Wordsmithery: Bestiary

But ask the animals, and they will teach you,
or the birds of the air, and they will tell you;
or speak to the earth, and it will teach you,
or let the fish of the sea inform you.
Which of all these does not know
that the hand of the LORD has done this?
In his hand is the life of every creature
and the breath of all mankind.
~ Job 12:7-10

I have always like reading fantasy but my love for sci-fi dominates. Yet, much of the sci-fi I have loved the most had more mysticism that science, like the Dune books by Frank Herbert. I have been considering how one would explain the difference between the two, which often cross boundaries resulting in nearly indistinguishable differences. My thoughts are that sci-fi adds futuristic ideas or the suggestion of technology beyond what we currently have, like interplanetary travel, or technology with a scientific basis, whether known or fabricated. Fantasy, for the most part, relies on a more earthly nature and its unexplanable traits with magic secreted and protected, for the most part, by an elite few, whether learned using elements in special ways or a natural ability or a combination. To me, sci-fi, for the most part, has more logic and unless I am in the mood for it, fantasy can frustrate me a bit, until I understand its rationality, which probably defeats its purpose and beauty. However, when I am in the mood for it, I am engulfed by its surrealism.

The Princess and I are currently reading through a fantasy chapter book, so I wrote all this to explain that fantasy based on magic, beyond a few children's books like the Oz series and a movie now and then, is basically untried territory for me, so when I read a fantasy book, I am destined to find words unfamiliar to me that are probably very well-known to most fantasy readers. To those of you, I apologize for my naiveté and request that you add your thoughts in the comments area to enlighten me further on this subject or make suggestions of fantasy books worth reading. (I am ashamed to say that I have not read C.S. Lewis's Narina series, even though we have them and my husband read them all to the Princess at bedtime over a year ago, nor have I picked up a book leading into the world of Lord of the Rings, but I enjoyed the movies very much.)

I was aware that in medieval times there were real books handwritten in Latin and with amazing drawings of mythical creatures of all sorts, I just did not know they were called: bestiaries. The origin of the word is the Latin bestia from where we get the modern English word "beast." In short, a bestiary is a book of beasts, but...there is a interesting history with bestiaries intertwined with Christianity.

Around the sixth century, the Catholic Church began using bestiaries as books of learning with examples of animal lore to teach Christian values, in a similar fashion as Aesop's Fables. Combining observations of nature, zoological commentaries, and imaginative illustrations, as well as moral and religious lessons, bestiaries then became an intriguing mingling of fact, fiction, and Christian morals pointing the way to salvation. One such bestiary is Louis Charbonneau-Lassay's Le Bestiaire du Christ (The Bestiary of Christ). The author as Roman Catholic scholar published this collection of animal symbolism and religious symbols gleaned from sources as diverse as ancient Egypt, classical Greece and Rome, early and medieval Christianity, the Kabbalah, Gnosticism, and various spiritual schools of the Near and Far East.

~ My Lord, thank you for our imaginations where we can create entire worlds in our minds, a taste of what You enjoyed in creating this world. In all our fantasies, may we see Your messages, so they are used according to Your Will. ~

Synteresis

Is there, as the medieval mystics taught, a "spark" at the core of the Soul, which never consents to evil, a Divine nucleus in the heart of the personality, which can take no stain? ~Dean Inge

The word sinderesis has haunted me since I first found in an early edition Black's Law Dictionary so many years ago:

SINDERESIS. "A natural power of the soul, set in the highest part thereof, moving and stirring it to good, and adhorring evil. And therefore sinderesis our Lord put in man, to the intent that the order of things should be observed. And therefore sinderesis is called by some men the ‘law of reason,’ for it ministereth the principles of the law of reason, the which be in every man by nature, in that he is a reasonable creature." Doct. & Stud. 39.

Source: Black's Law Dictionary, 2nd Edition (1910)

That sounds much like what we commonly refer to as our conscious today, but there is still speculation as to whether or not Saint Jerome meant to define a distinction between the two:

"which the Greeks call synteresis: that spark of conscience which was not even extinguished in the breast of Cain after he was turned out of paradise, and by which we discern that we sin, when we are overcome by pleasures or frenzy and meanwhile are misled by an imitation of reason (St. Jerome, Commentarium in Ezechielem, I, 1, in Migne, Patrologia Latina, vol. 25, col. 22, mentioned in Fagothey, here)."

You may have noticed the variation in spelling. Sinderesis is also spelled synderesis, but the most proper spelling derives from its Greek origins synteresis. Some scholars believe that it is a corruption of suneidhsis or suneidesis, the normal Greek word for "conscience."

Maybe that is all it is, but perhaps there is this essence of God in each person that is above the conscience, that is above one's desire to preserve his own life, that yearns to have a relationship with the Creator. Philosophers may argue the meaning of word until the end of time, but I like to think of it as the essence left in each created being of the Creator, place of juncture with my Lord, free of sin, where He can abide in me and I in Him.

~ My Lord, if there is such a thing as my idea of synteresis, then it is my ultimate "happy place," because that is where we are together. ~

May I Have a Word with You?

We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary. ~Booker T. Washington

Lately, I have become keenly aware that my vocabulary could use some augmentation. Perhaps it is because I homeschool that I feel the importance of not just being well acquainted with more words for myself, but exposing my daughter to the diversities of our language, even if adding just a word or two a day. Etymology has always intrigued me, but more so now that I am learning Latin and Greek along with my daughter. The subtle nuances and unusual phraseologies created in writing by selective wording truly delight my senses and stimulate my intellect. While I adore a good plot with excellence in writing, if given the choice between poor expression with a good plot and a poor plot with excellent writing style, I would prefer the latter most of the time.

A couple of weeks ago, I began visiting three websites giving a word a day, although one does weekdays only. I also have been adding unfamiliar words I have read. I listed them on an index card reviewing them each day. When I am quite comfortable with its spelling and use, drop it from my list. So far, I have added 45 new words (or new usages of words) to my vocabulary in fifteen days.

I would like to share just a few:

1. Now, it is likely all of us have defenestrated at some time in our lives and never knew we could use just that one word to describe throwing something or someone out of the window. Defenestrate is pronounced "dee-FEN-uh-strayt." Somehow that makes throwing something out the window sound more impressive, doesn't it?


2. Bird watchers might not be so impressed with the corvine population since it refers to the common crow.


3. Nowadays crescent typically refers to a shape of the moon, but originally, it referred only to the increasing illumination phase that immediately follows the new moon as it comes from the Latin "crescere," which means "to grow."

Here are some sites that give a word a day:
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day
Dictionary.com Word of the Day
Wordsmith.org A Word a Day

I am going use an index card system to teach my daughter two words a day using these sites:
Merriam-Webster's Daily Buzzword
SuperKids Vocabulary Builder - This site has several daily vocabulary words categorized by grade levels!

~ My Lord, I am thankful that I do not need to express in words to You what is in my heart, but language is truly a gift necessary to communicate with others. Guide my daughter and me in learning new words and in using them wisely.~