What Would Jimmy Do?

Seems like the subject lately has been about myths, legends and folklore. I pondered that a bit — our rich cultural past is present in many ways… myths, legends and folklore being just some of them. One thing I don’t think we’ve talked about is allusions. Allusions are indirect references to well-known figures, events, or cultural works and very often used in literature and conversation and even the arts and media.
For example: “May the Force be with you” from Star Wars — this phrase symbolizes good luck and a sense of inner strength. “Big Brother” refers to excessive government surveillance or authoritarianism — it’s from George Orwell’s 1984. “Watergate” is an allusion to political scandals or corruption — it references the 1972 Watergate scandal that led to President Nixon’s resignation.

But anyhow, I since the subject of this blog recently has been about myths and folklore, I realized that these tales are full of allusions and some of them are even ingrained in our language and culture…. for instance:
“Achilles’ heel” refers to a person’s single vulnerability or weakness — it’s based on the Greek hero whose heel was his only mortal spot.
“Pandora’s Box” symbolizes an action or decision that unleashes unexpected troubles — that’s from a Greek myth where Pandora opened a box releasing all evils into the world.
“The Holy Grail” symbolizes an ultimate goal or aspiration — it’s the mythical chalice sought in King Author tales
“David and Goliath” refers to an underdog overcoming a giant challenge — based on the biblical story.
“The Tower of Babel” alludes to confusion of the failure to communicate, inspired by the biblical tale of humanity’s attempt to build a tower to Heaven.
“The Garden of Eden” symbolizes paradise or innocence — again, from a biblical origin story.
“Paul Bunyan” alludes to strength and larger-than-life feats — from the mythical lumberjack tale.
“Pied Piper” symbolizes someone who leads others, often to their detriment — this comes from a German folktale.
“Bigfoot” represents mystery or the unknown — part of American folklore.
“Phoenix” symbolizes rebirth or rising from the ashes — from the myth of the mythological bird that regenerates after burning.
“Midas Touch” describes someone with a talent for making anything successful — alluding to King Midas, who turned everything he touched into gold.
“Herculean effort” indicates an extraordinary feat of strength or perseverance — referencing the twelve labors of Hercules.

So you can see that allusions from myths, legends and folklore abound everywhere and we use them all the time — and that’s a good thing. They enrich our storytelling and conversation.
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I met a couple of friends for drinks yesterday afternoon. One was already there when I arrived and he asked if the other friend had come with me. I told him no, and he said he hoped that he hadn’t forgotten, because it had been a long time since we had gotten together. He had hardly gotten the words out of his mouth when the second friend arrived and he said “speak of the devil….” 

“Speak of the devil” is something I’ve heard, and used, all my life. It’s kind of a curious phrase, since it’s usually used when referring to friends.
I wondered how did it originate and how did it come into popular use…. 

Not surprisingly, like most idioms, “speak of the devil” doesn’t have a clear, defined origin. But it appears to have originated from an old proverb that cautioned against mentioning the devil, because it was believed to invoke his presence. In medieval England, people had superstitions about the power of words and believed that naming the devil could summon him. A number of variations of the idea appeared in multiple languages and cultures — often as warnings against speaking of evil or dangerous entities.

The original expression was longer — something like “Speak of the devil, and he will appear,” or as the English say, “Talk of the devil, and he’s presently at your elbow.” The phrase was used as a literal warning rooted in superstition. But over time, its meaning evolved and became more lighthearted.

The phrase became increasingly common, particularly in informal conversation. It shed its superstitious origins and came to mean something more like: “We were just talking about you, and here your are!” When its used today it’s recognized an an idiom with no serious connection to its original darker origins.
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Just about everything these days is controversial, so I suppose Mother Goose shouldn’t be any different. Mother Goose stories are basically folk tales that were originally told to children to entertain them. I remember reading some of them to our kids when they were small. I think they mostly appealed to them, not because of their content, but because of their “rhymes.” But Mother Goose contains some rhymes that were never meant for children. Some of the innocent counting verses and tips for learning the ABCs are old songs from the taverns and streets, or war songs, romantic ballads and political satires based on scandals among the ruling classes. 

My extensive research found that the first known Mother Goose book was Charles Perrault’s Contes de Ma Mere L’Oye (Tales of My Mother Goose) published in France in 1697. Perrault’s book was a collection of fairy tales including Sleeping Beauty and Little Red Riding Hood. 

Mother Goose “rhymes” first appeared in England in 1765 in a book called Mother Goose’s Melody, or Sonnets for the Cradle. Around 1785, a pirated edition of the book was reprinted in the United States.
I found the background, or “history” of some of Mother Goose verses…. and they don’t seem like kid stuff — some examples:

Baa Baa, Black Sheep — This verse can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It’s a bitter complaint about an export tax, not about sheep. 
Baa baa,
Black Sheep,
Have you any wool?
Yes, marry, have I. Three bags full:
One for my master,
One for my dame,
And one for the little boy
That lives in the lane!
The hard working peasant in this rhyme gave a third of his income to the king, called “my master” and another third to the nobility, sneeringly labeled “my dame.” That left only a third of his income for “the little boy,” who was the peasant himself. 

Humpty Dumpty — This rhyme is an “eggsellent” example of the controversies surrounding Mother Goose. 
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall;
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men
Couldn’t put Humpty together again. 
In 1930, Katherine Thomas’s book, The Real Personages of Mother Goose, explained that Humpty Dumpty was about King Richard III of England. At the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, Richard commanded a hilltop (the wall in the rhyme.) In spite of all the efforts of his horses and men, Richard fell from his horse, and after this “great fall,” was killed. [Richard is the Shakespearean character who cried, “My kingdom for a horse!”]
Others think Humpty dates back to the English Civil War in 1648, and that Humpty Dumpty refers to King Charles I’s huge cannon mounted on the wall of a church tower. When the wall was blown up, the cannon tumbled to the ground, where it lay, broken and useless — the king’s men couldn’t fix it.
Another group believes Humpty Dumpty was Charles himself. When he lost the war, that was his “great fall.”He was beheaded by his enemies and — obviously —his men couldn’t put him back together. Scholars today continue to debate the identity  of the egg. There is no consensus yet on Humpty’s true identity.

Jack and Jill — It’s probably the most controversial of all the rhymes. The tiny village of Kilmersdon, England, takes first claim, but others say that the village’s ideas are wrong.
Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water.
Jack fell down and broke his crown,
And Jill came tumbling after.
Kilmersdon, 200 miles west of London, formed a Jack and Jill committee to renovate the hill where they claim Jack broke his crown in the 15th century. Some say that Jack and Jill went up the hill, not to get water, but to….. be alone. Jill supposedly died of a broken heart after she gave birth to their son. Many people living nearby have the last name of Gilson (Jill’s son …???)
But — the Scandinavians cite a myth that dates back to the 13th century. Two children went to steal a bucket of dew from the moon god. The moon captured them, and the images of the children with a bucket suspended between them can be viewed on the surface of a full moon. Some people say that this myth — not an accident in Kilmersdon — is the origin of the rhyme. In yet another interpretation, there was never any female Jill and the rhyme mocks two boys, Jack and Gill, who were actually Cardinal Wolsey and Bishop Tarbes, who were hated for trying to raise an unpopular war tax. Other people are sure that Jack and Jill aren’t even human. A “jack and gill” were liquid measurements, and drinking was taxed by jacks and gills. According to some historians, Charles I tried to increase taxes by making the actual measurement of jacks and gills smaller while taxing them at the same rate. Remember, as explained in Humpty Dumpty, Charles lost his crown….. and his head. 

So….. was there a real Mother Goose and was she actually based on a real person? As you might guess, even Mother Goose herself is controversial.
Old Mother Goose
When she wanted to wander
Would ride through the air,
On a very fine gander. 
Some folklorists trace Mother Goose to an 8th-century French noblewoman, Bertrada II of Loan. Queen Bertrada was the mother of Emperor Charlemagne, who united much of Europe. The empress-mum may have been pigeon-toed, and was apparently known by the unflattering title of Queen Goosefoot. Eight centuries later, a French poem includes a line about a “tale from Mother Goose.” By the time Charles Perrault’s Le Conte de Ma Mere L’Oye appeared, the French legend of an old woman who entertained children with fascinating stories was well established.

Eventually Mother Goose became well known to American children as a rhyme-reciting granny riding a goose. In Boston, Massachusetts, there is a Tremont Street grave of Mistress Elizabeth Foster VerGoose. Tourists are told the widow entertained her grandchildren with rhymes and that her son-in-law, Thomas Fleet, published the rhymes as Songs for the Nursery or Mother Goose’s Melodies. But — no such book has ever been found. 
So maybe there was a real Mother Goose — or — maybe not. But no matter if she was real or not, she’s had her share of imposters…..
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I think I touched on this a long time ago, but at lunch the other day, my friend mentioned how the Internet had changed our lives and had created news words and terms. He said he never heard the term “meme” before the Internet and still wasn’t sure what it meant. 
Well, to set things straight (maybe) memes didn’t start with the Internet. Some linguists argue that humans have used memes to communicate for centuries.

The term meme was coined by British evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins in his 1976 book The Selfish Gene. He used it to describe a unit of cultural transmission or imitation, analogous to a gene in biological evolution. Dawkins derived the word from the Greek word mimeme (meaning “that which is imitated”) and shortened it to make it more concise and memorable. Memes, in Dawkins’ sense, refer to ideas, behaviors, or styles that spread within a culture through replication and adaption. 

My friend was right though — the term really came into its own when the Internet and social media came along. 
Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Reddit allow users to share and repost content instantly. That creates an environment where humorous or relatable ideas can spread rapidly, mimicking the viral nature Dawkins originally described. 

Memes often reflect current events, pop culture, and social issues. Their ability to encapsulate complex ideas or emotions in a concise and/or humorous way makes them highly relatable.
Internet users often remix or adapt memes, adding their own spin while keeping the core idea intact. This creative participation encourages widespread engagement.
And social medial algorithms prioritize highly engaging content, which memes often are. A funny or clever meme can go viral, reaching millions in a short time. 

So Dawkins came up with the concept and name, but social media transformed the meme from a broad cultural idea into a fast-moving form of digital communication, tailored for the Internet age.
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I like music — but I’m not a musician. That’s one regret I have — I never learned to play a musical instrument. I was pretty much forced to take piano lessons when I was little, but after a couple of lessons I still couldn’t play “Tiger Rag,” or any song for that matter. I figured I wasn’t cut out for it and quit. Big mistake, but that’s another story. 

I think it’s amazing that the musical notation on a sheet of music looks as confusing as a calculus formula. But if you’re a musician, it’s a clear and concise road map that shows the way — most any competent musician can play a piece he’s never heard before, and it comes out more or less as the composer intended. 
Well, anyhow, that got me to wondering about how this musical “language” came about…..

It appears that a lot of the details of the current musical notation evolved over the centuries, but from what I’ve read, the fundamentals can be traced back to one person — Guido of Arezzo, an Italian monk that lived between 990 and 1050. Here’s a bit of what I found out about Guido…..

There had been some rudimentary forms of musical notation known to the Western world for centuries. In Guido’s time, a system of notation known as “neumes” were used as guides to Gregorian chants. Neumes were squiggly, and kind of vague, little notations that told the singers to “sing high here” or “sing low there.” They worked pretty good for people who already knew the piece of music, but they were pretty useless if the singer or musician didn’t. Musicians really had to learn musical pieces by ear — from other musicians.
Guido’s idea was to refine the stage — the parallel lines that are used to denote a particular pitch. The version that was being used had only two lines for the C and F notes. Guido added two more lines — one below the C and one between the C and F. His new staff clearly showed the relationship that each each musical note had with the others surrounding it. 

As might be expected, Guido’s new-fangled musical ideas weren’t readily accepted — the older generation didn’t think much of it. In fact he was kicked out of two monasteries because the other monks didn’t like his style — I guess the nice way to put it is they had “creative differences.”
But despite all that, Guido was becoming well known. Pope John XIX heard about Guido’s new ideas and invited him to Rome. Guido taught the Pope how t read music. The Pope was so impressed with him that he urged Guido to stay in rome. But the climate in Rome wasn’t good for Guido’s health, so he went back to one of his old monasteries. When he returned, he was welcomed back with open arms — maybe because he Pope had become one of Guido’s biggest fans. 

After Guido had basically defined the basics of musical notation, other innovations followed. The five line staff became standard in the 16th century, the current shape of musical notes were standardized in the 17th, and many of the words and signs that describe tempo and dynamics were standard by the 18th century.
So — today, when you see a song book or listen to music — think about that Italian monk of a thousand years ago.
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I mentioned legends a few days ago and I’ve always liked legends and folklore — most all of them are interesting and many are educational and contain good advice. Anyhow, I got to thinking…. from the beginning of human history there has been some form of oral communication. Tales have been passed down through many generations. These “tales” usually fall into the category of myths, legends or folktales — and they’re important. They tell us where we have come from. 
But what’s the difference in a myth, legend, or folktale? Well, you might have guessed — time for some extensive research on my part.

Myths are stories intimately bound up with the traditions of a people. They deal with gods, heroes, religious beliefs, and cultural traits.They talk about how the world was created, how people and animals came into existence and how important customs were established and preserved. They also explain all sorts of natural phenomena, like rainbows and sunrises.
Myths usually attempt to explain — to show why things are as they are. They often use mythological characters as symbols, like Apollo represents the sun, or Diana represents the moon or Thor represents thunder.

A legend, on the other hand, usually entertains with a narrative supposedly based on fact. Legendary characters usually represent themselves as they perform great feats. Legends have a strong basis in fact and are told as being true. The myth is told as a story that requires its listeners to believe in the gods who are its characters. 

So what about folktales? Folktale is a very broad term that includes all kinds of traditional narratives. A major characteristic of the folktale is its long and continuing life — it’s traditional and handed down from one generation to another. The story is almost always preserved intact, most often in oral form. 

Everyone likes a good story. Detective books are popular because they tell good stories. Television programs with good story lines have a lot of viewers. Good story tellers are popular at get-togethers. So it really doesn’t matter what you label them — myth, legend or folktale — they’re all good stories. 
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We were talking the other day and and someone referred to an old football player as a “true legend.” I said, as usual, without thinking, that a person couldn’t be a legend — they could be famous or well, known but not a legend. Legends are stories, not people. 

Well, as has been the case, especially lately, I was a little bit right, but mostly wrong….
I looked up legend in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary and here’s what I found:
1a: a story coming down from the past (usually regarded as historical but not verifiable)
b: a body of such stories
c: a popular myth of recent origin
d: a person or thing that inspires legends
e: the subject of a legend
2a: an inscription or title on an object (such as a coin)
b: an explanatory list of the symbols on a map or chart

So….I guess a person can be a legend. But what or when does someone become a legend and not just famous? It seems like the difference between just becoming famous and becoming a legend is the depth and scope, and maybe the longevity of a person’s impact.

Fame is recognition during a person’s lifetime or some specific period of time. A legend is someone whose influence or story transcends time and becomes some kind of cultural, historical or symbolic significance. It could be the real difference is that fame is about being well known for something, and a legend is about being remembered — maybe for how you changed the world or influenced others.

But in my defense, I still think legends usually refer to stories passed down through generations. When a person is called a “legend,” we’re using the term metaphorically.
But no matter — most of us would be happy to be famous or a legend.
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Recently I’ve been reading a fair amount about the Nazis takeover of Germany. A few days ago I read an article talking about when Norway fell to the Nazis — newspapers all over the world pointed out that the fall had been brought about by a Trojan Horse technique. German soldiers had come to Norway as tourists. When the invasion started, these “innocent tourists” became fighters who undermined the resistance of the loyal Norwegian army. 

That got me to thinking about the term “Trojan Horse.” Trojan Horse is the name for a method of trickery that goes back many centuries. It’s one of the legends of the Trojan war.

The Trojan Horse played a crucial role in the fall of Troy, as described in Greek mythology. The siege of Troy lasted ten years, and finally the Greeks devised a cunning plan to gain entry into the city. They built a large wooden horse, hollowed out to hold a small group of Greek soldiers, and left it as an offering to the Trojans, pretending it was a gift to the gods to ensure their safe journey home. 
The Trojans believed the Greeks had finally given up and brought the horse into the city as a symbol of victory. That night, while the Trojans celebrated, the Greek soldiers hidden inside the horse emerged and opened the gates of Troy to the Greek army that had secretly sailed back under the cover of night. The Greeks then attacked the unsuspecting Trojans, leading to the destruction of Troy.

I always thought this was a great story and have always wondered why the Trojans would fall for such a scheme — how could anyone be so gullible? But unfortunately, if a big wooden horse shows up on the White House lawn one of these days….. you might want to think about learning a foreign language.
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Some time back one of the nieces or nephews had asked about Pandora’s Box and a few weeks ago, I had written about “hope.” I thought now might be a good time to talk about Pandora’s Box and hope. There is a connection, and I thought about it the other night when I was attempting to fall asleep….

First a bit of background — you probably know that I’m kind of a fan of mythology and their various “gods.” In particular, I like the Greek “gods.” You may remember from your school days the Titans — the brothers, Prometheus and Epimetheus, were Titans. I always liked Epimetheus because he was the Titan god of afterthought and excuses. But that’s another story…..

According to Greek mythology, Prometheus and his brother Epimetheus were assigned the task of creating man — and — they were also to provide for man, and all animals, the skills and abilities needed for their survival. So Epimetheus gave the various animals courage, strength, speed, wisdom, and armor. But Prometheus created a higher being in godlike form. He took some clay and water and formed it into the image of a god. He gave the new creature, man, an upright stature, so that he could keep his eyes focused on the stars. He looked for gifts to bestow on his new creation, but his brother had already given everything away to the animals. Since he had no gift, he decided to steal some fire from heaven. If he gave his man fire, he might almost be a god. 

When Prometheus stole the fire, Jupiter (ruler of all gods and men) as you might imagine, was more than a little ticked off. However, once man had fire, Jupiter couldn’t take it back. But — he could punish Prometheus. He ordered his son Vulcan, the god of the forge, to chain Prometheus to Mount Caucasus. Then he decreed that every day a vulture should devour Prometheus’s liver, but that night the liver should grow again — to be devoured once more the following day. 

But that’s not all — Jupiter also resolved to bring misery upon mankind, something that Prometheus had feared would happen. In fact, he had warned his brother, Epimetheus, not to accept any presents from the chief deity, because Jupiter might be planning some indirect, clever form of retaliation. 

His fear was well-founded but Epimetheus didn’t pay much attention and he wasn’t able to refuse a gift that Jupiter offered him. The gift was a bride, a mortal woman named Pandora. “Pandora” means “all-gifted” — because the gods, commissioned by Jupiter, had bestowed their choicest treasures upon her. She was the sum of all the virtues — charming, accomplished, and beautiful. But — she also had curiosity.

As part of Jupiter’s plan, the gods gave Pandora a box, which, they warned her, she was not to open. Even though she was happy as the wife of Epimetheus, Pandora occasionally allowed her glance to wander to the mysterious closed box. She had been forbidden to open the box, but she had an irresistible — and human — urge to open it. One day her curiosity got the best of her, and she walked over to the box, opened the lid and looked in. What flew out of the box was all kinds of misery to afflict mankind. Envy, discontent, pain, anger, hunger, plague, crime, desolation — all these and many other ills flew out over the earth before Pandora could slam down the lid. She was horrified at the evils she had let loose, and cried for the harm she had done to man, but she couldn’t call back the ills.
She did, however, shut the lid down just in time to prevent the escape of one thing — hope.
So despite all the ills, troubles and problems of mankind, there is always hope.
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I think I mentioned a few days ago that I was invited to brunch at some friends house recently. There was a lot of talk about food and it got around to the topic of what’s the strangest food you’ve ever eaten. I had been more places than most of the people there, so I’d probably experienced some of the stranger dishes during the conversation. 

But after I got home I remembered a dish that I should have mentioned — something that my grandad talked about often and my grandmother actually prepared a few times. My grandad always wanted to serve “Possum and Sweet Taters” (I don’t think I ever heard my granddad say the word potato — it was always tater) when people came to their house. To the best of my knowledge, my grandmother always refused to make the dish for “company.”

My grandmother actually had a recipe that she used — and of course Claire had to have the recipe, even though she never used it. I encouraged her to put it in the St. Agnes cookbook she put together a number of years ago, but she didn’t think that was such a great idea.

Anyhow, after a bit of searching, I found the recipe she had gotten not long after we were married. In case some of you would like to try it, here it is…. this is not a joke, it’s the actual recipe, just as it was written by by grandmother — my granddad thought it was delicious.

Ingredients:
1 possum, cut up
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
5 or 6 sweet potatoes, scrubbed and cut up in chunks
½ cup white sugar
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup oleo
1 gallon water as needed

Directions:
Heat oven to 375
Skin and shuck all innards and wash possum
Put possum in a big sauce pot and cover with water
Add salt and pepper
Cover pot and cook until possum is tender
Put possum in center of big baking pan and put sweet taters around it
Sprinkle white and brown sugar and oleo over taters
Pour 2 cups juice from cooked possum over everything
Put in a hot oven and bake until taters are fork tender and light brown and juices from possum has cooked away.

(I always thought the correct spelling was opossum, not possum, but I looked it up and possum is the usual term used — opossum is preferred in technical or scientific writings. Opossum can be pronounced with its first syllable either voiced or silent.)
So there you have it — if you decide to make possum and sweet taters, invite me over.
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