Attributes of the saints

Myths, folklore, and symbolism
Attributes of the saints: They are objects or symbols that characterize a specific saint or assigned to a specific category of saints. (General attributes of saints, for example, would be the scroll or book for the apostles or church patriarchs, the palm branch for martyrs.) Attributes of individual saints derive from the life, martyrdom, or legends of the saints. (Herder)




Arrow: Sebastian; Ursula


Beehive: Ambrose; Bernard of Clairvaux

Anchor: Nicholas	Cloak: Martin of Tours	Lion Jerome, Mark
Angel: Matthew the Evangelist	Cross: Andreas; Bridget; Helena; John the Baptist	Mitre: bishops and abbots
Dove: Gregory the Great	Organ: Cecilia
Axe: Boniface; Josophat	Dragon: George; Margaret; Michael	Palm: martyrs
Baby Jesus: Antony of Padua; Christopher	Eagle: John the Evangelist	Ship: Adelheid; Nicholas; Ursula
Gridiron: Laurence	Snake: John the Evangelist
Book: apostles, evangelists, church patriarchs; Teresa of Avila	Heart: Augustine; Bridget; Francis de Sales; Teresa of Avila	Stag (with cross in antlers): Eustachius; Hubert
Bread: Elizabeth of Thuringen; Nicholas	Lamb: Agnes; John the Baptist	Steer: Luke
Cardinal's hat: church patriarchs	Lance: George; Thomas the Apostle	Sword: martyrs
Chalice: Barbara; John the Evangelist; Norbert; Thomas Aquinas		Tongs: Agatha
		Tower: Barbara
		Wheel: Catherine of Alexandria

(Sorry about the kafarged HTML ... I'm a little out of practice)

Jack 'o' Lantern

Myths, folklore, & symbolism
Jack 'o' Lantern: A local name for Will-o'-the-Wisp, mainly in East Anglia and in southwest England; also spelled Jack-a-Lantern and Jacky Lantern, according to the whim of the collectors...In the southwest, the name is also used for the turnip lanterns children carry at Halloween. (Oxford Dictionary of English Folklore)

Myths, folklore & symbolism

"An enneagram, or ninepointed star. This enneagram is not drawn in one continous line but as three triangles on top of one another."

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Horn

Myths, folklore, & symbolism
Horn: Because of its important function in the animal kingdom, it is a symbol of strength and power in the physical and spiritual senses. Consequently Dionysus, Alexander the Great, and Moses are often depicted with horns (although such depictions probably stem from an error in translation, namely, the confusion of facies coronata [haloed] and cornuta [horned]). Horns were used by many peoples as amulets. The sacrificial altar of the Israelites bore horns pointing in the four cardinal directions as a sign of the omnipotence of God. The horn having a shape similar to the moon sickle is associated with lunar symbolism. Horned animals are often considered fertility symbols; the horn itself is a phallic symbol.

In a negative sense, the symbolic significance of the horn appears in the many depictions of the horned Devil. Jung referred to the ambivalent symbolic significance of horns. Because of their form and power, they embody the masculine, active principle; because of their lyrelike, open form, however, they also represent the feminine, receptive principle. Horns therefore may symbolize spiritual balance and maturity.

The horn of plenty, which is the attribute of Fortuna or of the personification of autumn, is a symbol of the sperabundance of good fortune and of rich harvest; originally it was though to be the horn of the goat Amalthea or of the river god Achelous, whose horn Heracles had broken off in battle. (Herder)

Author Soundtrack: Elizabeth Chadwick

Elizabeth Chadwick's soundtrack is now live over at the Writers and Soundtracks blog. Check it out!

The Word-Hoard: Flammivomous

Flammivomous: Vomiting flames, as a volcano; from Latin flamma and vomo, to vomit. (Rev. John Boag's Imperial Lexicon, c. 1850)

Harvest Festivals

Myths, folklore, & symbolism
harvest festivals: The modern Harvest Festival, so well known to churchgoers and schoolchildren, where the church or school stage is piled high with produce and thanks are given in prayer, sermon, and hymns, is often thought to be ancient but owes its origin to Victorian reforming zeal. Revd R. S. Hawker, vicar of Morwenstow in Cornwall, invented it in 1843, and as the idea was just right for the mood of the times, Festivals spread rapidly throughout the country. The custom obviously has intrinsic values of its own which commended it to other congregations, but there were some ministers who also saw in the new Harvest Festival a way of replacing the older farm-based Harvest Supper celebrations which were sometimes an excuse for excessive drinking, eating, and dancing." (Oxford Dictionary of English Folklore)

Myths, folklore & symbolism

" A sign from the French hobo or gypsy sign system meaning avoid this place; it is dangerous."

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Sage

Myths, folklore, & symbolism
Sage: It is a half-shrubby mint with aromatic leaves. A versatile healing plant, it is an attribute of Mary in medieval Christian art. (Herder)

Also, see the entry on sage in In Hortum.

Also? Pretty much everything was an attribute of Mary in medieval Christian art, wasn't it? LOL!

Author Interview: C.C. Humphreys

My interview with C.C. Humphreys is now live over at the Writers and Soundtracks blog. Check it out!

That's weird.

I'm not an academic (I work as a communications manager in high tech), so it's always weird to find out that universities and authors use my M.A. projects in their classes, websites, and books. I was part of a very small group of folks (I think it was seven) who went through the innovative English/American Studies program at UVA in the mid-90s. We were, I think, the first program to put projects - and our MA theses - online. This was back in the days when Yahoo! was new, when we had to code by hand. Man, that makes me feel old. You kids get off my lawn!

Anyway, it's just odd to find out that my work has been quoted in a book or used in a university course. I'm looking forward to the day that my fiction is quoted and used as well, LOL!

The Word-Hoard: Gloppened

Gloppened: Surprised (Robert Willan's Glossary of the West Riding of Yorkshire, 1814)

Swing

Myths, folklore, & symbolism
Swing: In Southeast Asia (and to some extent in Greece and Spain), the swing is associated with fertility rites. The motion of swinging is related to the ebb and flow of natural growth and possibly to the earth-fertilizing wind (which can arise from swinging). Especially in India it symbolizes the setting and rising of the sun, the rhythm of the seasons, and the eternal cycle of death and birth; it sometimes also represents the harmonious union of heaven and earth and thereby occasionally the union of the rainbow and rain. (Herder)

Myths, folklore & symbolism

"This sign appears on a picture of Tlaloc, the god of rain found in Mexico and is dated back to around 500 B.C."

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Gorgoneion

Myths, folklore, & symbolism
Gorgoneion: The head of a Gorgon, which had a grotesque, horrific appearance with an open maw, bared teeth, protruding tongue, and often a beard. It is a symbol of the terrifying aspect of divine powers and an apotropaic sign affixed to temples; a Gorgoneion is also affixed to the center of the aegis. (Herder)

Author Soundtrack: C.C. Humphreys

C.C. Humphreys' soundtrack is now live over at the Writers and Soundtracks blog. Check it out!

The Word-Hoard: Fatidical

Fatidical: Having power to foretell future events; prophetic. (Rev. John Boag's Imperial Lexicon, c. 1850)

McCain = Gollum, and other apt observations

Thumb

Myths, folklore, & symbolism
Thumb: As the finger that gives the hand its full grasping capacity (because it opposes the others), it is often interpreted as masculine and creative and is thus also a phallic symbol. (Herder)

Myths, folklore & symbolism

"An ideogram from a rock engraving found near Salzburg in Austria."

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Question for medievalists out there

I'm working on draft 2 of a novel partially set at a small 12th century Burgundian monastery. A few questions for you:

1. would they have a stable of a couple of horses?

2. if so, I'm assuming they'd be palfreys and not chargers?

3. would they name their horses? would they name their monastery cat?

4. what is the role of lay servants in helping to manage the monastery? would young children work as servants?

5. would baskets be used to store items in the kitchen (and the monastery generally)? if so, what kind would they be in Burgundy (e.g., bent willow?)

This One Is Voting for That One

http://www.zazzle.com/eanderso

Goodies created by an acquaintance of mine.

Why McCain won't look at Obama

OK, here's my theory: McCain has a scary (and documented) temper issue. I'm thinking that the reason that he won't look at Obama is because he'll lose his shit and do something *really* embarrassing. If he just pretends Obama's not there, he can get through the debate without grinding his teeth into oblivion, or physically lashing out.

You think I'm kidding, I'm totally serious. This is the man who called his wife a [very inappropriate word] to a reporter. This is the man who lost his shit on his own campaign plane with a bunch of reporters because he didn't like their questions. He's unbalanced.

[x-posted to my LJ]

Lake

Myths, folklore, & symbolism
Lake (pond): The lake is interpreted graphically as the earth's open eye. It is sometimes considered to be the dwelling place of subterranean beings, fairies, nymphs, and water spirits, who entice humans in order to draw them into the subterranean realms. In dream imagery the lake is symbolic of the feminine or of the unconscious. (Herder)

Author Interview: Alex Dally MacFarlane

My interview with Alex Dally MacFarlane is now live over at the Writers and Soundtracks blog. Check it out!

SNL

Tina Fey nails it again

The Word-Hoard: Gasconade

Even though I'm no longer doing the Word-Hoard podcast (for the time being...) I'll still post fascinating words for you every Monday.

Gasconade: Vainglorious fiction (Sir James Murray's New English Dictionary, 1901)

Angry

I never do politics in this blog (I save that for my personal LJ!) but I could not hold back on this one: Shame on Sarah Palin. Absolutely pathetic and disgusting. Seriously, she (and the whole pathetic, grasping McCain campaign) makes my stomach turn. Sick, pathetic, ridiculous.

That's the dirty, sad politics of the past. The country is very much ready for some change.

Goldfinch

Myths, folklore, & symbolism
Goldfinch: It is a bird that reputedly lives on thistles, but because it sings so beautifully, it was a symbol in the Middle Ages of Christ (especially of the Christ Child) and an image of the faithful soul purified through suffering. (Herder)

Myths, folklore & symbolism

"This type of sign was extensively used in Viking Age decorative art in Scandinavia. This pattern was often carved or painted as a plaited sign."

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Lameness

Myths, folklore, & symbolism
Lameness: It is an expression of weakness or woundedness. Like blindness, lameness or limping can be symbolic of spiritual inadequacy. However, like blindness, being one-eyed, or having a humpback, lameness also can allude to unusual abilities in specific realms (as in the case of witches, magicians, and fire gods, e.g., Hephaestus). In Greek mythology lameness is a punishment of the gods for disobedience (Hephaestus limps because he sided with his mother, Hera, against his father, Zeus). According to folk belief, the Devil is lame on one foot because his fall from heaven was his own fault. (Herder)