Greek Proverb of the Day

Here is today's proverb from the blog with a LOLcat and vocabulary too! This is a repeat of a proverb you've seen before, but the vocabulary list is new. The vocabulary links go to Logeion.

Ἐλέφας μῦν οὐ δάκνει.

• ἐλέφας
• μῦν, from μῦς.
• οὐ
• δάκνει, from δάκνω.

Ἐλέφας μῦν οὐ δάκνει.

An elephant doesn't bite a mouse.

A proverb of incongruity! A mouse is too small to be worthy of the elephant's attention, much less provoke an attack. So, if you're an elephant and you happen to notice a mouse, just let it go; don't sweat the small stuff. You've seen a variation on this saying before in a previous blog post: Ἐλέφας μῦν οὐχ ἁλίσκει. The idea that elephants are afraid of mice is a later legend with no basis in fact. It was not a belief in ancient Greece, although the Roman writer Pliny claimed that elephants hated mice, and the legend seems to have taken shape over the centuries following Pliny. 

And here's a quiz covering the past five cats (answers at the blog only, not in the email):

Οὐδὲ Ἡρακλῆς πρὸς ______.

reveal/hide answer

Οὐδὲ Ἡρακλῆς πρὸς δύο.

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Σκιὰ ἀντὶ τοῦ ______.

reveal/hide answer

Σκιὰ ἀντὶ τοῦ σώματος.

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Ἐλέφας μῦν οὐ ______.

reveal/hide answer

Ἐλέφας μῦν οὐ δάκνει.

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_______ φύλαττε.

reveal/hide answer

Φιλίαν φύλαττε.

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______, φίλον φῶς.

reveal/hide answer

Χαῖρε, φίλον φῶς.

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And to finish up, here's a random LOLCat too:

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