culture

  • Underworld list (Wikipedia)

    Underworld list (Wikipedia)

    The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underworld. The concept of an underworld is found in almost every civilization and “may be as old as humanity itself”. Common features of underworld myths are accounts of living people

    Read more...

  • The Ant and the Caterpillar

    The Ant and the Caterpillar

    As an Ant of his talents superiorly vain,Was trotting with consequence over the plain;A Worm, in his progress remarkably slow,Cry’d ‘Bless your good worship, wherever you go!‘I hope your great mightiness won’t take it ill,‘I pay my respects from an hearty good will.’With a look of contempt and ineffable pride,‘Begone! you vile reptile, his Antship

    Read more...

  • -ium 

    -ium 

    word-forming element in chemistry, used to coin element names, from Latin adjectival suffix -ium (neuter of -ius), which formed metal names in Latin (ferrum “iron,” aurum “gold,” etc.). In late 18c chemists began to pay attention to the naming of their substances with words that indicate their chemical properties. Berzelius in 1811 proposed forming all element names in Modern Latin. As

    Read more...

  • Lagniappe, “a word worth traveling to New Orleans to get”

    Lagniappe, “a word worth traveling to New Orleans to get”

    A lagniappe is “a small gift given to a customer by a merchant at the time of a purchase” (such as a 13th doughnut on purchase of a dozen), or more broadly, “something given or obtained gratuitously or by way of good measure.” It can be used more generally as meaning any extra or unexpected benefit. The word

    Read more...

  • Moulting Was Known as Mewing in Medieval Times

    Moulting Was Known as Mewing in Medieval Times

    In biology, moulting (British English), or molting (American English), also known as sloughing, shedding, or in many invertebrates, ecdysis, is the manner in which an animal routinely casts off a part of its body (often, but not always, an outer layer or covering), either at specific times of the year, or at specific points in its life cycle. In medieval times it was also

    Read more...

  • Klaatu, a fictional alien appearing in Marvel Comics, is a member of the extraterrestrial race called the Herm

    Klaatu, a fictional alien appearing in Marvel Comics, is a member of the extraterrestrial race called the Herm

    The Herms are a race of whale-like creatures with yellow-white skin that can absorb all manner of electromagnetic energy for strength and substance, which can also allow them to briefly transform into beings of pure energy; they can apparently travel through intergalactic space in energy form. Klaatu is a Herm. First seen in The Incredible Hulk (vol. 2) #136 (February 1971). Klaatu is

    Read more...

  • Caradhras Pass aka Redhorn Pass, Redhorn Gate and Dimrill Stair in LOTR

    Caradhras Pass aka Redhorn Pass, Redhorn Gate and Dimrill Stair in LOTR

    Caradhras was one of the mightiest peaks in the Misty Mountains. “Caradhras was called the Cruel, and had an ill name long years ago, when rumour of Sauron had not been heard in these lands.“― Gimli in The Fellowship of the Ring, “The Ring Goes South“ Caradhras was the tallest and northernmost of the Mountains of Moria, the three mountains which

    Read more...

  • Magpie (bird)

    Magpie (bird)

    Magpies are birds of the Corvidae family. Like other members of their family, they are widely considered to be intelligent creatures. The Eurasian magpie, for instance, is thought to rank among the world’s most intelligent creatures and is one of the few nonmammalian species able to recognize itself in a mirror test. They are particularly well known for their songs and were once popular as

    Read more...

  • Gorget patches are an insignia in the form of paired patches of cloth or metal on the collar of a uniform…just about everywhere

    Gorget patches are an insignia in the form of paired patches of cloth or metal on the collar of a uniform…just about everywhere

    Gorget patches (collar tabs, collar patches) are an insignia in the form of paired patches of cloth or metal on the collar of a uniform (gorget), used in the military and civil service in some countries. Collar tabs sign the military rank (group of ranks), the rank of civil service, the military unit, the office (department) or the branch of the armed forces and the arm of

    Read more...

  • Shell gorgets 

    Shell gorgets 

    Shell gorgets are a Native American art form of polished, carved shell pendants worn around the neck. The gorgets are frequently engraved, and are sometimes highlighted with pigments, or fenestrated (pierced with openings). Shell gorgets were most common in Eastern Woodlands of the United States, during the Hopewell tradition (200 BCE– 500 CE) and Mississippian cultural period (ca. 800–1500 CE); however, tribes from other regions and time periods

    Read more...