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7:38 AM
@Mithrandir you online?
8:00 AM
@Randal'Thor I am now. What's up?
You're almost too late, I'm about to post the question :-P
Just wanted to ask something about Judaism.
Alright...
I know that you're not supposed to speak the name of G-d. Does the same thing apply to S-t-n (or whatever name is used for the devil in Judaism)?
No.
...most notably because there isn't really such a concept at all.
I'm trying to track down the origin of a trope in literature which I suspect may have an older basis in religion.
@Mithrandir Good, then my question won't be that trivial.
Thanks.
8:02 AM
There's the concept of the Satan, yes, but he's more of a lawyer appointed by God, not a demon opposed to him.
np
@Mithrandir Not even "evil" then?
Not even. It's most similar to a trial - he's the prosecutor, and Israel (the nation) is the defendant.
Hm.
Asking two related questions simultaneously on SFF and Lit :-D
8:21 AM
0
Q: What is the origin of the trope of an evil character whose name is not permitted to be spoken?

Rand al'ThorMany works of fantasy involve an evil leader or "dark lord" whose real name is known but usually not permitted to be spoken, either by his own followers (out of respect?) or by others (out of fear?) or both. In the Wheel of Time series, the Dark One's true name is Shai'tan, but nobody uses the ...

 
1 hour later…
10:24 AM
@Mithrandir That was actually an interesting read.
The most peaceful tale of the apocalypse that I've ever seen.
 
3 hours later…
1:13 PM
@Bookworm Since we're on the subject of naming, I just found this article about Naming Diseases After One’s Enemies, e.g. the French disease.
@ChristopheStrobbe Congrats on breaking into the top 3 by rep, and on your new 9k :-)
1:47 PM
@Randal'Thor I'll be celebrating that with my k9.
2:35 PM
0
Q: John Betjeman’s "Suicide on Junction Road Station after Abstention from Evening Communion in North London"

Gareth ReesJohn Betjeman’s poem ‘Suicide on Junction Road Station after Abstention from Evening Communion in North London’ was first published in the collection Continual Dew (1937). It’s short enough to quote in its entirety: With the roar of the gas my heart gives a shout—     To Jehovah Tsidkenu th...

2:54 PM
@Bookworm I'm experimenting with a "general interpretation" question here to see if anyone likes the format. I hope it doesn't get closed as "too broad". It's not trivial to find works that are interesting to read, complex enough to reward interpretation, and which haven't already been annotated by scholars.
I think we've had good experiences with general interpretation questions on poetry before.
3:49 PM
Looks like Peter Shor is having fun with it!
@GarethRees I was just coming in here to ask if that's your first shot at the type of question we were discussing on meta :-)
I was the first upvoter. The poem seems interesting with a lot to unpack which isn't obvious at a glance.
4:17 PM
@Randal'Thor Yes, there was clearly no prospect of getting any kind of community support, so I thought I might as well go ahead on my own. Of course, without community support it'll have to be whatever I personally find interesting and/or puzzling.
I'm sure some other highly active/committed users may also be interested in contributing such questions. (Myself, for instance.) Hopefully in the end we can get a nice mix.
 
5 hours later…
9:28 PM
Hmm. If @Standback was still around, I'm sure he'd be able to suggest some good, diverse, interesting short stories for topic challenges...
(That was not a superpibg.)
Squee & Snark doesn't look like it's been updated since... November '19?

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