Monday, September 15, 2025

Greek Animal Vocabulary: Sept. 16

Here are today's animal names; it's Group 193. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

ὄνος ~ ὄνου (noun m.): donkey 
χελώνη ~ χελώνης (noun f.): tortoise 
λαγώς ~ λαγώ (noun m.): hare 
κύων ~ κυνός (noun c.): dog 
σκορπίος ~ σκορπίου (noun m.): scorpion 

These are the proverbs (and there are always more proverbs at the blog):

Ὄνου γνάθος.

Χελώνη μυιῶν.

Λαγὼν καθεύδων.

Κύων ἐν προθύρῳ.

Σκορπίους βέβρωκε.


And now, some commentary:

Ὄνου γνάθος.
A donkey's jaw.
This refers to someone with a big appetite! Plus, given the contempt shown in general for donkeys, it also implies that the person with the big appetite is a fool too. (And no, the jawbone of the ass in Samson's story uses a different phrase in the Greek Septuagint: σιαγών τοῦ ὄνου.)

Χελώνη μυιῶν.
A tortoise (doesn't mind) flies.
Presumably it's thanks to its shell that the tortoise doesn't mind the flies! This is preserved in an interesting comparison in Arsenius and Apostolius: “Agamemnon had less concern for Thersites’ freedom of speech than a tortoise does for flies."

Λαγὼν καθεύδων.
A sleeping rabbit.
According to the ancients (see Dio Chrysostom, for example), rabbits slept with their eyes open. So the idea of this proverb is that appearances can be deceiving: the rabbit is sleeping, but you don't realize it because of those wide open eyes.

Κύων ἐν προθύρῳ.
A dog in his doorway.
This is about someone who is bold, perhaps too bold, the way that a dog in the doorway of his house will bark and bark, boldly accosting any stranger who dares to approach. 

Σκορπίους βέβρωκε.
He's eaten scorpions.
This refers to someone who gets angry easily. The idea is that they've eaten scorpions and those scorpions are still in there being disagreeable, as scorpions are wont to do.


And here's a random proverb and a random LOLCat too:




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