Nephele

I'll be visiting! Heheh, I'd like to learn some Chinglish! -- Nephele

Flavia, try this link. I'm not certain if these are genuine ancient Roman insults, or merely modern-day insults translated into Latin. I'm inclined to believe that they may be genuine ancient Roman insults, because one doesn't usually hear "you pumpkin!" and "you mushrooms!" hurled at folks nowadays. "Spurcifer!" is my favorite. What a great screen name that would make! Heheh, I remember your character of Flavia calling another character "Asine!" in one of your books. -- Nephele

You probably can't get closer than that without adding some words. Which words? Before we can answer that, you have to think, what do I mean by saying I'm "the" doctor? The only one in the room? The only one in the town? The one you were all expecting? The one you were told about yesterday? To translate from a language that uses definite and indefinite articles, to one that doesn't, you have to trace the thought back a little way. Hi, A.D. I don't know in what context Tazlet here might be referring to "the doctor", but his question brought to my mind the old British sci-fi series titled Dr Who, in which the main character always referred to himself simply as "The Doctor" (presumably of the academic sort -- not medical sort). With my interest in names, I'm naturally curious as to how a name/title with the definite article might translate into Latin. Could you enlighten me on that? -- Nephele

Fergalus Carolanii, you share the same gens with the Roman historian Granius Licinianus. Your cognomen is "Falco", meaning "falcon", describing you as possessing the qualities of a bird of prey. In fact, "Falco" is the name by which you are best known by those who served with you in the Roman legions. Your praenomen of Lucius is abbreviated as "L." Your full Roman name is: L. Granius Falco Fergal Carolan -era +ius Welcome to UNRV! -- Nephele

I forgot! And, yep, Flavia Gemina really is Caroline Lawrence (a.k.a. Cornelia the cart-girl!) -- Nephele

But twice as cute! I'm "Nephele" because Nephele is part of an anagram of my actual name -- the full anagram of "Nephele Carnal" being the screen name I've used for years on various goth message boards where I have somewhat of a reputation for providing "dark", gothic-style anagrams of people's names. (Although on one message board for strippers, my stripper anagram names are pretty popular.) I dropped the "Carnal" and kept the "Nephele" for here because it's a classical name and seems to suit this board better. There are several Nepheles mentioned in Greek myth, and perhaps my favorite is the Nephele who is one of the six attendants of the goddess Diana named by Ovid in his Metamorphoses (in the story of Actaeon and his hounds). I wouldn't mind being that Nephele, an attendant of Diana, because Diana/Artemis is my favorite goddess, I like dogs, and I would especially hope that Diana would let me keep Actaeon's hounds as pets (after they got through gnawing on Actaeon). -- Nephele

Haha! Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of "Pullo's Pulverized Pullet Ale". Tastes like chicken! -- Nephele

I have to dig out my sources, but it's my understanding that the insulae of ancient Rome didn't have heating sources at all, because of the possibility of fire breaking out. Which is why so many of the poorer classes had to go to street vendors for cooked meals, as they were unable to cook in their apartments (no stove, so no heat). I'm pretty certain that hypocausts would not have been of practical use for heating the upper floors of the insulae. -- Nephele

I'm not on your jokes list (nooo, don't add me now! ) but just want to say that I'm sorry to hear of all your troubles, G.O. Sending you positive thoughts for better days ahead. -- Nephele

I don't think there's any real problem in whether the adherents of any particular religion believe theirs to be the "one true faith", and that they're on the fast track to heaven because they've signed up with the winning team. Well, isn't that special -- for them? Obviously, they must believe that their religion is the "true" religion, else what would be the point of belonging to it? The problem is when folks also believe that they are inherently more moral than their neighbors, by virtue of the fact that they say their prayers differently from the way their neighbors say theirs, or that they refrain from eating certain foods, or that their particular religion has a longer pedigree than the religion of their upstart neighbors. How can a person who is convinced of his religion's moral superiority not also feel a compelling duty to insist that others behave in accordance with what his religion teaches to be "best" for all of society? From such a mentality comes blue laws and (to a greater degree) forced religious conversion and the establishment of theocracies. The Catholic Church's morality -- particularly on issues of birth control, homosexuality, polyamory, etc. -- is not what I would care to have imposed upon me. It may be perfectly fine for Catholics, and I've no problem whatsoever with Catholics living the way that Catholics ought to live. I've only a problem when the rest of us are expected to live the way that Catholics ought to live. -- Nephele

Actually, I did an informal review of FG's Roman Mysteries series in back in April. As I've read all the books in the series, I was thinking of expanding on that initial introduction to the series that I'd posted, with emphasis on the educational aspects of her books. She carefully uses primary source material in setting the scenes for each of her novels. At my public library, in fact, we're got a "Roman Mysteries" booktalk for children scheduled for later this summer. Pertinax, we have all ages at my library reading FG's books, both young readers and adults (although our scheduled booktalk will be geared for children this summer). I agree with you -- I would very much like to be 7 or 8 again, too, and discovering this series! But since I steadfastly refused to grow up I think I'm enjoying them just as much! -- Nephele

malducato1, you belong to the same gens as did Crepereius Gallus, who served Agrippina, the mother of the Emperor Nero, and who was sadly killed during Nero's attempt to murder his own mother in a boating "accident". (As related by the historian Tacitus in his Annals, 14.1). Your cognomen of Falacer indicates that your branch of the Crepereii regarded the obscure god Falacer as your patron deity. Your praenomen is the rare Faustus, abbreviated as "Faust." Your full Roman name is: Faust. Crepereius Falacer rrfrpcaieafealteelceaf -aefl +usus Welcome to UNRV! -- Nephele

I don't know if the ancient Romans threw flour at Saturnalia, but do I know that in Brazil during Carnaval it's customary to throw flour at people. It's supposed to be a carry over from medieval All Fools celebrations in Spain. A quick 'net search revealed that they do this in Venice, too, at Carnival time. I wonder whether the teevee writers might have been assuming that this custom started in ancient Rome? Maybe they're right, but I somehow doubt they have a classicist on their staff. I think they should be talking more to you, Caroline, before they make these little "additions". -- Nephele EDIT: Okay, a further search into the beginnings of the flour-throwing custom seems to indicate that it started as a part of the Mardi Gras pre-Lenten celebrations, as in some places the revelers also throw eggs and butter on each other. It goes along with the religious tradition of using up one's eggs, flour, and butter before the start of the solemn observance of Lent, when church members eat simple foods and fast. In which case, I can't see how any of this could possibly have had any beginnings in ancient Rome. It looks like a strictly Church custom, most likely having its origins in medieval times. What are those teevee people thinking? -- Nephele

Now, if that had been made from fermented raisins and they called it Raisin D'Etre, that would be something special. I think I'd love to have my own winery and give tours, as our Long Island wineries do. In addition to Raisin D'Etre, I think another one of my signature wines would be called Plum Loco. -- Nephele

Hehe excellent work Nephele, how very fitting. Trust you to kick a man when he's down Yah, that's me! As you can see, Monkey Boy, there's a lot of good-natured teasing here. If you prefer, I can blanagram you a different name. Welcome again, and see you around the board! -- Nephele

You and me both, my esteemed Gaul! I was Orpheus and haven't a damned clue who Mr. Rogers... Mr. Rogers was a U.S. children's television show host from the '60's through (I think) the '90s. Maybe longer, although he's dead now. Gentle imperturbability was Mr. Rogers' trademark. -- Nephele

Monkey Boy, well, thanks for that information! In fact, you've inspired me: You belong to the Testii. Your cognomen of Aper (meaning "boar") indicates that your ancestors (and perhaps you, too) were associated with Rome's Legio XX (20th Legion) which proudly carried the emblem of the wild boar. Your praenomen is Titus, abbreviated as "T." Your full Roman name is: T. Testius Aper ptustesitrar -r +e Welcome to UNRV! -- Nephele

Or irritate the crap out of someone with sheer stupidity. And it doesn't just apply to religion, either. It's the same puerile mentality of my religion/nation is more moral than yoooo-urs. -- Nephele

Ah, of course. I always seem to come out as INTP in the Myers-Briggs test, so I can see why I'm Oracle in this one. I was surprised by that description of Hermes, too. I always thought of him as a trickster god, like Loki. Which made Hermes one of my favorites. -- Nephele

"The German Shepherd"? But... I like dogs. -- Nephele

"I'm becoming more cynical of our government." That's a good thing. Hardcore wicked photoshop. You know I've got to anagram a new name for you to go with that pic: Jathen Doomshine = tjehoiohdmneasn -- Nephele

Moonlapse, you cheater! Take the test! -- Nephele EDIT: Okay, Moonlapse. I'm guessing you're Daedalus: 66% Extroversion, 53% Intuition, 0% Emotiveness, 57% Perceptiveness You are most like Daedalus. You are extremely clever and inventive, but your methods can be very unorthodox. When faced with a setback, you're more likely to try to defeat it with sheer determination, rather than finesse. You're argumentative, but don't tend to take debate personally (actually, it's fun for you, and most people don't understand that). Regardless, you are a wellspring of mechanical ingenuity, and would make a fantastic engineer or inventor. You can be extremely loyal in relationships and freindships, and you're extremely professional. You're also pretty grumpy. Famous people like you: Thomas Edison, James A. Garfield, Walt Disney, Benjamin Franklin Steer Clear of: Hermes, Apollo, Icarus, Aphrodite Seek out: Atlas, The Oracle, Prometheus Am I right? Sure sounds like you, to me. -- Nephele

You always find these fun things, Ursus. And... heheh, from what I know of you, I'd say you are definitely Prometheus, according to that personality assessment of you. Okay, here's me, "The Oracle"... 33% Extroversion, 66% Intuition, 27% Emotiveness, 57% Perceptiveness Heuristic, detached, and analytical to a fault, you are most like The Oracle. You are able to tackle any subject with a fine toothed comb, and you possess an ability to pinpoint nuances and shades of meaning that other people do not have and cannot understand. Accomplishment and realization of ideas are, for you, secondary to the rigorous exploration of ideas and questions -- you are, first and foremost, a theorist. You hate authority, convention, tradition, and under no circumstances do you accept a leadership role (although, you will gladly advise leadership when they're going astray, whether they want you to or not). Abstraction and generalities are your interests, details and particulars are usually inconsequential and uninteresting. You excel at language, mathematics and philosophy. You are typically easy-going and non-confrontational until someone violates one of the very few principles that you deem sacred, at which point you can fly into a rage. Although you possess a much greater understanding of process and systems than the people around you, you are always conscious of the possibility that you've missed something or made a mistake. You don't tend to become attached to particular theories, and will immediately discard mistaken notions once they're revealed to be incorrect (but you don't tolerate iconoclasts who try to discredit validated theories through the use of fallacies and bad data). Despite being outwardly humble, you probably think of yourself as being smarter than most other people. That's because you are. In fact, in your dealings with people your understanding of their motives is so expansive that you know what they're going to say before they say it, and in world affairs, you usually know what is going to take place before it actually does. This ability would make you unbeatable in debates if only you were a little less pensive about your own conclusions, and a little more outgoing. Famous people like you: Albert Einstein, Charles Darwin, Adam Smith, Thomas Jefferson, John McWhorter, Ramanujan, Marie Curie, Kurt Godel Stay clear of: Apollo, Icarus, Hermes, Aphrodite Seek out: Atlas, Prometheus, Daedalus -- Nephele

You're welcome, Alex. I hope the name I came up with for you does both you and your father proud. You belong to the Aeternii, which is a variant of Aternii, making your family related to that of the 5th century B.C.E. consul, Aulus Aternius Varus Fontinalis. Your cognomen is Donax, meaning "reed", perhaps adopted by your branch of the Aeternii to symbolize the family's ability to bend in the "wind" of change, and not be uprooted or broken by irresistible forces of fate. Your praenomen is a rare Etruscan one -- Lar -- a name generally given to a first-born son and, as an honorary appellation in Etruscan, meaning the equivalent of "lord" in English. Your full Roman name is: Lar Aeternius Donax redlanexa jrodtena -dej +ius -- Nephele