NationStates

Muravyets wrote:Of course, the ancient Greeks did not make up the stories about giants to explain the bones they found. They used the bones they found to illustrate and claim realism for stories they already had.

Poliwanacraca wrote:I bring this up here, though, because my favorite (in a "I may want to kill myself now" sort of way) line of all time from their newsletters discussed their kids' homeschool project of building a model of a dinosaur, which they described with the cheerful note, "Dinosaurs frequently roamed Europe during the Middle Ages, and knights could win great acclaim by killing them!" It seems I really need to reread the Canterbury Tales, since I apparently overlooked the bit where the Wife of Bath gets eaten by a velociraptor.

SaintB wrote:

Farnhamia wrote:Which cultures were as or more progressive than the Romans, Mury, and in what respects? I would love to learn.

Now I am not Murv but I can think of Gaul, Egypt, and the Bretons. They where not as advanced, by society wise in many aspects where beyond Rome. The Bretons had many women soldiers, the Gauls had their own system of money, roads, and a council of sorts, and Egypt had several women rulers.

Tmutarakhan wrote:

Muravyets wrote:Of course, the ancient Greeks did not make up the stories about giants to explain the bones they found. They used the bones they found to illustrate and claim realism for stories they already had.

That is a very unlikely theory. What is your justification for it?

Saint Clair Island wrote:

Poliwanacraca wrote:I bring this up here, though, because my favorite (in a "I may want to kill myself now" sort of way) line of all time from their newsletters discussed their kids' homeschool project of building a model of a dinosaur, which they described with the cheerful note, "Dinosaurs frequently roamed Europe during the Middle Ages, and knights could win great acclaim by killing them!" It seems I really need to reread the Canterbury Tales, since I apparently overlooked the bit where the Wife of Bath gets eaten by a velociraptor.

That's awesome.

I suppose they also think dinosaurs breathe fire.

Poliwanacraca wrote:

Saint Clair Island wrote:

Poliwanacraca wrote:I bring this up here, though, because my favorite (in a "I may want to kill myself now" sort of way) line of all time from their newsletters discussed their kids' homeschool project of building a model of a dinosaur, which they described with the cheerful note, "Dinosaurs frequently roamed Europe during the Middle Ages, and knights could win great acclaim by killing them!" It seems I really need to reread the Canterbury Tales, since I apparently overlooked the bit where the Wife of Bath gets eaten by a velociraptor.

That's awesome.

I suppose they also think dinosaurs breathe fire.

I would not be at all surprised.

Non Aligned States wrote:

Muravyets wrote:It was a good one, too. See, apparently, according to the historians and archeologists on the show, fossils -- more of Ice Age mega-fauna than dinosaurs, but whatever -- were being dug up by farmers and builders all the time around the Mediterranean in ancient times. And since, as is mostly the case, they were only finding partial remains, they couldn't get an idea of what kind of a creature the bones had belonged to. But they did know bones when they saw them. And basically, a femur is a femur and a rib is a rib and a vertebra a vertebra, no matter the size. So, very much like the early modern paleontologists, the ancient Greeks organized the bones they found into a shape that made sense to them. Presto! Giants.

After that, the tourism hucksters took over.

Shouldn't it be titans, if we're going by Greek mythology?

Poliwanacraca wrote:There's a blueberry farm a few miles away where my family used to go and pick a few pounds of blueberries each summer, and it is run by a very, very crazy creationist family. They send out little newsletters that say things like, "The crop is looking great this year! We've planted another half-acre, and the bushes are coming up beautifully! Last month, our children picketed outside a public school with signs that read 'EVOLUTIONISTS ARE SATAN!' Little Jimmy even threw a rock at a 'science' teacher! We're so proud!"

I bring this up here, though, because my favorite (in a "I may want to kill myself now" sort of way) line of all time from their newsletters discussed their kids' homeschool project of building a model of a dinosaur, which they described with the cheerful note, "Dinosaurs frequently roamed Europe during the Middle Ages, and knights could win great acclaim by killing them!" It seems I really need to reread the Canterbury Tales, since I apparently overlooked the bit where the Wife of Bath gets eaten by a velociraptor.

Galloism wrote:

Poliwanacraca wrote:

Saint Clair Island wrote:That's awesome.

I suppose they also think dinosaurs breathe fire.

I would not be at all surprised.

Get ahold of what they're smoking, and send it to me for some in-depth analysis.

Muravyets wrote:

Poliwanacraca wrote:There's a blueberry farm a few miles away where my family used to go and pick a few pounds of blueberries each summer, and it is run by a very, very crazy creationist family. They send out little newsletters that say things like, "The crop is looking great this year! We've planted another half-acre, and the bushes are coming up beautifully! Last month, our children picketed outside a public school with signs that read 'EVOLUTIONISTS ARE SATAN!' Little Jimmy even threw a rock at a 'science' teacher! We're so proud!"

I bring this up here, though, because my favorite (in a "I may want to kill myself now" sort of way) line of all time from their newsletters discussed their kids' homeschool project of building a model of a dinosaur, which they described with the cheerful note, "Dinosaurs frequently roamed Europe during the Middle Ages, and knights could win great acclaim by killing them!" It seems I really need to reread the Canterbury Tales, since I apparently overlooked the bit where the Wife of Bath gets eaten by a velociraptor.

I feel a movie script coming on...

Muravyets wrote:The Titans were one set of giants and were gods before the Olympians, but, the ancient tales tended to cast many non-god or demi-god heroes as giants -- or at least larger than life. Orion was supposedly a giant. Orestes was supposedly a giant. Neither was a Titan.

Tmutarakhan wrote:

Muravyets wrote:The Titans were one set of giants and were gods before the Olympians, but, the ancient tales tended to cast many non-god or demi-god heroes as giants -- or at least larger than life. Orion was supposedly a giant. Orestes was supposedly a giant. Neither was a Titan.

But what is your explanation for them having such stories in the first place? Your theory is that the stories came first, and the observations to "support" them later; which requires an independent explanation of the origin of the stories.

Saint Clair Island wrote:

Muravyets wrote:

Poliwanacraca wrote:There's a blueberry farm a few miles away where my family used to go and pick a few pounds of blueberries each summer, and it is run by a very, very crazy creationist family. They send out little newsletters that say things like, "The crop is looking great this year! We've planted another half-acre, and the bushes are coming up beautifully! Last month, our children picketed outside a public school with signs that read 'EVOLUTIONISTS ARE SATAN!' Little Jimmy even threw a rock at a 'science' teacher! We're so proud!"

I bring this up here, though, because my favorite (in a "I may want to kill myself now" sort of way) line of all time from their newsletters discussed their kids' homeschool project of building a model of a dinosaur, which they described with the cheerful note, "Dinosaurs frequently roamed Europe during the Middle Ages, and knights could win great acclaim by killing them!" It seems I really need to reread the Canterbury Tales, since I apparently overlooked the bit where the Wife of Bath gets eaten by a velociraptor.

I feel a movie script coming on...

The Canterbury Tales and Dinosaurs? Impossible. Next you'll be suggesting that someone will update works of classic literature with modern horror tropes, like... like, say.... Eine kleine Nachtmusik with Vampires.

Poliwanacraca wrote:There's a blueberry farm a few miles away where my family used to go and pick a few pounds of blueberries each summer, and it is run by a very, very crazy creationist family. They send out little newsletters that say things like, "The crop is looking great this year! We've planted another half-acre, and the bushes are coming up beautifully! Last month, our children picketed outside a public school with signs that read 'EVOLUTIONISTS ARE SATAN!' Little Jimmy even threw a rock at a 'science' teacher! We're so proud!"

I bring this up here, though, because my favorite (in a "I may want to kill myself now" sort of way) line of all time from their newsletters discussed their kids' homeschool project of building a model of a dinosaur, which they described with the cheerful note, "Dinosaurs frequently roamed Europe during the Middle Ages, and knights could win great acclaim by killing them!" It seems I really need to reread the Canterbury Tales, since I apparently overlooked the bit where the Wife of Bath gets eaten by a velociraptor.

Muravyets wrote:

Poliwanacraca wrote:There's a blueberry farm a few miles away where my family used to go and pick a few pounds of blueberries each summer, and it is run by a very, very crazy creationist family. They send out little newsletters that say things like, "The crop is looking great this year! We've planted another half-acre, and the bushes are coming up beautifully! Last month, our children picketed outside a public school with signs that read 'EVOLUTIONISTS ARE SATAN!' Little Jimmy even threw a rock at a 'science' teacher! We're so proud!"

I bring this up here, though, because my favorite (in a "I may want to kill myself now" sort of way) line of all time from their newsletters discussed their kids' homeschool project of building a model of a dinosaur, which they described with the cheerful note, "Dinosaurs frequently roamed Europe during the Middle Ages, and knights could win great acclaim by killing them!" It seems I really need to reread the Canterbury Tales, since I apparently overlooked the bit where the Wife of Bath gets eaten by a velociraptor.

I feel a movie script coming on...

SaintB wrote:
Also, anyone else find that they have an odd propensity for portraying everything they do in a positive light, ala "And today we told those dirty hippies to get a job or go to hell and die!" or "And then we all took turns making cranks calls against that sinful gay couple. It was fun for the whole family!"
Then they portray what anyone not them does in a very nasty light, "And those satanist liberals down the street where feeding the homeless again!"

Muravyets wrote:

Saint Clair Island wrote:

Muravyets wrote:I feel a movie script coming on...

The Canterbury Tales and Dinosaurs? Impossible. Next you'll be suggesting that someone will update works of classic literature with modern horror tropes, like... like, say.... Eine kleine Nachtmusik with Vampires.

Hey, I just recently read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies -- I'm telling you, it's the new trend in entertainment.

Poliwanacraca wrote:We should write to the Pride and Prejudice and Zombies guy and suggest it. I would totally read/watch The Canterbury Tales and Dinosaurs.

Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote
The droghte of March hath perced to the roote,
And bathed every veyne in swich licour
Of which vertu engendred is the flour;
Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth
Inspired hath in every holt and heeth
The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne
Hath in the Ram his half cours yronne,
And giante dinos stompen everybodye,
And eaten them untill they were all bloodye...

Muravyets wrote:Hey, I just recently read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies -- I'm telling you, it's the new trend in entertainment.

Saint Clair Island wrote:

Muravyets wrote:

Saint Clair Island wrote:The Canterbury Tales and Dinosaurs? Impossible. Next you'll be suggesting that someone will update works of classic literature with modern horror tropes, like... like, say.... Eine kleine Nachtmusik with Vampires.

Hey, I just recently read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies -- I'm telling you, it's the new trend in entertainment.

That sounds like a made-up book to me. Certainly, it's nowhere near as plausible as my latest (inexplicably rejected) script, Citizen Kane and the Flesh-Eating Werewolves from Outer Space.

Saint Clair Island wrote:That sounds like a made-up book to me. Certainly, it's nowhere near as plausible as my latest (inexplicably rejected) script, Citizen Kane and the Flesh-Eating Werewolves from Outer Space.

Non Aligned States wrote:

Muravyets wrote:Hey, I just recently read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies -- I'm telling you, it's the new trend in entertainment.

What about the Shakespearan works? Romeo and Juliet and the Ring (the 2002 version)?

Muravyets wrote:

Saint Clair Island wrote:That sounds like a made-up book to me. Certainly, it's nowhere near as plausible as my latest (inexplicably rejected) script, Citizen Kane and the Flesh-Eating Werewolves from Outer Space.

Inasmuch as it is fiction, it is a made-up book, but some guy did in fact write it.

SaintB wrote:Don't forget Othello and the Living Dead

SaintB wrote:

Non Aligned States wrote:

Muravyets wrote:Hey, I just recently read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies -- I'm telling you, it's the new trend in entertainment.

What about the Shakespearan works? Romeo and Juliet and the Ring (the 2002 version)?

Don't forget Othello and the Living Dead