Alith

Japan, 22, studies German & literature, INFP, distance learner and occasional interpreter. Personal @mirrorcore

[brainstatic]

Dante’s Inferno is the best piece of classical poetry because it’s the most petty thing you will ever read. Half of Hell is mythological or historical figures and the other half is Dante’s enemies. So the whole thing is like “I am Medea, who slew her own child to spite her husband.” “And I am Francisco di Vincezzino Fabriccia, who gets very talented and handsome poets kicked out of Florence, but I’m very sorry for it now because I’m burning in Hell and I suck.”

[brainstatic]

I feel I should add that because it was the Middle Ages and literacy was next to non-existent, poets made their money by reciting their poems in public. And The Divine Comedy is written in the first person. So the way this was originally presented was Dante himself standing on a stage and saying “so then me and my best friend Virgil went to the circle of whiny bitches and we saw Giovanni Petucci getting eaten by a giant dog, because he’s a bitch, and he was all “ah help me Dante I’m so sorry I thought the Holy Roman Emperor was better than the Pope, you were right about everything”, and then Virgil –again whom I’m extremely close with– said it was too late for him.”

[alithposts-blog]

"Historical figures or Dante's enemies" is not necessary true.

He put a son of person who Dante dislikes in the purgatory.

It's not about pettiness, it's about how people in each circle balance themselves out and how you can see the manifestations of what they were like when they were alive through their states and statements.

(CBA explaining why but Divine Comedy is more like about Dante's love for Beatrice and tribute to Virgil, especially his work Aeneid. He put Beatrice as high as Mary etc. It's more like the greatest and longest love letter)

I've been taking lectures by a professor who specialises in Dante's works and according to him, there's no correct translated version out there yet.

There are many mistranslations and misinterpretations you have to be aware of. Studying Dante is hard.

[deutsian]

“Anhalten”

Someone: Omg German is such a logical langu-

Me: Have you met my friend ‘anhalten’?

[deutsian]

Episode #2: dereinst means both ‘at some point in the past’ and ‘at some point in the future’.

[academicssay]

[berlinlogs]

blitzschnell

GERMAN WORD OF THE DAY

blitzschnell : blazing fast, with lightning speed

Sie wurde am Zoll blitzschnell abgefertigt.

She was dealt with at customs with lightning speed.

[terpsikeraunos]

ancient greek word of the day: ἀργυρόθρονος (argyrothronos), silver-throned

[learngermanblog]

Folgen Sie uns auf YouTube

www.youtube.com/learngermann

[hexandbalances]

Hellenic Pronunciation for the Gods

It is likely, like me, you grew up without an education in Classical (or Modern for that matter) Greek. You might have read “Hecate” and read it as “Heh-KATE” or, at best, “Heh-kuh-TEE” (a habit which I fear I might take to the grave). So hopefully you will also find this selection of pronunciation from HellenicGods.org interesting. I recommend reading their full article. In particular was the use of the diphthongs - where the tip of the tongue meets and presses flat against the roof of the mouth right behind the teeth before releasing. It makes a sound that is something between a D and a Th. This is common in Indian languages, like Punjabi, where I became familiar with it.

Ækáti - (Hecate or Hekate; Gr. Ἑκάτη, ΕΚΑΤΗ) Pronounced: æ-KAH-tee. or eh-KAH-tee.

Ærmís (Hermes; Gr. Ἑρμῆς, ΕΡΜΗΣ) Pronounced: ayr-MEES, the ‘H’ is silent; the ‘R’ is rolled slightly such that it almost sounds like the name has three syllables.

Æstía (Hestia; Gr. Ἑστία, ΕΣΤΙΑ) Pronounced: æs-TEE-ah.

Aphrodíti (Aphrodite; Gr. Ἀφροδίτη, ΑΦΡΟΔΙΤΗ) Pronunciation: ah-froh-DEE-tee, roll the ‘r’ slightly; the d (dǽlta) is pronounced like the soft th in this, not like the hard th in theory

Apóllohn - (Apollo; Gr. Ἀπόλλων, ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ) Pronounced ah-POH-lohn.

Áris - (Ares; Gr. Άρης, ΑΡΗΣ) Pronunciation: AH-rees 

Ártæmis (Artemis; Gr. Ἄρτεμις, ΑΡΤΕΜΙΣ) Pronunciation: AHR-tay-mees 

Athiná (Athena; Gr. Ἀθηνᾶ, ΑΘΗΝΑ) Pronunciation: ah-thee-NAH, the accent on the final syllable, or not accenting any syllable.

Daimohn (Gr. δαίμων, ΔΑΙΜΩΝ) Pronounced: DAY-mohn, the D sounding like the th in thee (not like the th in thesis).

Dimítir (Demeter or Demetra; Gr. Δημήτηρ, ΔΗΜΗΤΗΡ) When enunciating the name Dimítir, the D (delta) is pronounced like the soft th in this, not like the hard th in theory: dee-MEE-teer, with the accent on the second syllable.

Diónysos - (Dionysus; Gr. Διόνυσος, ΔΙΟΝΥΣΟΣ) The D in Diónysos is pronounced like the th in thee (not like the th in thesis). Pronounced: dee-OH-nee-sohs.

Ílios - (Helios; Gr. Ἥλιος, ΗΛΙΟΣ) Pronounced: EE-lee-ohs.

Íphaistos (Hephaestus; Gr. Ἥφαιστος, ΗΦΑΙΣΤΟΣ) Pronounced: EE-fays-tohs, with the accent on the first syllable; there is no ‘H.’

Íra (Hera; Gr. Ήρα, ΗΡΑ) Pronounced: EE-rah.  The ‘H’ (Íta [Eta; Gr. ἦτα]) at the beginning of the name of the Goddess is a vowel.

Nyx (Gr. Νύξ, ΝΥΞ) Pronounced: neeks.

Orphéfs (Orpheus; Gr. Ὀρφεύς, ΟΡΦΕΥΣ) Pronounced: ohr-FEFS

Pærsæphóni - (Persephone; Gr. Περσεφόνη, ΠΕΡΣΕΦΟΝΗ) Pronounced: payr-say-FOH-nee.

Poseidóhn  - (Poseidon; Gr. Ποσειδῶν, ΠΟΣΕΙΔΩΝ) Pronounced: poh-see-DOHN, accent on the last syllable; the d (delta) at the beginning of the last syllable is pronounced like a soft th as in this, not like the th in theory. 

Rǽa - (Rhea; Gr. Ῥέα, ΡΕΑ) Pronounced: RAY-ah, rolling the R just slightly.

Titánæs (Titans; Gr. Τιτᾶνες, ΤΙΤΑΝΕΣ) Pronounced: tee-TAH-nays or tee-TAH-nehs.

Yaia - (Gaia; Gr. Γαῖα, ΓΑΙΑ. Pronounced: YÆ-ah.

Zefs (Zeus; Gr.  Ζεύς, ΖΕΥΣ) Pronounced: zĕfs; the diphthong εύ is pronounced like the ef in left.

[ich-bin-der-baer]

Reading Practice: Zehn schöne Weihnachtsmärkte in Deutschland

die Backstube – bakery die Bude – stall; booth der Christbaumschmuck – Christmas tree decorations (pl.) der Christkindlesmarkt – Christmas market der Gaumen – palate das Gebäck – pastry der Glühwein – mulled wine die Handwerkskunst – handicraft; craftsmanship die Kulisse – backdrop die Meeresluft – sea air der Nussknacker – nutcracker der Tannenbaum – fir tree die Trockenfrucht (pl. die Trockenfrüchte) – dried fruit das Weihnachten – Christmas der Weihnachtsbaum (pl. die Weihnachtsbäume) – Christmas tree der Weihnachtsmarkt (pl. die Weihnachtsmärkte) – Christmas market

ausschenken – to serve [drinks] bummeln – to stroll erhellen – to light; to illuminate

abwechslungsreich – varied gestreift – striped schmiedeeisern – wrought-iron traditionsreich – rich in tradition schmackhaft – tasty vertreten – represented verzaubert – enchanted

[berlinlogs]

warmherzig

GERMAN WORD OF THE DAY

warmherzig : genial, warm-hearted

Er ist ein warmherziger Mensch.

He is a very warm-hearted person.

[iamemeraldfox]

I wonder how Ancient Egyptians danced. They must have had dances. How did they dance for fun, at festivals, in worship?

[ikchen]

Ooooh but we actually know about this!

They danced for all of those, some in a more ritualistic fashion, and some just a drunken joyful stumbling and jumping around!

People from every social class were exposed to music and dancing. Manual laborers worked in rhythmic motion to the sounds of songs and percussion, and street dancers entertained passers by. In normal, daily life musicians and dancers were an important and integral part of banquets and celebrations. Dance troupes were available for hire to perform at dinner parties, banquets, lodging houses, and even religious temples. Some women the harems of the wealthy were trained in music and dance. However, no well-born Egyptian would consider dancing in public. The Nobility would employ servants or slaves to entertain at their banquets to a offer pleasant diversion to themselves and their guests.

(Scene from the tomb of Intef at Dra Abu'l Naga, also called the Tomb of Dancers, circa 1580-1550 BC).

We have evidence of dancing from as far back as the predynastic period - they are depicted on several Vessels, and even on a macehead!

(dancers performing in a royal ceremony on the “Scorpion” macehead, circa 3200-3000 BC).

Most dances we have evidence of were of the ritualistic kind - either done by professional dancers during a festival for a god or the pharao, during a funeral, or done by priestesses during worship.

(A funerald dance scene from the tomb of Niunetjera at Giza, circa 2300 BC).

Professional dancers were mostly women, or Nubian “pygmies”, so called “Tanzzwerge”, who were highly regarded and usually paid and treated well.

A good way to identify acrobatic dancers in Ancient Egyptian art is that they’re depicted with much more artistical freedom. They’re not subjected to the rigid artistic standarts of most Egyptian iconography.

(Banquet scene from the tomb of Nebamun, 1400–1350 BC).

(Musicians and a Nubian dancer as shown in the tomb of Djeserkaresoneb, ca. 1380 BC - the distinction in skin colour between the Egyptian musicians and the Nubian dancer is interesting).

(Topless dancer on an ostrakon, 13th century BC).

I hope this short intro post was informative, and now you, too can Dance Like An Egyptian!

If you’ve enjoyed this content, please consider supporting me over on Ko-Fi:  Ko-fi.com/ikchen

Sources and further reading:

P. Spencer, Dance in Ancient Egypt (2003) <http://www.jstor.org/stable/3210914>.

C. Graves-Brown, Dancing for Hathor: Women in Ancient Egypt (2010).

I. Lexová, Ancient Egyptian Dancers (2000). 

G. Reeder, The mysterious Muu and the dance they do (1995) <http://www.egyptology.com/reeder/muu/>.

<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dance_in_ancient_Egypt>

[z-ehir-deactivated20200203]

Sometimes you need to stop seeing the good in people and start seeing what they show you

[mirrorcore]

Witches, healers and those who use and/or collect crystals, please be aware of this.

Hey, I know this post won't look pretty on your blog. There's no witchy aesthetic for this post.

Some of you witches or healers are actually very responsible for accelerating this destruction and you might not be aware of it.

If you don't know where your pretty "healing" crystals are coming from, chances are they came from a multibillion dollar industry that's built on severely poor work conditions.

Commercial mining causes lung cancer, unbelievably low wages, child labour and even annual deaths.

Yes, people are suffering and dying for your pretty magical crystals.

It's also ruining the environment, like deforestation in the process.

Please, please think about your practice beyond what it appears to be.

Also, our phones come from very very similar sources as well if not the same so PLEASE USE THE MOST OUT OF YOUR DEVICE AND SPREAD THIS.

Are crystals the new blood diamonds?

Gwyneth loves them, Adele can’t sing without them and Kim Kardashian uses them to deal with stress. Many of us are lured by their beauty and

Dark crystals: the brutal reality behind a booming wellness craze

The long read: Demand for ‘healing’ crystals is soaring – but many are mined in deadly conditions in one of the world’s poorest countries. A

Your Healing Crystals Are Part of the Capitalist Exploitation Machine

Healing crystals move from poor villages to first world consumers along a trail of death, ecological destruction, and capitalistic concentra

[berlinlogs]

dummdreist

GERMAN WORD OF THE DAY

dummdreist : insolent, impertinent

Es war schon dummdreist, den Richter in der Pause zu fragen, was ein Freispruch kosten würde.

It was insolent to ask the judge during the break how much it would cost to be acquitted.

[berlinlogs]

der Junggesellenabschied

GERMAN WORD OF THE DAY

der Junggesellenabschied : bachelor party, stag night (die Junggesellenabschiede)

Er feierte seinen Junggesellenabschied auf der Reeperbahn.

He celebrated his bachelor party at the Reeperbahn.

[thestrawberrynight]

living in the old small town, wandering around with my dogs, having big house, wearing dark dresses, drinking lots of coffee, reading historical novels and collecting works of art

[ich-bin-der-baer]

Random German Vocabulary (3)

der Aufschrei – outcry der Eklat – scandal der Feldjäger – military police der Hauptgewinn – top prize; jackpot die Sozialstunden (pl.) – community service das Springreiten – show jumping

(sich) aufdrängen – to intrude ausgraben – to dig up (jemandem etwas) einflüstern – to suggest (something to someone); to have a word in (someone’s) ear (sich in etwas) einmischen – to interfere (in something) einstufen – to classify; to categorise (jemanden) hintergehen – to betray (someone) schlummern – to slumber straucheln – to stumble verbieten – to forbid; to prohibit sich verkriechen – to crawl away; to hide (oneself) away zusammenbrechen – to collapse

abwegig – far-fetched; absurd ätzend – corrosive; caustic dusselig – daft; silly gefesselt – captivated großzügig – generous hinreißend – adorable; ravishing intrigant – scheming klitzeklein – teeny-tiny schnuckelig – cute unberechenbar – unpredictable verschlossen – withdrawn; standoffish; secretive

(jemanden) auf Bewährung entlassen – to let (someone) out on parole ein Retter in der Not – a knight in shining armour; a saviour von mir bekommst du keinen Cent – you’re not getting one cent from me ich komme zurecht – I manage; I get by wenn ich fragen darf – if I may ask beruhigen wir uns alle – let’s all calm down den Bogen überspannen – to overstep the mark; to go too far eine Entschuldigung annehmen – to accept an apology eine Dummheit begehen – to do something stupid mit Bravour bestehen – to pass with flying colours misch dich nicht in meine Sachen ein – stay out of my business

[gemsofgreece]

When the Nazis invaded Athens, Greece in April 1941, one of the first thing they did as they inspected the city was to visit the National Archaeological Museum. They were surprised to find vast and entirely empty rooms. When they asked the few remaining archaeologists where the ancient artifacts were, the archaeologists answered: “Inside the earth - as always”.

Six months earlier, it became known that Germany was considering to invade Greece. That is when Greeks decided upon a colossal project of hiding as many ancient ruins and artifacts, in an attempt to save them from the Nazis and protect them from potential air raids. 

Digging inside the museum to bury the artifacts underground.

The statues and other artifacts were buried in basements, which then were filled with sand and covered with cement.

Burying the Kouros of Sounion.

This did not only happen to the National Archaeological Museum. Almost the entirety of Greece participated in this project, including Delphi, Olympia, Thessaloniki, Sparta and the Greek islands as well. Many volunteers joined in but the most demanding and technical aspects of the job were exclusively handled by Archaeologists and Academics.The most prominent figures of the project were Christos and Semni Karouzos, Giannis Miliadis and Antonis Keramopoulos. Two foreign archaeologists had am important role in this as well, a British and - interistingly- a German.

The chosen spots were usually the basements under the museums, about which it is suspected the Nazis found out. Some artifacts were hidden in caves of Acropolis and Philopappos, some artifacts of Delphi were hidden in the Macedonian Tomb, which was then sealed with concrete, and the golden ones where hidden in the basements of the vault of the Bank of Greece. 

The Germans found out about the “plot” of the Greeks. However, because Hitler was fascinated by the Ancient Greek Culture, they did not want to give the impression they didn’t acknowledge its importance by attempting to seek the artifacts and risk their destruction. In fact, it is said  that many of them were more impressed than angry at the Greeks for carrying through with this plan.

Sources in Greek: 1 and 2