respect or fear
The Don passed his viva today. He can now officially be called Dr. Don, if he so chooses. One interesting snippet from the pub outing that followed involves a discussion about an ancient Greek marriage tradition.
Apparently, the ancient Greek word for respect means fear in modern Greek. Thus, the Greek Orthodox priest recites... (to the bride)
Thou shalt respect your husband.
Everyone hears it as...Thou shalt fear your husband
Seems ordinary, right ? The middle ages (and before) weren't especially noted for their womens lib movement (Joan of Arc and other exceptions notwithstanding). The difference here ? Well, also according to tradition, upon hearing this stanza, the bride can gently remind the bridegroom that this is a more enlightened time. By the subtle means of jamming a high heeled shoe on the unfortunate bridegroom's foot. It's all fun and games till someone starts stepping on your foot, I'd say.
In other news, Wikipedia has seen an upsurge of interest, so that link above might be just a touch slow.
Apparently, the ancient Greek word for respect means fear in modern Greek. Thus, the Greek Orthodox priest recites... (to the bride)
Thou shalt respect your husband.
Everyone hears it as...Thou shalt fear your husband
Seems ordinary, right ? The middle ages (and before) weren't especially noted for their womens lib movement (Joan of Arc and other exceptions notwithstanding). The difference here ? Well, also according to tradition, upon hearing this stanza, the bride can gently remind the bridegroom that this is a more enlightened time. By the subtle means of jamming a high heeled shoe on the unfortunate bridegroom's foot. It's all fun and games till someone starts stepping on your foot, I'd say.
In other news, Wikipedia has seen an upsurge of interest, so that link above might be just a touch slow.
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