Thursday, March 27, 2014

Latin Proverbs and Fables Round-Up: March 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.

HODIE (Roman Calendar): ante diem sextum Kalendas Apriles.

MYTHS and LEGENDS: The art image for today's legend shows Heracles and the Hydra; 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: Constans esto (English: Be steadfast).

3-WORD MOTTOES: Today's 3-word verb-less motto is Honesta quam splendida (English: Honorable things, rather than flashy).

ANIMAL PROVERBS: Today's animal proverb is In quo nascetur asinus corio morietur (English: The donkey will die in the skin in which he's born).

POLYDORUS: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Funiculus triplex non facile rumpitur (English: A triple rope is not easily broken).

PROPER NAME PROVERBS: Today's proper name proverb from Erasmus is Ad Cynosarges (English: To the Cynosarges; from Adagia 3.1.70 - The Cynosarges was a public space just outside of Athens which was notorious both for being a home to Cynic philosophers, bastards and other social outcasts - so being told to go to the Cynosarges was no compliment).

GREEK PROVERBS: Today's proverb is Ἁμ' ἕπος, ἅμ' ἔργον (English: No sooner said than done).

BREVISSIMA: The distich poster for today is Melius Spera. 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 Ollae Duae, a story about the friendship between two mismatched pots.

FABULAE FACILES: The fable from the Fabulae Faciles widget is Venator Meticulosus, a story about why timid hunters should not go hunting lions (this fable has a vocabulary list).

Leo et Venator Meticulosus

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: Αὐτοῦ Ῥόδος, αὐτοῦ πήδημα. Hic Rhodus, hic saltus. Here be Rhodes, here be your jump. The allusion is to the famous Aesop's fable about the boastful athlete.