"I Was the Lion"

The Horse and His Boy is a fascinating book by CS Lewis. Released in 1954, it was the fifth book in The Chronicles of Narnia, but is third in chronological order. 

The novel tells the story of a boy named Shasta who was raised a slave in the southern kingdom (Tisrocdom?) of Calormen, but he does not feel he belongs, and his master has not treated him well. One day a Calormene official visits his master, and while the adults are in the house talking, Shasta gets to know the official's horse, who it turns out is a talking Horse from Narnia named Bree. Neither Shasta nor Bree is happy with their respective masters, and they escape together. Sometime later, they are driven by lions to join with a runaway high-born Calormene girl named Aravis, and Hwin, also a talking Horse from Narnia who has been exiled in Calormen. The four of them journey together to the capital city of Tashbaan, and on through the desert and into the kingdom of Archenland. In the process, they go through many complications and adventures, and Shasta learns a lot about himself and his heritage. In Tashbaan and as they journey north, they learn of a clandestine plot by Prince Rabadash of Calormen to lay siege to Anvard and Cair Paravel, the capitals of Archenland and Narnia respectively. In an effort to save lives and prevent a violent conquest, Shasta must get to Anvard in time to warn the Archenlanders.

Through it all, they are plagued (so they believe) by lions, a cat, jackals, and more. This painting is inspired by one of my favorite passages in all of literature, when Shasta has met King Lune of Archenland and has fallen behind their entourage. As he is wandering through the mountain pass on the border of Archenland and Narnia, he feels lonely and dejected, and only has an Archenlander horse he hardly knows for company in the thick fog...until he senses another presence and hears a voice. Shasta recounts his adventures to the new arrival and is shocked to learn...

"I Was the Lion"
Steven Sauke
Acrylic on canvas
2012

"I was the lion." And as Shasta gaped with open mouth and said nothing, the Voice continued. "I was the lion who forced you to join with Aravis. I was the cat who comforted you among the houses of the dead. I was the lion who drove the jackals from you while you slept. I was the lion who gave the Horses the new strength of fear for the last mile so you could reach King Lune in time. And I was the lion you do not remember who pushed the boat in which you lay, a child near death, so that it came to shore where a man sat, wakeful at midnight, to receive you."

...

He turned and saw, pacing beside him, taller than the horse, a Lion. The horse did not seem to be afraid of it or else could not see it. It was from the Lion that the light came. No one ever saw anything more terrible or beautiful.

Luckily Shasta had lived all his life too far south in Calormen to have heard the tales that were whispered in Tashbaan about a dreadful Narnian demon that appeared in the form of a lion. And of course he knew none of the true stories about Aslan, the great Lion, the son of the Emperor-over-the-sea, the King above all High Kings in Narnia. But after one glance at the Lion's face he slipped out of the saddle and fell at its feet. He couldn't say anything but then he didn't want to say anything, and he knew he needn't say anything.

The High King above all kings stooped toward him. Its mane, and some strange and solemn perfume that hung about the mane, was all around him. It touched his forehead with its tongue. He lifted his face and their eyes met. Then instantly the pale brightness of the mist and the fiery brightness of the Lion rolled themselves together into a swirling glory and gathered themselves up and disappeared. He was alone with a horse on a grassy hillside under a blue sky. And there were birds singing.

Throughout The Chronicles of Narnia, Aslan is a Christ-like figure, in many cases mirroring the actions of Christ in the Bible. This passage has been a comfort to me over the years. Whenever I am going through hard times, I need to be reminded that Jesus is right there, as Aslan was for Shasta and his companions. Even when all seemed hopeless, Christ was there. His faithfulness to me is astounding, and I don't deserve it, but looking back on my life, I can see so many times when things seemed hopeless, but God always provided, protected, and allowed me to grow through it.

Days of Yore: Lighting

The Greeks tell the tale of the titan Prometheus, who got this crazy idea to steal fire from the gods and give it to humans. Humanity has never been the same, and Prometheus got to spend a lot of time torturously chained to a rock to think about what he had done as a result. Not being an ancient Greek, I believe this to be fiction, but it is an interesting story, if violent at times. (In his novel The Silmarillion, JRR Tolkien tells of the elf Maedhros, who has a lot in common with Prometheus. That story is not the same, but both stories involve hanging out on rocks—quite literally—as well as fire, and stealing valuable items from powerful beings.) In any case, humans have used fire for millenia in multiple ways, for cooking food, warming up, roasting marshmallows, sitting around a campfire telling ghost stories, and more. In school I learned about how Abraham Lincoln sat by his fireplace and read by the light of the fire. For many years, people lit torches using sticks, branches, and other materials, when they needed light on a long trek, or exploring a cave, or any time they needed light they could hold. Fire has always been both helpful and destructive. It can help cook food and warm people on a cold day to sustain life, and destroy life and property if misused or allowed to get out of control.

Shine Together
Painting by Jason Kotecki
All Rights Reserved. Used with permission.

As time went on, people invented candles out of wax and wicks. I did homework by candlelight in the Philippines when our power went out. Candles could be used in a similar way to torches, though they didn't necessarily give off as much light, generally being smaller than your average torch. Candles lit chandeliers, sconces and other light fixtures. Some cultures even put them on their Christmas trees. (It still blows my mind how that worked without starting fires. The modern lights on strings seem safer to me.)

Thanks to a key and a kite and some lightning, Benjamin Franklin gained some important insight on electricity. The lightbulb came along, and Edison got the first patent, though he does not deserve sole credit for the invention.

Of course, most of the above was before my time (aside from doing homework by candlelight). By the time I came along, lightbulbs were common. Cars had headlights. Lighthouses shone their powerful lights out to sea to help passing and approaching boats. Spotlights and other lights lit up the theatre stage. Lamps and lanterns lit up rooms and other spaces. People could also use lanterns in much the same way they used torches (sometimes using fire and sometimes lightbulbs), and in a safer manner than torches. Though gaslighting has a different meaning now, that concept is inspired by a play and movie called Gaslight, which features lamps that required gas to burn. (The movie was Angela Lansbury's cinematic debut.) For centuries, people used gas and oil in lanterns, as it burns easily. As long as it is contained and used carefully, it can generally be used safely. But used unsafely, it can cause big problems when mixed with flames. We had flashlights by the time I came around, which could be held in the hand and shine light by means of a lightbulb inside. (The British still call them torches. In CS Lewis' Prince Caspian, Edmund got a torch for his birthday and left it in Narnia. We would call that a flashlight.) 

There was another nifty invention that was much newer by the time I came along. The lava lamp (painting above) was invented in 1963, and was popular in the '60s and '70s. It was lit from the bottom and filled with two kinds of liquid. A thick wax mixture floated in water. The light from the bottom of the lamp often changed color while the thicker liquid floated around, gently bubbling, separating, merging, and just generally being mesmerizing to watch, especially with the changing colors. They didn't give off a lot of light, but it was enough to light a dark room softly and made for a relaxing atmosphere. They were also a good deal more relaxing than watching real lava erupting out of a volcano. Well, if I were in the vicinity of an erupting volcano, I very likely would not be passively watching.

A few years ago, once camera flashes were introduced on cell phones, those flashes were eventually able to be repurposed for use as a flashlight. The first time I downloaded a flashlight on my cell phone, it struck me that I never would have dreamed that would be something I could download. Now it comes standard on smartphones. I still have regular flashlights, but I generally use my phone when I need one. However, to light up a room, my phone doesn't usually provide enough light, and I need ceiling lights and/or lamps, or if the power is out, lanterns. We also have headlamps we can strap to our head if we need our hands free to explore in the dark. Book lights also help when reading a traditional book in the dark. Some candles run on batteries without the need to light a flame. Using the definition of the word that the kids use today, it's really lit!

The King's Scepter

No visit to Memphis is complete without going to Sun Studios, where many of the greats recorded their music. I got to stand on the spot where Elvis stood and get a picture holding his microphone. It was amazing! His guitar is also on display in another room. As in Texas, it also helps if you have chosen family in Tennessee. (As of a couple years ago, I even have biological family in Tennessee!)

The King's Scepter
Acrylic, Stencil, Sharpie and Marker on Canvas
2012

For my third painting in my class, I chose Elvis' guitar. The designs in the leather on it fascinated me, in addition to the giraffe print on his guitar case.

The painting was modeled after this picture that I took in December 2009 at Sun Studios:

Some random guy who has lost weight
since this picture was taken
with Elvis' mic, December 2009
That is, the picture is said guy with the mic.
The picture was not taken with a mic.
Thought I'd clarify.

OK, Boomer: Slang

Zounds!

Growing up, I always associated that word with science fiction set in the distant future. Space men said it in comic strips. Spaceman Spiff, of Calvin and Hobbes fame, liked to use it. I knew we didn't say it much, but if comic books were to be believed, it would be used all the time in the 21st Century! So imagine my surprise when I was studying, of all subjects, Shakespeare, and learned that he used it in the 16th and 17th Centuries! It is an expression of surprise like "Wow!", and as I learned, is a contraction of "His wounds" ("His" referring to Jesus'). I've heard it pronounced in two ways: rhyming with "pounds" and "wounds." I still don't generally use it, particularly considering its derivation, but it's an interesting word.

Image by lexiconimages on Adobe Stock

In the early 20th Century, a lot of things were swell. I was born in the late '70s, and by that time, things were groovy, man. We're talkin' gnarly! I remember vaguely in the early '80s when people still observed that that is so boss! Those words are generally no longer used in that way (though I have heard them on occasion). As the '80s went on, a lot of things were radical, or rad for short. It meant great. These days, radical isn't generally a good thing, but it was more commonly a good thing back then (although we did use it in its current sense as well, referring to political and religious extremes...a lot depended on context). But though it isn't used as often now, rad still means more or less the same thing as it did then. The word cool, on the other hand, has endured longer. I still use that one. More recently I've heard the kids talking about how things are lit. (When I was younger, lit had a very different meaning. I wasn't all that familiar with that word in its colloquial sense at the time, as I wasn't around people who were lit, or drunk, very much. Now it has a much more positive meaning, more along the lines of groovy and cool.) Even cool has changed in meaning over the years. Though it still can mean calm and not upset, that isn't as common a usage these days. If The Flash (CW series starring Grant Gustin) is to believed, things will be schway by 2049. Note that these words are nuanced and don't mean exactly the same thing. For example, rad was stronger than cool in the '80s. However, the meanings are similar.

Image by Rawpixel.com on Adobe Stock

One phrase that has changed considerably over the years is "just alright." The classic '60s and '70s song "Jesus is Just Alright with Me", recorded by the Doobie Brothers and others, was high praise at the time. It meant that I think Jesus is awesome, great, incredible, groovy! Now "just alright" means "meh, not great." To the people of the '70s, there was alright, and then there was the much more impressive just alright! So next time you hear the Doobie Brothers (or DC Talk, or Stryper, or other bands who recorded it) singing that, understand that they are not saying that Jesus is meh. Instead, they think He's the bee's knees! Jesus is lit! (using the current definition of lit, not the definition from the '60s and '70s)

With the increase in popularity of the internet, I started noticing a lot of TLAs (three-letter acronyms) being thrown around on the internet and in e-mails (and more recently in text messages). The first time I saw "LOL" I wondered if it meant "Little Old Lady," which didn't make sense in the context. I finally asked someone, but figured it out before they answered. It means "laughing out loud." Please note, it does NOT mean "lots of love." I have seen that misconception, and it has led to a lot of unfortunate misunderstandings (the classic one being the text conversation between a mother and her son, something along the lines of... Mother: "Your uncle died, LOL" Son: "What?? Why is that funny?" Mother: "It isn't funny. Why would you say that?" Son: "What did you mean by LOL?" Mother: "Lots of love." Son: "That stands for laughing out loud." Mother: "Oh no! I'm going to have to apologize to everyone I told!") The point there being, never use LOL for "lots of love." I like the French equivalent, MDR, which stands for mourir de rire (literally, "dying of laughter"). Personally, if I feel the need to express laughter, I go for the classic "Hahahahahahahaha!!!" (or longer or shorter variants of that)

Swear words have also come and gone, some more enduring than others, but in the interest of keeping this family friendly, I will not go into those. I don't use them myself, but have gotten a lot more tolerant of others using them as I've gotten older. Still not a fan, though. Our counselor in elementary taught us to use the words of the immortal philosopher Winnie-the-Pooh, "Oh bother!" Much more wholesome, and it usually gets close enough in meaning. I have a few other things I use on occasion, such as "Rats!" "Bummer!" "Seriously??" "Good grief!" (Thanks, Charlie Brown!) "Uff da!" "Ay nako!" "Bless your heart." Though I don't use these alternatives as much, I also like "Fiddlesticks!" "Dagnabbit!" "...cottonpicking..." "Doggone it!" "...dadgum..."

Another term I have grown up with, owing to my Norwegian heritage, is Uff da! It's an all-purpose interjection that doesn't have a direct translation in English. The closest I've heard in any other language is the Yiddish Oy veh! and Oy gevalt! Uff da means "Oh my!" "Good grief!" "Oh no!" "How silly!" "How awful!" "Eww, gross!" (among many others). The Tagalog Ay nako! (literally, "Oh my mom!") and the French Zut alors! come close. The French Oh là là! (which does not mean what many Americans think it means) also comes close.

Of course, there has been so much slang over the years, and if I went into all of it, this would be a very long post. But that gives a small taste of it.

Oh, and I sometimes use slang on my phone. I also use it when I'm talking. It isn't exactly in the same class as other things I've covered in this series, but I feel it's important to mention whether or not I use it on my cell phone now.

One more thing...you may be wondering about the title of this post. The baby boomers and the millennials seem to have some sort of rivalry going on. They don't tend to understand each other so much. Boomers (stereotypically) tend to believe millennials are lazy and other negative adjectives. Millennials, in turn, (again, stereotypically) tend to see boomers as hopelessly old fashioned. And then, here I am, in Generation X, looking in both directions and scratching my head. (I'm an Xennial, which is the group of people born at the end of the Gen X era and the beginning of the Millennial era, who carry some aspects of both Gen X and Millennials.) Anyway, many millennials finally gave up with the criticism coming from their elders, a lot of which was unfounded, and just say, "OK, boomer." Whatever you say. I won't argue. It was the closest I could think of to a modern slang version of "Days of Yore."

OK, another thing...how is it that, given their meaning, "colloquial" and "vernacular" are not generally used in today's vernacular?

Fort Worth

When visiting Fort Worth, Texas, I highly recommend visiting the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens. They are beautiful and peaceful, with a waterfall, lots of plants (obviously, considering the name), bridges, and more. They also have koi and other wildlife. If your chosen family also includes a big sister and niece and nephew in the area, so much the better!

Fort Worth
Steven Sauke
Acrylic and gel on canvas
2012

Our second assignment in our painting class in 2012 was to paint a small portion of a picture. I selected the below picture that I took in the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens in 2007 as the inspiration for this painting. I mixed matte gel with the paint to make the bushes more bushy, and mixed gloss gel with the paint to give the water more of a sheen. I was especially proud of the textures in this painting. Having just painted Mt. Rainier in Monet's style, this painting was also partially inspired by his bridge paintings—but I didn't paint his bridge because I didn't want to appear to be duplicating his artwork.

Said big sister, nephew and niece
Also at the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens
(different bridge)
Picture taken in 2007, so they are now a bit older
How is that 16 years ago?!

Days of Yore: Research and Organization

As you may remember, I covered research to some extent in my post about books. In that post, I mentioned that we spent a lot of time in the library looking up information in books. We used encyclopedias, dictionaries, newspapers, magazines, microfiche, and more. In my post on telephones, I mentioned the wonders of phone books. But there were other ways that we kept track of phone numbers and contact information. I covered aspects of today's subject in previous posts, but here I expand on more.

Photo by puhhha on Adobe Stock

Going to a library could be a tad daunting at times. Once you got to know how it was laid out, finding the book you needed was easier, but could still be challenging at times without help. We had a couple options. We could ask the librarian, who was usually quite helpful, or we could check the card catalog. It was a cabinet with small drawers just big enough to fit cards that listed all the books in the library. Most libraries I went to used the Dewey Decimal System, which arranges books by subject. For example, computer science, information and general works are classified as 000; philosophy and psychology are 100, religion is 200, and so on. The numbers in between are more specific. Each book in the library has a sticker on the spine with its Dewey Decimal classification, which gets more and more specific, down to identifying the individual book. The card catalog is arranged in a simpler manner so books are easier to find. They have a section that lists the books by title. Another section lists them by author. Each card represents one book, and it tells its Dewey Decimal classification so you know where in the library it is. (We usually wrote down the information from the card so we could remember it when searching for the book on the shelf.) The aisles of books are typically labeled with the classifications in that aisle. Though libraries still use this system, Google and Amazon have simplified this considerably. I haven't been to a brick-and-mortar library in years, though I have been to bookstores more recently. Bookstores typically don't use the Dewey Decimal system. They still arrange books by subject, and then usually alphabetize them on the shelves by author.

Card Catalog
Photo by Andrey Kuzmin on Adobe Stock

When checking out a book, we would open the front cover and find a paper pouch with a card in it. That card had a list of names of people who had checked it out in the past. At the front desk, the librarian would stamp the card with the date and file the card until we returned the book. Most libraries had a limit on how many books you could check out at a time, and also how long you could keep them before you had to return them. They often fined you if you kept the books too long.

One way of keeping track of appointments and such was a calendar. Not the kind you hang on your wall, but one you could carry with you and mark up. My dad jokingly called it his brain. They were of varying sizes, typically from small enough to carry in your pocket to regular paper size. Now Outlook and other programs have calendars (with a similar setup) where you can do it electronically. I have a calendar on my phone that reminds me about appointments and other events coming up.

Filing cabinets were a way of keeping papers neat and organized. Drawers were organized similarly to a card catalog, but you could arrange it in whatever way worked best for you, and label the drawer. They often had hanging file folders that hung from tracks on the sides of the drawers, and then you could put manila folders in those to organize papers further. (Honestly, with ADHD, filing was one of the most boring jobs I have done. I don't bore easily, but when I am bored, it may be when filing things in the old-fashioned filing cabinets. Even so, it's a great way of keeping papers organized!)

Then there was the rolodex. Where phone books came with the phone numbers printed in them, you could customize rolodex with just the contacts you needed, and when placed next to your phone, it was a convenient way to find contact information. They came with special cards that fit on the wheel, and you could put them in their alphabetical place for easy reference. (They could also be used for other things, but keeping track of contact information was one of the most common uses.)

Rolodex
Photo by Albert Lozano-Nieto on Adobe Stock

I'm sure it will come as no surprise that I do all these things on my phone now, and rarely use the above options. I have a filing cabinet, but I don't use it much. I have physical books, but most of my reading is done on my phone, Kindle and computer. It's also much nicer to carry your entire library on a small device, as opposed to lugging heavy books around. That could get cumbersome, and it was sometimes a little awkward to pull out a big book on the bus. On the other hand, books don't have a battery that wears down and dies if you don't recharge or have access to an outlet, so there's that. These days, I may not lug around books, but I might bring some wireless chargers if I anticipate not having access to an outlet for a while. My trusty chargers came in handy when visiting New York last September, though didn't help the day I forgot to bring it and my battery ended up dying just as I got to Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. I did have my cord with me, so I found an outlet in the lobby during intermission and got permission to use it. That helped a bit, so I was still able to check the subway route after the show, and write down what I needed in case it died again.

Back to books...I have gotten rid of a lot of my books, as they just take up space. Some of them are in storage. I still have some in my room, but most of them are either in storage or gone. I do still use wall calendars.

Le mont Rainier

One of the amazing things about living in the Seattle area is the amazing view of the mountains to the west (Olympics) and the east (Cascades). Looking to the north, we can see Mt. Baker on a clear day. To the south, we can see Mt. Rainier. Both are prominent peaks in the Cascade range.

Le mont Rainier
Steven Sauke
Acrylic on canvas
2012

In 2012, I took a painting class. Our first assignment was to research a painter and either paint one of their paintings or do one in their style. I selected Claude Monet. I visited his house and gardens in Giverny, France in 1999, and his paintings fascinate me. Since I'm not much for duplicating someone else's work, I opted to paint Mt. Rainier in his style. Since he was a French painter, I decided to title my painting in French. This is my favorite of my paintings.

Me standing on Monet's bridge
overlooking his lily pond,
subject of several of his paintings

Days of Yore: St. Patrick's Day

In which my "Days of Yore" series meets my previous series on simple acts of kindness shown to me in the past. Most entries in my current series concern changing trends over the years. This one is more along the lines of my previous series, but does take place when I was a child, so it fits in both categories. Also, leprechauns are known for their mischief and shaking things up. Besides that, I'm part Irish, and proud of it. So there's that.

Image by Artificial Dream on Adobe Stock

Anyway...

St. Patrick's Day was serious business at our school in the Philippines. Friends and classmates had no trouble pinching anyone who was not wearing green. So it was with some shock and consternation one March 17 on the bus to school that I suddenly realized I had forgotten what day it was, and—horror of horrors—I was not wearing green! (Cue the Psycho theme) We're talking major emergency here. As I was on the bus, I couldn't go home and change! What is a kid who needs some green, stat, to do to avoid the dreaded pinch?

That's what friends are for. Sara was a year or two ahead of me in school. Her younger brother Luke was around my age. Their dad was a teacher at our school, as was mine. They were even British, which gives a person a lot more authority in the matter of an Irish holiday. Sara had a running theory that as long as a person wearing green is touching someone who isn't, the person who isn't can't be pinched. (This theory worked better for kids in the '80s than it would for adults today.) Obviously, she couldn't follow me around all day for so many reasons, but she had a better idea. As soon as we arrived at school, she and I raced down the stairs to the playground and hurried to a tree, where, with a great sense of relief, I obtained some leaves. I don't remember how I wore them, but the day was saved by the quick thinking of a thoughtful friend who was herself wearing green.

Come to think of it, maybe it would be a good practice to carry green lapel pins or something with me in case people I meet on St. Patrick's Day are enduring a similar crisis. Hmmm...

The Heirs of Djeek

The Yibvlidjians' discovery that earth did not explode on December 31, 2012 was only the beginning of their adventures on earth. Thirteen years passed, during which time Cchhär married the optician Maya, and Dröuh met and married a human named Amanda. Cchhär and Maya were blessed with two sons, Diehn and Frankh, while Dröuh and Amanda welcomed Leif. The two families shared a common bond and saw each other as extended family.

Diehn, Frankh and Leif were raised with the ancient accounts stating that the survivors of Yibvlidj lost the power of teleportation when they arrived on earth at the beginning of 2012. The Yibvlidjian blood in them caused them to learn fast, and despite their age, they quickly became smarter than the average human with a doctoral degree.

Find out what happens in the movie below!

Inspiration and back story:

The thrilling sequel to Yibvlidj Apocalypse, The Heirs of Djeek was my final project for my video production class. I took into account feedback from the first movie, such as the fact that the first movie only showed them reading the history, but didn't show it in flashbacks. Also, as Yibvlidj is a touch hard to pronounce (indeed, people struggled with it in the productions of both movies), I named Djeek in a manner easier to pronounce.

As with the first installment, I would like to thank everyone who helped me out with this one. I would also like to mention that I dedicated this to Gabriel Timothy Yoder, who was born and passed away on the same day, shortly before production started on this due to complications with spina bifida. As a result, his father Andrew, who played Dröuh in the first movie, was unavailable to participate in this one. 

Director and Producer: Steven Sauke
Filmed by Steven Sauke, Russell Dorsey, Jimmy Smith
Edited by Steven Sauke

CAST
Cchhär: Charlie Ostlie
Maya: Darcy Jamieson
Diehn: Daniel Newman
Frankh: Franklin Tausher
Leif: Levi Tausher
Narrator/Djeekan Pioneer: Zach McCue
Djeekan Pioneer: Steven Sauke
Descendants of the Maya: Charlie Ostlie and Jimmy Smith
Bigfoot: Russell Dorsey
Loch Ness Monster: Himself

With apologies to Los del Río, who actually composed and performed the Macarena

Trivia:

• As with the first movie, all characters (except for Maya, who was named after the ancient civilization) were named after the actors who portrayed them, but adapted to sound Yibvlidjian and Djeekan.
• The Loch Ness Monster graciously played himself. It was a bit of a thankless job, as none of the characters even noticed him in the background!
• The talented actors who brilliantly played Frankh and Leif, though cousins in the movie, are brothers in real life.
• Being ten years older than he was when this movie was made, the talented actor who masterfully portrayed Diehn is himself engaged to be married later this year. I'm excited for him and his fiancée!
• The amazing actress who portrayed Maya is my cousin, and is now married (not to her on-screen husband). She has one of the cutest little sons you could imagine. Think of the cutest kid you've met. He's cuter. (I might be slightly biased, but my point stands. So does Darcy's son, who is now a toddler. I hope he reads this when he's a teenager!)

Days of Yore: Julius Caesar

Friends, readers, countrymen, lend me your ears. Today we remember a man who met his untimely demise on this day 2067 years ago.

It was March 15, 44 BC, the Ides of March. An auspicious day in ancient Rome when they settled debts, it turned tragic that year as one of their greatest leaders, Gaius Julius Caesar, was assassinated by a large group of senators. He was the father of the Julian Calendar (which is close to the calendar we still observe today), and the month of July is named after him. Obviously, it was before my time.

Illustration by Steven Sauke

This is an unusual "Days of Yore" post, as it does not relate something that I remember from childhood, and it is not something that I now do on my cell phone, aside from perhaps discussing it to some extent on social media. (Come to think of it, maybe I should download Shakespeare's play on Kindle and Audible. I do find ancient history fascinating, though I imagine Shakespeare isn't necessarily the best source if I want the actual facts. Hmm...) That said, I don't claim to be an expert on the subject. Most of the information in this post is from research I did just now.

For good or ill, Julius Caesar was a great man whose legacy still lives on today. His family was believed to be descended from the Trojan Prince Aeneas, subject of epic legends. He was born July 12, 100 BC, and was killed 55 years later at the Theatre of Pompey in Rome. Caesar was a skilled military leader, still viewed as one of the greatest generals in history. He led a conquest of Gaul. He granted citizenship to many from farther reaches than in the past. As mentioned above, he proposed the Julian Calendar, with the help of Roman mathematicians, adding three months and adopting aspects of the Egyptian calendar. He ordered Carthage and Corinth rebuilt. He and several others formed the First Triumvirate, a political alliance. For most of the time he was in power, he was considered pontifex maximus, or supreme pontiff. (Today the Pope is the pontiff of the Catholic Church, though obviously Caesar was not Catholic.) Near the end of his life, he was designated dictator perpetuo, or "dictator for life." (Ironically, that title was very short-lived.)

According to William Shakespeare in his play Julius Caesar, his last words were "Et tu, Bruté? [And you, Brutus?]—Then fall, Caesar." This was addressed to Brutus, one of his assassins, who was apparently not as much of a friend as Caesar thought he was. However, the real Caesar probably didn't say those words. Some say his actual last words were, "Και συ τέκνον" (Kai su, teknon), or "You too, child." But ancient historians even disagree on that. His assassination unintentionally brought an end to the Roman Republic with ensuing civil wars led by Mark Antony, Octavian (Augustus) and others, laying the groundwork to the Roman Empire.

Following his assassination this day 2067 years ago, he was succeeded by his great-nephew Gaius Octavius, who was successively called Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus (that last word was to distinguish him from his great-uncle), Imperator Caesar, and Imperator Caesar Augustus. Rome's first emperor, Augustus was still in power when Christ was born around 40 years later. Augustus died in AD 14, succeeded by Tiberius.