Category Archives: art

Fair or Unfair?

Posted on November 5, 2023 by JE

In the course of an ultimately frustrating and pointless conversation online today, I found myself thinking of the multiple meanings of fair in English–at once, “light-skinned/light-haired”, “beautiful”, and “just, even-handed”. The meanings are so different that I wondered if they … Continue reading →

Posted in art, fantasy art, language, politics, words | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Fair or Unfair?

Wearing the Mask

Posted on September 30, 2023 by JE

I’m rereading Seneca’s De Beneficiis, using Kaster’s shiny new OCT edition, and came across this crunchy line: hanc personam induisti: agenda est.—Seneca, De Beneficiis 2.17.2“You’ve put on this mask; you have to act out the part.” Seneca’s line is almost … Continue reading →

Posted in ancient art, art, language, Rome, sff | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Wearing the Mask

Creepypasta

Posted on September 23, 2023 by JE

Seen on Bluesky: Gustaw Gwozdecki’s “Evening Melancholy”, c.1905. I didn’t know it on sight, but somehow it felt familiar. I wonder if I saw it a long time ago and it re-surfaced from my subconscious when I needed a creepy … Continue reading →

Posted in art, fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, writing | Comments Off on Creepypasta

Vale!

Posted on September 14, 2023 by JE

Whenever I see a news item about Romney, I think it’s about the English artist who did such great drawings of Orpheus and Eurydice. I am always disappointed. This is made even worse by the fact that the artist’s first … Continue reading →

Posted in art, language, Myth & Legend | Tagged | Comments Off on Vale!

Actaeons Have Consequences

Posted on August 15, 2023 by JE

“διὰ τί, πολλῶν ὄντων ἐν Ῥώμῃ ναῶν Ἀρτέμιδος, εἰς μόνον τὸν ἐν τῷ καλουμένῳ Πατρικίῳ στενωπῷ ἄνδρες οὐκ εἰσίασιν;” ἢ διὰ τὸν λεγόμενον μῦθον; γυναῖκα γὰρ αὐτόθι τὴν θεὸν σεβομένην βιαζόμενός τις ὑπὸ τῶν κυνῶν διεσπάσθη, καὶ ἀπὸ τούτου δεισιδαιμονίας … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventures in the Public Domain, ancient art, art, fantasy, fantasy art, history, Myth & Legend, Roman history, Rome | Tagged , | Comments Off on Actaeons Have Consequences

My Object All Sublime

Posted on July 25, 2023 by JE

Typo of the day is snicjkered, which I take to be an especially insidious style of snickering. e.g. “He didn’t just snicker at me–he snicjkered! So I impaled him on my snickersnee.”

Posted in art, cartoon, music, Typo of the Day, words | Comments Off on My Object All Sublime

Antiquus sed Bonus

Posted on July 13, 2023 by JE

Igpay Atinlay by Antgray Idersnay.

Posted in art, cartoon, fantasy art, language | Tagged | Comments Off on Antiquus sed Bonus

ΧΑΟΣ

Posted on July 12, 2023 by JE

I don’t know if you knew this about me, but I’ll buy a book every now and then. Because I am not a crazy person (anyway, I’ve never been officially diagnosed), before I’ll buy a book I see if I … Continue reading →

Posted in art, books, Chaos, fantasy, fantasy art, Keep it or chuck it?, Minnestoics, music, Myth & Legend, politics, review or meta-review, sff, sword-and-sorcery, werewolves | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Rumba with the Rhomboi

Posted on June 23, 2023 by JE

This image of the Kylix of Durides and Calliades came up in my Mastodon newsfeed today. (The source wasn’t attributed, but see some more images here.)

Posted in academia, ancient art, art, fantasy, magic, Myth & Legend | Comments Off on Rumba with the Rhomboi

Slay Ride

Posted on June 14, 2023 by JE

The latest round of student papers gave me a chance to use one of my favorite cut-and-paste comments. The principal parts of this verb are: slay, slew, slain. “Bob slays monsters. Joan slew monsters. Hey, all my monsters have been … Continue reading →

Posted in academia, art, fantasy, fantasy art, words, writing | Tagged , | 1 Comment