Round-Up: December 7

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 septimum Idus Decembres (and yes, you can have your own Roman Google Calendar).

HOLIDAY SONGS: The Latin holiday songs for today are: Adeste Fideles, a Latin version of "O Come, All Ye Faithful," along with Quae stella sole pulchrior.

VERBUM HODIERNUM: Today's word is CUM - read a brief essay about the word at the Verbosum blog. Here's one of the sayings you can find in the essay: Cum docemus, discimus, "When we teach, we learn."

FABULAE FACILES: The new easy-to-read fable is Ursa et Vulpes, the story of a fox and a hypocritical bear.

BESTIARIA PROVERBS: There are some new animal proverbs today for ANSER, the goose, and CYGNUS, the swan.

MILLE FABULAE: FABLE OF THE DAY: The fable for today is Equus, Asinus, et Hordeum, the story of the donkey who asked the horse for some barley. (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 slideshows are Cornix et Urna, the story of the wise crow, and Carbonarius et Fullo, the story of two men with inimical occupations. (For all the Aesop images, visit Flickr.)

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

3-Word Mottoes: Today's 3-word motto is Video et taceo (English: I watch and keep silent).

3-Word Proverbs: Today's 3-word proverb is Spes servat afflictos (English: Hope preserves people in crisis).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb with rhyme is: Non est tam fortis, qui rumpat vincula mortis (English: There is no man strong enough to break the bonds of death).

Vulgate Verse: Today's verse is Omnia probate; quod bonum est, tenete (I Thess. 5:21). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Elizabethan Proverb Commentary: Here is today's proverb commentary, this time by Conybeare: Ede nasturtium: Is applied to a dull and a grosse person, and for as muche as Nasturtium called cresses being eaten doth make the nose tinckle, and thereby causeth the dull spirites to wake, therefore by this proverbe ys ment, pluck up thie spirites, or awake dullarde or luske (a "lusk" or "luske" is an archaic English word meaning "a lazy person").

Today's image is Rackham's illustration for the story of the fox and the bear, 130. Ursa et Vulpes. Ursa olim se magnifice iactabat quod prae ceteris animalibus amica hominis esset; eam enim ferunt humanis cadaveribus vesci non solere. Risit vulpes, his auditis, atque ad eam dixit, “O utinam mortuos, non vivos devorares!” (source - easy version)

Myths and Legends: Actaeon Sees Diana

Actaeon Sees Diana. To find out more about the life and death of Actaeon, see this Wikipedia article: link; for information about the image: image source.

Here the hunter Actaeon has stumbled into the secret place where Artemis (Diana) and her nymph followers are bathing. As punishment, Actaeon will be devoured by his own dogs.

You can also find more myths and legends for the week of December 4-10 here. For more information and links to the actual javascript code, see the Myths & Legends Widget Reference Page.

Round-Up: December 5

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: Nonae Decembres, the Nones of December (and yes, you can have your own Roman Google Calendar).

HOLIDAY SONGS: The Latin holiday songs for today are: Angelus ad Virginem along with Verbum supernum prodiens.

VERBUM HODIERNUM: Today's word is UNUS - read a brief essay about the word at the Verbosum blog. Here's one of the sayings you can find in the essay: Mus non uni fidit antro, "A mouse cannot rely on just one mousehole."

FABULAE FACILES: The new easy-to-read fable is Avarus et Poma Marcescentia, a funny little story about a man who cannot even let himself enjoy the apples from his own orchard.

BESTIARIA PROVERBS: There are some new animal proverbs today for ARANEA, the spider, and CRABRO, the hornet.

MILLE FABULAE: FABLE OF THE DAY: The fable for today is Columba et Cornix, the story of the dove and the crow. (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 slideshows are Crocodilus et Canis, the story of the dog and the Nile crocodile, and Talpa, Asinus, et Simia, the mole who rebukes the donkey and the monkey. (For all the Aesop images, visit Flickr.)

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

Tiny Proverbs: Today's tiny proverb is: Roma aeterna (English: Rome is eternal).

3-Word Mottoes Verb-less: Today's 3-word verb-less motto is In labore libertas (English: In hard work, freedom).

Latin Animal Proverb: Today's animal proverb is Si fuit hic asinus, non ibi fiet equus (English: If he was a donkey here, he will not become a horse there).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Homo sapiens tacebit usque ad tempus (English: A man who is wise will be silent until the right time).

Proper Name Proverb from Erasmus: Today's proper name proverb from Erasmus is Alterum pedem in cymba Charontis habet (English: He's got one foot in the skiff of Charon - something like our saying about being "at death's door;" from Adagia 2.1.52).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Μωμήσεται μᾶλλον ἢ μιμήσεται (English: It is easier to criticize than to imitate; Momus was the proverbial god of carping criticism).

For an image today, I wanted to include the image that goes with the holiday song, Angelus ad Virginem, since it is an example of a medieval illumination which incorporates a bit of writing into the image - the words read Ave Maria Gratia Plena (larger view of the image):

Myths & Legends: December 4-10

Nov. 25 - Dec. 3 - Dec. 4-10 - Dec. 11-17

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For more information and links to the actual javascript code, see the Myths & Legends Reference Page.

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Hephaestus Falls to Lemnos. To find out more about the god Hephaestus, called Vulcan by the Romans, see this Wikipedia article: link; for information about the image: image source.

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Actaeon Sees Diana. To find out more about the life and death of Actaeon, see this Wikipedia article: link; for information about the image: image source. There's also a post here.

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Pelops and Hippodamia. To find out more about Pelops and his courtship of Hippodamia, see this Wikipedia article: link; for information about the image: image source.

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Dido and Aeneas Feasting. To find out more about Aeneas and Queen Dido, see this Wikipedia article: link; for information about the image: image source. There's also a post here.

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Galatea. To find out more about the sea nymph Galatea, see this Wikipedia article: link; for information about the image: image source.

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Danaids. To find out more about the crimes and the punishment of the daughters of Danaus, see this Wikipedia article: link; for information about the image: image source. There's also a post here.

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Dionysus and Ariadne. To find out more about Ariadne, the bride of Dionysus, see this Wikipedia article: link; for information about the image: image source. There's also a post here.

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Fireside Learning Ning

My Nomination for the 2010 Edublog Award -
Best educational use of a social network:
Fireside Learning Ning

This is not the usual Bestiaria Latina round-up, but those of you out there who are teachers might be interested! I wanted to take a few moments here to nominate Connie Weber's Fireside Learning Ning for an Edublog award ("Best educational use of a social network"). The Fireside Learning Ning is my main online "hang-out" for learning and thinking about education - and I find something there of value each and every day thanks to all of Connie's good work and the contributions by the many members of that Ning. At Connie's Fireside, I've met teachers (and parents and students, too!) who have a passion for education, but whose teaching and learning experiences are very different from my own - different subjects, different schools, different countries!

For those of you who are not familiar with Nings, they are kind of like Facebook, but for a specific community who come together for a shared purpose. You have a profile page at the Ning, you can share photos and videos with other members, there are discussion forums, you can blog, etc. I use a Ning for the online classes I teach, and it is one of the most important tools for making those online classes really successful. It was thanks to the Fireside Ning, in fact, that I really came to appreciate the power of Nings as a way to network and make friends with people online, exploring the real world and the virtual world together. The Fireside Learning Ning is a place for general discussions about education - some of you may also be familiar with the eClassics Ning (a great video repository!) and also with the all-Latin Schola Ning. As you can see, Nings are very flexible, and can be used for all kinds of purposes.

So, here is a big THANK YOU to Connie Weber for all the work she has done in making Fireside Learning Ning a big success over the past several years! Any of you who who would like to visit and/or join in at the Fireside, please feel free to do so: you would be most welcome!

Round-Up: December 3

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 Nonas Decembres (and yes, you can have your own Roman Google Calendar).

HOLIDAY SONGS: The Latin holiday songs for today are: Angeli Canunt Praecones, a Latin version of "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," along with Silentio noctis, a Latin version of the Polish carol, "Wśród nocnej ciszy."

VERBUM HODIERNUM: Today's word is THESAURUS - read a brief essay about the word at the Verbosum blog. Here's one of the sayings you can find in the essay: Thesauri absconditi nulla est utilitas, "A hidden treasure has no use."

FABULAE FACILES: The new easy-to-read fable is Simius et Circulator, the story of the monkey who gave up his freedom for some fancy clothes!

BESTIARIA PROVERBS: There are some new animal proverbs today for APES, the bee, and COCHLEA, the snail.

MILLE FABULAE: FABLE OF THE DAY: The fable for today is one of my personal favorites Cera Lateri Invidens, the story of the wax who envied the brick. See the bottom of the post for a great illustration of this story! (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 slideshows are Cornicula et Ovis, the story of the crow and the sheep, and Simius et Fabri, the monkey and the carpenters - another story where things do not turn out well for the ambitious monkey! (For all the Aesop images, visit Flickr).

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

Tiny Mottoes: Today's tiny motto is: Tuebor (English: I will keep protect).

3-Word Proverbs Verb-less: Today's 3-word verb-less proverb is Optima medicina temperantia (English: Moderation is the best medicine)

Audio Latin Proverb: Today's audio Latin proverb is Primordia cuncta pavida sunt (English: All beginnings are frightening). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Effugere cupiditatem regnum est vincere (English: To escape desire is to conquer a kingdom).

Animal Proverb from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb from Erasmus is Quam curat testudo muscam (English: As much as a turtle worries about a fly; from Adagia 2.8.100 - of course, given its shell, a turtle is not bothered by a fly at all).

Here is a marvelous illustration by Grandville for that fable of the wax: 753. Cera Lateri Invidens. Cera, videns se mollem et tractabilem, nimis dolebat conditionis suae vicem cupiebatque lateris cocti soliditate donari. Quod ut consequeretur, iecit se in fornacem ardentem. Sed, momento liquefacta et igne consumpta, documento fuit quemque in suo statu manere debere nec appetere quod sibi a Natura fuit negatum. (source)