Knygatin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Dale Nelson Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > My married daughter and her husband use the fly
> > trap and purpurea for insect control in the
> > greenhouse they co-own. I don't know how
> > effective the plants are in terms of getting
> > mosquitoes etc., but I applaud the intention;
> and
> > the plants are intriguing... Thanks, Knygatin!
> > Btw my wife gave me a flytrap just a few days
> ago.
>
> My Sarracenia is voracious. I see victims,
> especially those small annoying fruit flies,
> falling down into its mouths all the time.
>
> The Venus flytrap mostly eat spiders and other
> insects, but indoor flies don't seem so very keen
> on visiting it. It is recommended that one feeds
> it; but it doesn't like dead food. I taped
> together a square frame from sticks, covered it
> with clear plastic wrap, and place this over the
> pot at night; capture some flies and let loose
> inside. In the morning I visit "the scene of the
> crime". One meal satisfies for a long time. I have
> three separate plants in my pot, and one of them
> has not captured anything yet, so I am a little
> worried for it.
>
> Insect-eating plants don't like tap water. They
> need rain water, or water taken from some clean
> mossy pond. And they don't like earthenware crocks
> because of possible depositions leaking into their
> mossy soil. They love to be placed outside in the
> summer time.

K, tell us about your exotic cats...

;^)

Just kiddin'...I was struck by how finicky the carnivorous plants are that I immediately thought: I wonder how much harder it would be to keep an ocelot.

...and voila!!! :^)

...just the caffeine kicking in...

--Sawfish

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"The food at the new restaurant is awful, but at least the portions are large."
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Sawfish Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> K, tell us about your exotic cats...
>
> ;^)
>
> Just kiddin'...I was struck by how finicky the
> carnivorous plants are that I immediately thought:
> I wonder how much harder it would be to keep an
> ocelot.
>

Ha ha! But I am afraid I am only able to handle one hobby at a time. I tend to get obsessed for a limited time, and then move on to something new. I grew up with dogs, since a baby, but I wouldn't get a dog (or a cat) of my own. Too demanding and time-consuming. I have often fancied getting a Tokay gecko lizard (which I would name Malygris), build an exotic terrarium for it, and feed it with fat juicy crickets. A nice cold friend, that isn't emotionally needy or nagging. But even that entails too much responsibility, and being tied up. And, I can't bear it when animals die.

What about you, ... you don't like to collect books, ... But, don't you have any nerdy hobbies at all?

Or do you exclusively like to drive around in a flashy sports car, wear spotless suits, and eat at fancy restaurants? :)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 4 Jul 21 | 12:37PM by Knygatin.

Knygatin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Sawfish Wrote:

much snipped...

> >
> > Just kiddin'...I was struck by how finicky the
> > carnivorous plants are that I immediately
> thought:
> > I wonder how much harder it would be to keep an
> > ocelot.
> >
>
> Ha ha! But I am afraid I am only able to handle
> one hobby at a time. I tend to get obsessed for a
> limited time, and then move on to something new. I
> grew up with dogs, since a baby, but I wouldn't
> get a dog (or a cat) of my own. Too demanding and
> time-consuming. I have often fancied getting a
> Tokay gecko lizard (which I would name Malygris),
> build an exotic terrarium for it, and feed it with
> fat juicy crickets. A nice cold friend, that isn't
> emotionally needy or nagging. But even that
> entails too much responsibility, and being tied
> up. And, I can't bear it when animals die.
>
> What about you, ... you don't like to collect
> books, ... But, don't you have any nerdy hobbies
> at all?
>
> Or do you exclusively like to drive around in a
> flashy sports car, wear spotless suits, and eat at
> fancy restaurants? :)

Hah! Not a chance!

Hmmm...let's see...

I've never really had a hobby besides reading--and I never actually considered it to *be* a hobby, but when asked about hobbies, it seems like it fits the definition.

As you know by now, K, I read a lot of different stuff, whatever catches my interest for the moment.

I used to play tennis, and until I was about 52-53, that probably was a hobby. It was other sports before that, when I was young, but with tennis all you need is one other fool, so...

But even then I always liked reading better.

Talk about cheap thrills...that's exactly what it is for me. Excellent bang for the buck.

...and oh, yeah, I'm a notorious tightwad--always have been even as a kid.


I still go the the gym, but it's really an exercise in futility, and at this stage tends to underline one's realization of one's own mortality.

Sometimes I drink beer at the gym, after a futile session. Maybe that's a hobby. But it costs too much, really, so...

Happy Fourth!

--Sawfish

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"The food at the new restaurant is awful, but at least the portions are large."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Good enough! I train at home, with a Bullworker, situps, and some general gymnastic movements and stretches, so as to not to become petrified in joints and muscles.


Sawfish Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> > K, tell us about your exotic cats...
>
> ;^)
>

I wonder what your visual impression here really was?? This reminds me of a Youtube clip I happened to see shortly after becoming interested in the plants.

(Inspired by A. Merritt, I have also started a small collection of orchids! Merritt had a big collection of exotic specimens in his greenhouse. Orchids are even more difficult to care for than insect-eating plants!)

Anyway, here is the Youtube clip. It made me greatly *doubt* my new flower hobby. But I asure you, that blond guy is NOT ME!

Knygatin Wrote:

> Insect-eating plants don't like tap water. They
> need rain water, or water taken from some clean
> mossy pond. And they don't like earthenware crocks
> because of possible depositions leaking into their
> mossy soil. They love to be placed outside in the
> summer time.


Yes, that's what I understood. Yesterday evening I placed a large metal mixing bowl outside to catch rain, and we did get a nice little storm, so I'm in good shape for rainwater for the flytrap at present. I will have to remember to place the little thing outside sometimes.

As for monsters... the one in Benson's "Negotium Perambulans" is interesting.

I learned last week that when Luther translated the Old Testament (Isaiah 34:14), he rendered the "lilith" as kobold, the mine-dwelling goblin.

Dale Nelson Wrote:
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> I learned last week that when Luther translated
> the Old Testament (Isaiah 34:14), he rendered the
> "lilith" as kobold, the mine-dwelling goblin.


My knowledge of folklore is mostly focused on Northern Europe and the Inuit, so I have hardly any insight when it comes to Lilith, but wasn't she (or similar Mesopotamian demons) originally imagined as a hideous beast? Hardly a perfect representation of a kobold, but translating one ugly monster into another is less of a shock than translating a beautiful demoness or temptress into a gnarled little dwarf!

Hespire Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Knygatin Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Actually I was referring to the traditional
> > mythological dragon in general. It is mysteriously
> > archetypal and touches most people in one way or another.
>
>
> There are stories of dragon-like creatures even where reptiles are
> rare, such as Greenland or Iceland.


What is your source for this? On the concept ceremonial music album ESKIMO by The Residents there is a song that features a great Worm rising out of the sea. But other than that I have never heard of this mentioned before.

The Prose Edda, a medieval collection of Norse mythology, written in Iceland, contains a fascinating list of dragons. Here is my back translation of Marcel Otten’s Dutch translation of the Prose Edda (Amsterdam, 2011):

Quote:

Here are the names of serpents [dragons]: dragon, Fafnir, Mighty Rod, adder, Paletooth [Níðhöggr], tapeworm, serpent, In the Earth, In the Peat, Digging Wolf and Greyback, the Loop, Faller-asleep or the Previous One.

Wikipedia presents this passage in English (translation by Faulkes):

Quote:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nidhogg
These are names for serpents: dragon, Fafnir, Jormungand, adder, Nidhogg, snake, viper, Goin, Moin, Grafvitnir, Grabak, Ofnir, Svafnir, masked one.

Interesting. I have read the Poetic Edda only, but it was some time ago, and I don't remember the details. But Fafnir is in it.

Avoosl Wuthoqquan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The Prose Edda, a medieval collection of Norse
> mythology, written in Iceland, contains a
> fascinating list of dragons. Here is my back
> translation of Marcel Otten’s Dutch translation
> of the Prose Edda (Amsterdam, 2011):
>
> Here are the names of serpents : dragon, Fafnir,
> Mighty Rod, adder, Paletooth , tapeworm, serpent,
> In the Earth, In the Peat, Digging Wolf and
> Greyback, the Loop, Faller-asleep or the Previous
> One.
>
> Wikipedia presents this passage in English
> (translation by Faulkes):
>
> [en.wikipedia.org]]These are
> names for serpents: dragon, Fafnir, Jormungand,
> adder, Nidhogg, snake, viper, Goin, Moin,
> Grafvitnir, Grabak, Ofnir, Svafnir, masked one.

This is significant in an odd way.

This is made up of all animate entities, actual or existing in myth, that share the outward form of being limbless and moving around in a snakelike fashion.

Now this implies that the mythical creature or this list, which appear to include dragons, were perhaps not thought of as possessing with wings or legs, since that mode of travel would preclude inclusion with the other wrigglers.

This sort of folk taxonomy reminds me of how my wife, of Japanese descent via Hawaii, tells me that the word "nezumi" covers both mice and rats without discrimination. This then is based on external observation of morphology and habits.

Something like using the same word to describe a German Shepherd and a wolf.

--Sawfish

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The food at the new restaurant is awful, but at least the portions are large."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Knygatin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What is your source for this? On the concept
> ceremonial music album ESKIMO by The Residents
> there is a song that features a great Worm rising
> out of the sea. But other than that I have never
> heard of this mentioned before.


Across the internet you'll find some rare details about a monster known as the Pal-Rai-Yûk, which I also read about in a couple books by E. W. Nelson, an ethnologist who traveled to Alaska. It isn't a traditional dragon or serpent, as it's described like a reptilian beast with many humps and legs and magical qualities (it can step on grass without bending it!), but I think it counts as "dragon-like." A brief search on google revealed a more traditional giant serpent monster from Inuit legend, but I have less info on that.

I remember that worm very well. Man-headed giant worms are a common antagonist in Inuit legends .Given the geographical location of Hyperborea I wonder if CAS knew about it when he was writing "The Coming of the White Worm."



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 5 Jul 21 | 11:36AM by Hespire.

Sawfish Wrote:
----------------------------------------------------
> Now this implies that the mythical creature or
> this list, which appear to include dragons, were
> perhaps not thought of as possessing with wings or
> legs, since that mode of travel would preclude
> inclusion with the other wrigglers.

Your observation gels with the fact that the English word ‘dragon’ comes to us through French and Latin from a Greek word (δράκων) meaning ‘serpent’. I’ve often wondered when and how the dragon gained its wings, so to speak.

I do know that winged dragons are sometimes referred to as wyverns. But a quick look at the dictionary teaches us that this word, again through French, comes from the Latin vipera, which means -- you’ve guessed it! -- ‘viper’. As far as I know, vipers do not have wings.

And then dragons are also sometimes referred to as ‘worms’, especially in poetic and archaic language. It’s all a bit of a muddle.

This particular list is complicated further (and made more interesting because of that, I think) by the often very opaque nature of metaphors in Old Germanic poetry. In fact, the book from which it was taken (the Prose Edda) is an instruction manual and reference book for poets!

Thanks, Avoosl. This is good information!

--Sawfish

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The food at the new restaurant is awful, but at least the portions are large."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you Hespire. I will look for more about the monsters from Inuit legend.

Hespire Wrote:

> My knowledge of folklore is mostly focused on
> Northern Europe and the Inuit, so I have hardly
> any insight when it comes to Lilith, but wasn't
> she (or similar Mesopotamian demons) originally
> imagined as a hideous beast? Hardly a perfect
> representation of a kobold, but translating one
> ugly monster into another is less of a shock than
> translating a beautiful demoness or temptress into
> a gnarled little dwarf!


I've taught MacDonald's Lilith as a college text more than once, but not recently; but I did have a file (I might have thrown it out accidentally with a lot of other teaching materials) with information on the Lilith legend. My memory is that the word in Isaiah has been variously translated, with choices including lamia and "screech-owl," but don't quote me on this. I haven't verified the claim that Luther really did use "kobold." if he did, he was probably aiming for something that he figured would give his German folk a "dynamic equivalent." He would have been confident that the Bible is divinely inspired and not to be treated lightly, so if he did use "kobold" I don't suppose this was as whimsical as it sounds to us.

Maybe I will look around and see if I still have that Lilith stuff.