Christmas is coming...

As I'm sure you are all aware, the Christmas season is fast approaching. And that means I'm starting a new feature here on Rancor. I'm giving you the origins of Christmas and little fun facts on this Roman inspired holiday. This is gonna be a whole lotta fun so mark your calenders. The first post will be coming at ya real soon. Until next time...

Lit Terms in Horace Ode 1.37

1. In line 17 there is a simile.
2. In line 16 the literal definition of ab Italia id used
3. In line 13 Horace uses exaggeration for effect.

Super Special Awesome Latin Phrases

A new week is upon us and that means its time time for....Cats in blankets. Um....hold on. AH HA!!!! I GOTCHA YOU STUPID LITTLE GHOST!!! Sorry about that folks but there was ghost in the machine. Now, where was I? Oh right, time for Super Special Awesome Latin Phrases. This week I'm giving you all a great battle cry, as well as an obscure refrence to an '80 cartoon.



Magister Mundi sum!

I am the Master of the Universe!



There you go, kids. Enjoy screaming this at random people who will have no idea what your talking about. As for me, I'm off to meet the Jetsons. Until next time...

Horace translation test 11/12/08

Maecenas atauis edite regibus,o et praesidium et dulce decus meum, sunt quos curriculo puluerem Olympicum collegisse iuuat metaque feruidis euitata rotis palmaque nobilis terrarum dominos euehit ad deos;

Maecenas being descended from royal ancestors, i give to him my sweet defense, they who circle the in the dust of the Olympic course and whose wheels spin he reaches out and grasps the noble palm branch and he is the the master of the world to the gods;



Tu ne quaesieris (scire nefas) quem mihi, quem tibi finem di dederint, Leuconoe, nec Babylonios temptaris numeros. Vt melius quicquid erit pati! Seu pluris hiemes seu tribuit Iuppiter ultimam, quae nunc oppositis debilitat pumicibus mare Tyrrhenum, sapias, uina liques et spatio breui spem longam reseces. Dum loquimur, fugerit inuida aetas: carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero.

You need not rely on those (know not), they give to your days a an end, Leuconoe, the Babylonian numbers do. They are an evil to us! The many days which are tribute ultimately to Jupiter, which now oppose the deliberate danger of the Tyrrhenum Sea, though, one life and a brief time for a long rest. So be aware, as the envious time flees: seize the day, who is as least credulous as possible.

Vocab 1.1 and 1.11

1. rex- king
2. praisidium- defense
3. corruclum- course
4. pulvus- take
5. dominus- master
6. turba- rough
7. gaudeo- honor
8. pavidus- care for
9. mercator- merchant
10. bratis- brave
11. litius- lean
12. detestor- disapprove
13. plaga- annoy
14. frons- low plants
15. melior- sea
16. hiems- cliff
17. tribuo- honor, glory, tribute
18. pomex- profecience.
19. spotium- claim
20- recitium- aid
21. itias- river
22. carpe diem- seize the day

The Fabulous Beasts of Antiquity

Its time to keep hope alive in this post-Halloween edition of the Fabulous Beasts of Antiquity. This time I'm turning in the old Monster Manual to an old favorite...... the Griffin. For those of you who aren't educated in the field of monsters, the griffin was a beast with the head and wings of an eagle, and the body of lion. Pretty sweet, huh? Some griffins were said to have guarded great riches deep in the mountains of the north and east. Some tribes were said to battle with the griffins for their treasures. But I'll let Pliny the Elder take it from here: "Also a tribe is reported next to these [i.e. the tribes of Skythia], towards the North, not far from the actual quarter where Aquilo [Boreas the North Wind] rises and the cave that bears its name, the place called the Earth’s Door-Bolt (Ges Clithron)--the Arimaspi whom we have spoke of already, people remarkable for having one yes in the centre of their forehead. Many authorities, the most distinguished being Herodotus [Greek historian C5th B.C.] and Aristeas of Proconnesus [Greek poet C7th B.C.], write that these people wage continual war with the Grypes (Griffins), a kind of wild beast with wings, as commonly reported, that digs gold out of mines, which the creatures guard and the Arimaspi try to take from them, both with remarkable covetousness." Sounds like quite a charming creature.

I hope you all enjoyed this trip into the weird and mystical, folks. For all you monster hunters in training I recommend http://www.theoi.com/ . Have fun using this information to put yourselves in danger, kids. As for me, I'm off to answer some rhetorical questions. Until next time...

SUPER SPECIAL AWESOME LATIN PHRASES

Hello everybody and welcome to a very special "late in the week" edition of SUPER SPECIAL AWESOME LATIN PHRASES!!!!!!!!! And because it is such a lat installment I'm bringing out the big guns. This one works for all occasions especially when encountering one who asks you to comment on their amount of a certain vegetable. Enjoy...

Aio, quantitas magna frumentorum est.
Yes, that is a very large amount of corn.

There you have it. A special gift from me to you. So I hope you have fun with this one, kids. As for me, I'm off to save John Connor. Until next time...

Relevant Election Day Topics

1. In Athens male citizens who had served in the military had the right to vote. It was individual votes that each person cast that would determine a decision. They would each pick up one stone: white for yes, Black for no. that stone was then place into a basket and the votes counted. Each person represented themselves.
2. Senators were elected by the people and the senate led by a Consul.
3. In the Roman Empire Democracy was not supported. The will and word of the emperor was law. This was decided when Augustus took control of the republic as its all powerful ruler, becoming the first emperor.
4. It is most closely based on the voting practices of the Roman Republic because people are represented by Individuals. But the individual people vote for the president and their local representatives.
5. I think that the Roman republic/ Modern day American voting styles work the best. I think that the Athenian practice works the worst because it is too time consuming and involved, especially when you have a large population of voters. In an ideal world voting would be simple. Just have a decision in your mind and it gets recorded to a massive database. The tallies are counted up automatically without any error. It would probably involve electrodes. Very science fiction and very effective.

Sources
http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=04iaAAAAIAAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP12&dq=democracy+in+the+roman+empire&ots=wqBR0OZHXY&sig=nNQQkdRWI7VLY-mB8gemjvZjo7I#PPA3,M1

http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=RxH3UcC2FYwC&oi=fnd&pg=PR11&dq=democracy+in+athens&ots=4ENgMnCRoS&sig=nCatVKwHqIV4IX92rPuaNHXznJ0
http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=iBSE68tz8RUC&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=democracy+in+the+Roman+Republic&ots=oU_X72eGhy&sig=HkKIMD0qnfC9OHWI507mudYW1XA
http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=jDSMzphpw7YC&oi=fnd&pg=PP13&dq=democracy+in+ancient+athens&ots=KX_0E1Wi_J&sig=viXv9RU6HERwow-i7K_qwg7vlyk

Horace Ode 1.1 Caesura Identification

Ode 1.1 Caesura identification
1. Between atavis and edite- it seems to draw attention to Maecenas.
2. Between et and dulce- shows Horace’s defense of Maecenas.
3. Between curriculo and pulverem- builds suspense before diving directly into the poem.
4. Between iuvat and metaque- just a resting point to catch a breath.
5. Between rotis and palmaque- makes the reader focus on the chariot wheels to immerse them in the action.
6. Between dominos and evehit- shows the significance of the race winner being a ruler of the world.
7. Between mobilium and turba- dwells on the devotion of the Roman people.
8. Between tergeminis and tollere- defines the magnificence of the triple honor.
9. Between proprio and condidit- a pause in the reading
10. Between Libycis and verritur- draws focus to the farming methods
11. Between patrios and findere- gives special attention to the hoe.
12. Between Attalicis and condicionibus- draws attention to the refrence to King Attalicus
13. Between demoveas and ut- a pause before entering the next example.
14. Between pavidus and nauta- builds suspense in reference to the Myrtoan Sea.
15. Between Icariis and fluctibus- used to give precedent to the allusion.
16. Between metuens and otium- allows for the picture to sink into the reader’s mind.
17. Between sui and mox- a pause expressed through a coma.
18. Between indocilis and pauperiem- ends the subject of the sea
19. Between veteris and pocula- dwells on the subject of wine.
20. Between solido and demere- shows value of the day
21. Between viridi and membra- expresses importance of new life
22. Between aquae and lene- slows to venerate the sacred water.
23. Between iuvant and et- dwells on the military horns.
24. Between sonitus and bellaque- builds suspense as the call of the horns mix.
25. Between manet and sub- a pause before entering the topic of Jupiter.
26. Between tenerae and coniugis- a break in describing Jupiter’s hunting habits.
27. Between catulis and cerva- descriptive pause
28. Between teretes and Marsus- reading pause to allow for rest
29. Between hederae and praemia- dwells on the prize.
30. Between superis and me- expresses the importance of the gods
31. Between leves and cum- descriptive pause allowing the allusion to mythology.
32. Between populo and si- reading pause signified by a coma.
33. Between cohibet and nec- reading pause signified by coma.
34. Between refugit and tendere- expresses the actions of the nymphs.
35. Between lyricis and vatibus- shows the significance of Horace talking directly to the reader.
36. Inside the word sidera- shows the significance of the sky in the final line of the poem.

Horace Ode 1.1