Friday, November 29, 2013

Latin Proverbs and Fables Round-Up: November 29

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 Mille Fabulae et Una: 1001 Aesop's Fables in Latin, it's available (my project from summer of 2010); this is the source for the Latin fable below.

HODIE (Roman Calendar): ante diem tertium Kalendas Decembres.

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


TODAY'S MOTTOES and PROVERBS:

3-WORD MOTTOES: Today's 3-word motto is Nemo solus sapit (English: No one is wise by himself).

3-WORD PROVERBS: Today's 3-word proverb is Vespere laudatur dies (English: In the evening, the day can be praised).

RHYMING PROVERBS: Today's proverb with rhyme is: Debilis ac fortis veniunt ad limina mortis (English: Weak and strong, they come to the threshold of death).

VULGATE VERSES: Today's verse is Melius est vocare ad holera cum caritate quam ad vitulum saginatum cum odio (Proverbs 15:17). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

ELIZABETHAN PROVERBS: Here is today's proverb commentary, this time by Taverner: Cibum in matellam ne immittas: Put not meat into a pispot. Plutarche expoudeth this saying thus. Cast not good sentences into the minde of a wicked person. So that it is all one in effecte with that sayeng of Christ. Cast not perles afore swine. For speeche is the meat of the minde. But this meate is corrupted and doth putrifie, if it fal into an unsounde minde.

BREVISSIMA: The distich poster for today is Qui Probitate Caret. Click here for a full-sized view.


And here are today's proverbial LOLcats:




TODAY'S FABLES:

FABULAE FACILES: The fable from the Fabulae Faciles widget is Pulex, Homo, et Hercules, a funny story about a man bitten by a flea (this fable has a vocabulary list).

MILLE FABULAE: The fable from the Mille Fabulae et Una widget is Apes et Iuppiter, the story of how the bee got its sting.

apes et Iuppiter

Greek Bible Art - and Latin and English, too. Below is one of my Greek Bible Art graphics; for the individual Greek, Latin and English versions of the graphic, see the blog post: ἐγὼ τὸ ἄλφα καὶ τὸ ὦ, ὁ πρῶτος καὶ ὁ ἔσχατος. Ego sum alpha et omega, primus et novissimus. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.


Myth and Folklore Books. I'm accumulating some book recommendations for the classes I teach and wanted to share them here. Today's book is Caucasian Legends by Abraam Goulbat; you can see the table of contents here. This is a free Amazon Kindle eBook, and you don't need a Kindle to read it - you can read Kindle books on any computer or mobile device, or you can use the Amazon Cloud Reader in your browser.




Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Latin Proverbs and Fables Round-Up: November 27

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 (my project from summer of 2012); this is the source for the Brevissima poster item below.

HODIE (Roman Calendar): ante diem quintum Kalendas Decembres.

MYTHS and LEGENDS: The art image for today's legend shows Cronus; 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: Mediocria firma (English: The middle things are reliable).

3-WORD MOTTOES: Today's 3-word verb-less motto is Alteri, si tibi (English: For another as if for yourself).

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

POLYDORUS: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Dissipa gentes, quae bella volunt (English: Scatter the nations who want wars).

PROPER NAME PROVERBS: Today's proper name proverb from Erasmus is Aurum habet Tolossanum (English: He has the gold of Toulouse; from Adagia 1.10.98 - The Roman Cepio took the city of Toulouse and its treasure, but the story goes that anyone who touched the gold later died a terrible death).

GREEK PROVERBS: Today's proverb is Ἐλπίδες ἐν ζωοῖσιν, ἀνέλπιστοι δὲ θανόντες (English: There is hope among the living; the dead are without hope).

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


And here are today's proverbial LOLcats:




TODAY'S FABLES:

FABULAE FACILES: The fable from the Fabulae Faciles widget is Canes Duo et Os, the wonderful story of two dogs fighting over a bone (this fable has a vocabulary list).

MILLE FABULAE: The fable from the Mille Fabulae et Una widget is Leo Amatorius et Silvanus - this story of the "lion in love" is one of my favorite fables of all time!

Leo Amatorius

GreekLOLz - and Latin and English, too. Below is one of my GreekLOLz; for the individual Greek, Latin and English versions of the graphic, see the blog post: Αἲξ δοῦσα τὴν μάχαιραν. Capra gladium praebens. The goat is proffering the knife.


Myth and Folklore Books. I'm accumulating some book recommendations for the classes I teach and wanted to share them here. Today's book is Prometheus Bound and the Seven Against Thebes translated by T.A. Buckley; you can see the table of contents here. This is a free Amazon Kindle eBook, and you don't need a Kindle to read it - you can read Kindle books on any computer or mobile device, or you can use the Amazon Cloud Reader in your browser.




Monday, November 25, 2013

Latin Proverbs and Fables Round-Up: November 25

Here is a round-up of today's proverbs and fables - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. Yes, this is a regular edition, after yesterday's special edition explaining how the Bestiaria works behind the scenes. :-)

HODIE (Roman Calendar): ante diem septimum Kalendas Decembres.

MYTHS and LEGENDS: The art image for today's legend shows Oenone in a medieval illustration; you can also see the legends for the current week listed together here.


TODAY'S MOTTOES and PROVERBS:

TINY MOTTOES: Today's tiny motto is: Tandem iustitia (English: Justice, at last).

3-WORD PROVERBS: Today's 3-word verb-less proverb is Virtus sibimet merces (English: Excellence is its own reward)

AUDIO PROVERBS: Today's audio Latin proverb is Nutrit et accipiter pullos suos (English: Even a hawk nourishes its chicks). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

PUBLILIUS SYRUS: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Nec vita nec fortuna hominibus perpes est (English: Neither life nor luck is something that lasts forever).

ERASMUS' ANIMALS: Today's animal proverb from Erasmus is Canes timidi vehementius latrant (English: Dogs that are scared bark more loudly; from Adagia 3.7.100).

BREVISSIMA: The distich poster for today is Homo Ingeniosus Vanus. 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 Crocodilus et Canis, the story of a crocodile seeking to seduce a dog into the water of the Nile.

FABULAE FACILES: The fable from the Fabulae Faciles widget is Mustela et Lima, the story of a blood-thirsty weasel (this fable has a vocabulary list).

Mustela et Lima

Greek Bible Art - and Latin and English, too. Below is one of my Greek Bible Art graphics; for the individual Greek, Latin and English versions of the graphic, see the blog post: ὁ ἄγγελος εἶπεν ταῖς γυναιξίν, μὴ φοβεῖσθε ὑμεῖς. Angelus dixit mulieribus: Nolite timere. The angel said unto the women: Fear not ye.


Myth and Folklore Books. I'm accumulating some book recommendations for the classes I teach and wanted to share them here. Today's book is Algonquin Legends by Charles Godfrey Leland; you can see the table of contents here. This is a free Amazon Kindle eBook, and you don't need a Kindle to read it - you can read Kindle books on any computer or mobile device, or you can use the Amazon Cloud Reader in your browser.




Sunday, November 24, 2013

Special Edition: About the Bestiaria Latina

The Bestiaria Latina is a blog for people who like Latin. Whether you are just a Latin beginner or a Latin expert, I hope you will find something here to enjoy! This blog has been going for a long time (its name dates back to a project many years ago when I was working on Latin bestiaries), and it has morphed and changed over time. I thought it might be helpful to explain here how the blog works, so I've provided some information about that below.

I publish the blog every other day, although I do miss a day every once in a while - and there are occasional "special edition" posts like this one. Each regular post contains some of the same items, and there is also some variety from post to post in terms of the items that are included. Here are the items you will find in each regular post:
  • Roman Calendar: The name of the day according to the Roman calendar; you can get your own Roman calendar here: Roman Calendar.
  • Myth Image: There is a mythological image (usually a painting) each time, with a link to a post that provides some background about the image. You can page through the complete calendar of images here: Myth and Legend Images.
  • Brevissima: These posters contain Latin poems that are just two lines long. There is a link to a separate blog post for each poem where you can find vocabulary and information about the source; some also have English translations. You can find all 1001 of these poems here: Disticha Latina blog.
  • Latin LOLCats: There are actually two Latin LOLCats for each blog post because I publish a new Latin LOLCat at my Proverb Laboratory blog every day: Latin LOLCats blog.
  • Fabulae Faciles: These are Aesop's fables that have been rewritten with very simple syntax, along with a vocabulary list. 
  • Mille Fabulae: These are Aesop's fables that come from my Mille Fabulae et Una book. You can find all 1001 of these fables here: Mille Fabulae et Una blog.
  • Myth and Folklore Books: Not all of these are classical (in fact, most of them are not), but since I share these free Kindle ebooks with the students in my Mythology and Folklore classes, I thought I would share them here too, assuming that people with an interest in the classics might be interested in other storytelling traditions around the world.
Those are the items that appear in the blog every time. In addition, there are various items that appear in an alternating fashion, either in every other blog post or in every third blog post.
  • Greek LOLz. These are animated GIFs that I made with a Greek proverb, a Latin translation, and an English translation. There is a link for each one to a blog post which allows you to view each image separately, in addition to the animation.
  • Greek Bible Art. Likewise, the Bible art images have a Biblical verse (or part of a verse), which appears in Greek, then in Latin, then in English, with a link to a blog post that shows each image separately.
  • Latin Mottoes and Proverbs: I have collected many two-word and three-word proverbs, along with rhyming proverbs, proverbs from Erasmus, proverbs from Polydorus, and proverbs from Publilius Syrus. These all have English translations.
  • Greek Proverbs: I have a set of Greek proverbs also, with an English translation.
  • Vulgate Verses: These are verses from the Vulgate Bible. They do not come with an English translation, but I provide a link to a polyglot online Bible that includes English.
  • Elizabethan Proverbs: These are proverbs with Renaissance English commentary that I found in Conybeare and Taverner. The English of the Elizabethan period is quite fun to read!
December: Gaudium Mundo. During the month of December, I also have Latin holidays songs. You can see the Latin holiday songs all in one place here: Gaudium Mundo. I'll be starting that up on December 1 as always.

Blog delivery. Many people choose to receive the blog via email. At the actual Bestiaria blog site, there is an email sign-up box in the blog sidebar. You can sign up and leave the list ad libitum. When you do sign up, there is a confirmation email that you must click on (that's to protect people from spam). So, make sure to check your email inbox (including possibly the junk mail folder) to find that confirmation email. It should arrive immediately after you sign up.

Blog widgets. If you visit the blog site itself, you will see some randomizing widgets in the sidebar that provide additional content. These are built with an amazing free tool created by one of my students: RotateContent.com. You can find a more-or-less complete inventory of the widgets I have published at the Schoolhouse Widgets site, and you can use them at your own blog or website, anywhere that javascript is allowed. If you would like to learn how to use the tool yourself to create your own widgets, I have information about that here: How to Make Random and Date-Based Widgets.

Blogger.com. I use Google's free blogging service for this blog. If you are interested in having a blog of your own, I can highly recommend Blogger.com. It's incredibly easy to use, and Google has been adding new improvements to the blogging platform over the years which have kept me very satisfied.

About Me: I used to be a Classics professor at the University of Oklahoma, but I resigned that job many years ago in order to teach online, which is a choice I am very happy with. Teaching online has allowed me to be the kind of teacher I always wanted to be; with the Internet as my classroom, my students and I are able to have learning adventures unlike anything I ever could manage in a traditional classroom. I have been teaching online courses at the University of Oklahoma for over 10 years now (I teach English writing courses), but the Classics department adamantly refuses to let me teach Latin online. Vae mihi! I finally gave up that quest, so I am no longer producing new Latin materials (pretty much all the materials I created here were in hopes of being allowed to teach Latin again at my school). Over these many years of working on Latin fables and proverbs, I now have plenty of material to keep the Bestiaria Latina blog going ad infinitum. If you are curious about my online teaching and other projects that I am involved in, I am very active at the Google+ social network, which is a great place for educators to meet and share ideas! Here is my Google+ page, and you can also find me at Twitter (although I am not so active there).

Gratias ago vobis! Thanks to everyone for your interest in the blog! This is something I would do as a hobby for its own sake because it is a lot of fun for me and it helps keep my Latin alive. It's even better, though, to know that there are some others out there who enjoy the Latin also. :-)

Here is one of those poem posters - no, that's not a picture of me, ha ha. But the poem does express how much I enjoy this work: sic erit hora brevis et labor ipse levis.


Saturday, November 23, 2013

Latin Proverbs and Fables Round-Up: November 23

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 Mille Fabulae et Una: 1001 Aesop's Fables in Latin, it's available (my project from summer of 2010); this is the source for the Latin fable below.

HODIE (Roman Calendar): ante diem nonum Kalendas Decembres.

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


TODAY'S MOTTOES and PROVERBS:

3-WORD MOTTOES: Today's 3-word motto is Nulli nimium credite (English: Trust no one too much).

3-WORD PROVERBS: Today's 3-word proverb is Cura curam trahit (English: One worry leads to another).

RHYMING PROVERBS: Today's proverb with rhyme is: Plus valet in dextra munus quam plurima extra (English: One gift in the right hand is worth more than many which are not at hand).

VULGATE VERSES: Today's verse is Mandatum lucerna est, et lex lux (Proverbs 6:23). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

ELIZABETHAN PROVERBS: Here is today's proverb commentary, this time by Taverner: Sine Cerere et Baccho friget Venus: Without meate and drinke the lust of the body is colde. The beste way to tame carnall lust, is to kepe abstinence of meates and drinkes. Ceres amonges the Panims was taken fro the Goddesse of corne, Bacchus for the God of wine, and Venus for the Goddesse of love. Our Englishe Proverbe confirmeth the same, which saith, A licorouse mouth, a licourouse taile.

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


And here are today's proverbial LOLcats:




TODAY'S FABLES:

FABULAE FACILES: The fable from the Fabulae Faciles widget is Lupus Monachus, a funny story about a very pragmatic wolf (this fable has a vocabulary list).

MILLE FABULAE: The fable from the Mille Fabulae et Una widget is Gallus Divinus et Vulpes, a story about a very reckless rooster and a very sly fox.

Gallus et Vulpes

GreekLOLz - and Latin and English, too. Below is one of my GreekLOLz; for the individual Greek, Latin and English versions of the graphic, see the blog post: Ἄλλων ἰατρὸς αὐτὸς ἕλκεσι βρύων. Aliis mederis, ipse plenus ulcerum. You are doctoring others but you yourself are swollen with sores.


Myth and Folklore Books. I'm accumulating some book recommendations for the classes I teach and wanted to share them here. Today's book is The Story of the Odyssey by Alfred Church; you can see the table of contents here. This is a free Amazon Kindle eBook, and you don't need a Kindle to read it - you can read Kindle books on any computer or mobile device, or you can use the Amazon Cloud Reader in your browser.




Thursday, November 21, 2013

Latin Proverbs and Fables Round-Up: November 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 (my project from summer of 2012); this is the source for the Brevissima poster item below.

HODIE (Roman Calendar): ante diem undecimum Kalendas Decembres.

MYTHS and LEGENDS: The art image for today's legend shows Cadmus and the Dragon; 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: Cicatrix manet (English: The scar remains).

3-WORD MOTTOES: Today's 3-word verb-less motto is Non solum armis (English: Not by arms alone).

ANIMAL PROVERBS: Today's animal proverb is Ire catenatus nescit canis inveteratus (English: The old dog cannot learn to go about on a leash).

POLYDORUS: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Hic timens Charybdim, incidi in Scyllam (English: Fearing Charybdis, I fell into Scylla).

PROPER NAME PROVERBS: Today's proper name proverb from Erasmus is Amicus cupit esse alter Hercules (English: A friend wishes to be another Hercules; from Adagia 1.7.41).

GREEK PROVERBS: Today's proverb is Ὑπὸ παντὶ λίθῳ σκορπίος (English: There's a scorpion under every stone).

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


And here are today's proverbial LOLcats:




TODAY'S FABLES:

FABULAE FACILES: The fable from the Fabulae Faciles widget is Formica Alata, the sad story of the ant who thought he wanted wings (this fable has a vocabulary list).

MILLE FABULAE: The fable from the Mille Fabulae et Una widget is Leo Senex et Vulpes, the story of the sly old lion and the even more sly fox.

leo et vulpes

Greek Bible Art - and Latin and English, too. Below is one of my Greek Bible Art graphics; for the individual Greek, Latin and English versions of the graphic, see the blog post: μή μου ἅπτου. Noli me tangere. Touch me not.


Myth and Folklore Books. I'm accumulating some book recommendations for the classes I teach and wanted to share them here. Today's book is Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry edited by William Butler Yeats; you can see the table of contents here. This is a free Amazon Kindle eBook, and you don't need a Kindle to read it - you can read Kindle books on any computer or mobile device, or you can use the Amazon Cloud Reader in your browser.




Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Latin Proverbs and Fables Round-Up: November 19

Here is a round-up of today's proverbs and fables - 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.

HODIE (Roman Calendar): ante diem tertium decimum Kalendas Decembres.

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


TODAY'S MOTTOES and PROVERBS:

TINY MOTTOES: Today's tiny motto is: Veritas vincet (English: The truth will be victorious).

3-WORD PROVERBS: Today's 3-word verb-less proverb is Labor gloriae pater (English: Effort is the father of glory).

AUDIO PROVERBS: Today's audio Latin proverb is Ex pede Herculem (English: You know Hercules by his foot). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

PUBLILIUS SYRUS: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Discipulus est prioris posterior dies (English: The day after is the student of the day before).

ERASMUS' ANIMALS: Today's animal proverb from Erasmus is Cauda tenes anguillam (English: You're trying to hold an eel by the tail - which is to say, you have barely got hold of it at all; from Adagia 1.4.94).

BREVISSIMA: The distich poster for today is Difficilia Quae Pulchra. 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 Cervus et Vitis, a fable about an ungrateful stag.

FABULAE FACILES: The fable from the Fabulae Faciles widget is Quercus et Iuppiter, the story of the trees who were their own worst enemy (this fable has a vocabulary list).

Arbores et Securis

GreekLOLz - and Latin and English, too. Below is one of my GreekLOLz; for the individual Greek, Latin and English versions of the graphic, see the blog post: Ἄλλοι μὲν σπείρουσι, ἄλλοι δ᾽ ἀμήσονται. Alii serunt, alii metent. There are those who sow, others who will reap.


Myth and Folklore Books. I'm accumulating some book recommendations for the classes I teach and wanted to share them here. Today's book is Le Morte D'Arthur and the Mabinogion by Beatrice Clay; you can see the table of contents here. This is a free Amazon Kindle eBook, and you don't need a Kindle to read it - you can read Kindle books on any computer or mobile device, or you can use the Amazon Cloud Reader in your browser.




Sunday, November 17, 2013

Latin Proverbs and Fables Round-Up: November 17

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 Mille Fabulae et Una: 1001 Aesop's Fables in Latin, it's available (my project from summer of 2010); this is the source for the Latin fable below.

HODIE (Roman Calendar): ante diem quintum decimum Kalendas Decembres.

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



TODAY'S MOTTOES and PROVERBS:

3-WORD MOTTOES: Today's 3-word motto is Dum spiro, spero (English: While I breathe, I hope).

3-WORD PROVERBS: Today's 3-word proverb is Spes dabit auxilium (English: Hope will give help).

RHYMING PROVERBS: Today's proverb with rhyme is: Communis sors est, quod cunctis debita mors est (English: It is our common lot that death is an obligation to all).

VULGATE VERSES: Today's verse is Sol non occidat super iracundiam vestram (Eph. 4:26). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

ELIZABETHAN PROVERBS: Here is today's proverb commentary, this time by Taverner: Non omnes qui habent citharam, sunt citharoedi: Al that have harpes be no harpers. Outwarde signes manie times deceive men. All that have the gospell hanging at theyr gyrdels, be no gospelers. For againe al that dispraise the leude fascions of the Papistes, be not forthwith Heretiques. Wee ought not to iudge accordinge to the outwarde apperaunce of thinges.

BREVISSIMA: The distich poster for today is Amare ut Amicus Sis. Click here for a full-sized view.


And here are today's proverbial LOLcats:




TODAY'S FABLES:

FABULAE FACILES: The fable from the Fabulae Faciles widget is Castor et Venator, the famous story of the beaver's extreme strategy for self-preservation (this fable has a vocabulary list).

MILLE FABULAE: The fable from the Mille Fabulae et Una widget is Mures, Feles, et Tintinnabulum, the story of belling the cat.

mures et feles

Greek Bible Art - and Latin and English, too. Below is one of my Greek Bible Art graphics; for the individual Greek, Latin and English versions of the graphic, see the blog post: χαῖρε, ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν ἰουδαίων· καὶ ἐδίδοσαν αὐτῶ ῥαπίσματα. Ave, rex Judaeorum: et dabant ei alapas. Hail, King of the Jews! And they smote him with their hands.


Myth and Folklore Books. I'm accumulating some book recommendations for the classes I teach and wanted to share them here. Today's book is The Fairy Mythology by Thomas Keightley; you can see the table of contents here. This is a free Amazon Kindle eBook, and you don't need a Kindle to read it - you can read Kindle books on any computer or mobile device, or you can use the Amazon Cloud Reader in your browser.