Sunday, December 20, 2015

Latin Proverbs and Fables Round-Up: December 20

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.

Also, I wrote up an essay for #HumanMOOC (an online course I am participating in right now) all about the three, count' em, THREE different types of "cuique suum" proverbs. You might be interested in taking a look even if it is not written for Latinists but rather for people interested in education: Cuique Suum: Responsibility, Diversity, Motivation ... all in two little words. It was fun to write! That's always been one of my favorite mottoes in Latin, and analyzing the different variations helped me understand even better why I like that saying so much.

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

MYTHS and LEGENDS: The art image for today's legend shows Pygmalion and the Statue; 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: Ex sese (English: By my own efforts).

3-WORD PROVERBS: Today's 3-word verb-less proverb is Beati mundo corde (English: Blessed are those with a pure heart).

AUDIO PROVERBS: Today's audio Latin proverb is Noli irritare leones (English: Do not provoke the lions!). 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: Quod est venturum, sapiens ut praesens cavet (English: The wise man guards against what is to come as if it were already here).

ERASMUS' ANIMALS: Today's animal proverb from Erasmus is Colubrum in sinu foves (English: You're nourishing a snake close to your breast; from Adagia 4.2.40).

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


And here are today's proverbial LOLcats:



Oculi vasa luminis.
The eyes are containers of light.

Sapientia auro melior est.
Wisdom is better than gold.

TODAY'S FABLES:

MILLE FABULAE: The fable from the Mille Fabulae et Una widget is Corvus Asinum Feriens, a story about the difference between a crow and a wolf.

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

Membra et Venter

Latin Holiday Songs. Today's song is Angeli Canunt Praecones, a Latin version of Hark, The Herald Angels Sing; you can find the Latin lyrics at the blog post.