This coming Friday evening will be a full "blue moon." A blue moon is an additional full moon that appears in a subdivision of a year, either the third of four full moons in a season or, a second full moon in a month of the common calendar. I think I'll enjoy a Blue Moon beer on this blue moon. The ancient Camunian/proto-European word for moon was Mòn or Mùn, prior to being replaced with the Roman/Latin Lùna. The Camunian village of Monno (in Italian) was known as Mòn in the Camunian dialect. Even the Roman name for the valley, Vallis Camunnorum, has the word Mùn within it, which means "Valley of the Camunni".. which actually breaks down roughly to "valley of the home of the moon people."
The name in the Camunian dialect was Al Camònega ("valley of the home of the dawning moon"). The influence of the church gave rise to the local term "mòna"... a foul name for a woman, which is rooted in a negative reference towards the old venerated moon goddess. It should be noted that during the times of the witch trials, Camunian Catholics and Camunian Pagans (one-third of the population) got along fine.. as there was plenty of cultural overlap. Try to get out on the trail on the twilight and evening of this Friday's rising blue moon (actually sort've grayish), and feel that age old spiritual-ancestral and solar-lunar energetic interaction.
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Although there is no online reference to it that I can find, it can be most frustrating when you devote a half hour or longer of your time to a game of online chess, and finally reaching a critical point in the game... only to have the site/game system or internet connection "short your move" which directly makes you lose. Even though the game is meaningless, and you are anonymous, the psychological and intellectual frustration is not lost! It's as though you finally "blew it"... when you actually did not.
Another idea that I had was that it would be better if you were able to simply allow your king to be "taken".. to avoid the intellectual humiliation of being outnumbered and trounced during the final phase of the game. This would be better than the cowardly perception of "resigning" (aka quitting). In the game of rugby, when one team is far ahead on points, they just "call the game" and the players and coaches honorably meet at the center of the field. This fosters more respect between the teams.
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You know, we're in real trouble now. The Fukushima disaster--unlike Chernobyl, which ended after about a week I recall hearing--is still ongoing! Some scientists have called it an Extinction Level Event (ELE). If you haven't looked into it, you should. There is a lot on YouTube about it; I would suggest searching "fukushima rense" if you really want it fast and straight. If you read this in time, Fukushima is the subject of tonight's Coast To Coast AM program. There's almost no way to underscore how devastating this disaster is, or how bad it could get. There's practically a news blackout of it. But, what are they going to say... that we're all going to die?
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Gambara and Forseti
['Empfindsamkeit' by German Neofolk band Forseti - ωεlτεηbæμmçhεη]
Queen Gambara was the first queen of the Langobard tribe when they broke off from the Winnili tribe in 1st century Scandinavia. Although she inspired the migration into ancient central Europe with a command to her people to "Go forth!," she never saw the Italian peninsula. Forseti was an important god in Odinic mythology, although he is less known than Odin, Frigga, Tyr, or Thor. Both of these names would sound perceptively as "Italian" to the English-speaking world. I'm always looking for modern tie-ins to the ancient world, and often that can be within surnames.
Just off of the top of my head, the South Tyrolian beer "Forst" comes to mind if I try to brainstorm the root word "Forseti." There's likely no connection, but I ponder it. With a surname search for "Forseti" in Italy, there is nothing; however, there are a very small number of "Forsetti's" in the north. Again, it's likely just coincidental; although old Langobard words and surnames are common, albeit "Italianized."
In a surname search for "Gambara," as many as perhaps 75 showed up around Emilia and Lombardy. That's not too much of a longshot since the Langobards brought the old legends of their origin with them into their new Cisalpine home. I would lay the odds at about even with that connection. "Gambara" was one of the aristocratic family names who made up the powerful oligarchic Brescian Council of the Middle Ages.
The surname "Gotti" is actually a Lombard regional name with Gothic roots.. originating from "the Goti"... the Goths. "Goti" is a Tuscan regional surname as well. Also, a Goði or Gothi (plural goðar) is the historical Old Norse term for a priest and chieftain in Norse paganism. Some of those long ago "Goti" made their way down to southern Italy... hence the now somewhat infamous Mafia name "Gotti." However, it's much more generally a Lombard surname.
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Regarding the recent rash of clown sightings, but don't laugh yet...
[Rob Zombie's '31' (2016) - Shane's World]
Apparently there has been a rash of reports of people, dressed up as creepy clowns, sneaking up upon and surprising or scaring unsuspecting people at night. It has escalated this year, and you can google or youtube it. It started in California, but has spread all over the country, and even in the UK. This brings up the issue of clowns in general, and that some people actually hate clowns! Personally I never had any problems with clowns as a child, having always seen them as benevolent. This phenomenon of unsuspecting clown terror at night is curious to me. So often, as with horror movies, it's "the face" and "the intent" of the clown, ghoul, monster, etc. The mask and outfit seem to somehow dehumanize them, and they become something of a monster. The mystery of who's behind that mask? Are they crazy, evil, or dangerous?; and at the dead of night no less!
I like the centuries-long history of the circus, the clowns, and other aspects of that eccentric traveling entertainment culture. It's really a small part of our history. Perhaps only some of the using of people with birth defects crossed the line in my opinion. Just last evening, while watching the most recent episode of 'My Haunted House' ('Route 160'), the issue of "clown night terror" was featured... however, in a more supernatural way. Still, even a young smallish blonde woman in a creepy clown mask.. staring at you in the dark of night, was somewhat unnerving. That "intent" thing... creating confusion for the unknowing. Is it a joke? Is it just for fun? Maybe not..
Probably the best creepy clown in recent years was Captain Spaulding, played by Sid Haig in 'House of 1000 Corpses' (2003) and in 'The Devil's Rejects' (2005). For a killer clown, he was rather sensitive about the issue of clown status in general, which made for one of the odd, scary, and funny sub-plots. Sid Haig has been one of the underrated off-beat character actors over the years. At one point, while being robbed at gunpoint, Captain Spaulding didn't even take the robbers very seriously.. until one of them said the wrong words: "I.. HATE.. C-L-O-W-N-S!!!"; at which point he responded with the funniest "low growl"... before dramatically getting even. I thought that first movie was so brutally artistic.
Those movies were written and directed by heavy metal singer and horror movie director Rob Zombie. Rob Zombie is directing another movie due for release in 2016, which promises to be another "1000 corpses," entitled simply '31'. Five people are kidnapped on the days leading up to Halloween and held hostage in a place called Murder World. While trapped, they must play a violent game called 31 where the mission is to survive 12 hours against a gang of evil clowns.
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