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purple motes

a journal of whimsy and hope

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  • incarcerating child support debtors
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  • Aristotle's advice to Alexander
  • unjust paternity establishment
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  • Dhuoda's Liber Manualis
  • Charlie Chaplin & Joan Berry

Sindibad / seven sages

Sindibad / seven sages tale is a framed corpus of stories of men’s sexed protest. In the frame tale, a king threatens to execute his son a prince when the queen falsely accuses the prince of sexual assault. A wise man or seven sages defend the prince when he is silenced. Justice ultimate prevails when the queen’s false accusation is clearly refuted. The Sindibad / seven sages tale originated in Sanskrit in India more than 2000 years ago. By about 800 years ago, it had diffused into Persian, Hebrew, Arabic, Greek, Latin, and European vernaculars. The corpus goes by various names: the Book of Sindibad / Sindbad, Sendebar, The Fables of Syntipas, the Book of the Philosopher Syntipas, Dolopathos, History of the Seven Wise Masters {Historia Septem Sapientium}, and the Seven Sages of Rome.

dog is man’s best friend in medieval Latin literature

Within circumstances of betrayal in domestic human relations, medieval Latin literature figured a dog as man’s best friend. … Read the post dog is man’s best friend in medieval Latin literature

seven sages at Ostia offer wisdom in shitting

In an ancient tavern in Ostia Antica, wall paintings depict seven sages and twenty ordinary men seated at a public latrine. They speak of shitting. … Read the post seven sages at Ostia offer wisdom in shitting

weeping-dog tale from ancient India traverses western Eurasia

Recastings of the weeping-dog tale across western Eurasia for more than a millennium indicate popular belief in men’s foolishness and women’s guile. … Read the post weeping-dog tale from ancient India traverses western Eurasia

seven sages in interactive medieval parody

Interactive medieval “we are seven” prints seem to be a parody of the seven sages of ancient Greece and Rome. Wisdom wasn’t beyond laughter. … Read the post seven sages in interactive medieval parody

husbands: disparage only bad women, or be shackled

Husbands must be careful not to criticize or disparage women, only bad women. Referring to women with insufficient specificity gets husbands punished. … Read the post husbands: disparage only bad women, or be shackled

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