Click here for a full-sized view.

And here are today's proverbial LOLcats:

TODAY'S FABLES:

MILLE FABULAE: The fable from the Mille Fabulae et Una widget is Tubicen Captus, the story of the trumpeter captured in battle.

FABULAE FACILES: The fable from the Fabulae Faciles widget is Membra et Venter, the famous fable of the revolt of the rest of the body's member against the hungry belly (this fable has a vocabulary list).

GAUDIUM MUNDO: The Latin holiday songs for today are: Gaudium Mundo, "Joy to the World," and Silens Nox, a Latin version of "Silent Night," along with Hodie Christus natus est.