In Redwall there is a fearsome, hypnotizing serpent called Asmodeus Poisonteeth. The name seems pretty obviously from the Biblical demon/devil (Is there a difference? The Wikipedia page doesn't help) Asmodeus. According to the Wikipedia page, Asmodeus represents/is associated with lust. The name ...

From Double entendre - Wikipedia: A double entendre (plural double entendres) is a figure of speech or a particular way of wording that is devised to have a double meaning, of which one is typically obvious, whereas the other often conveys a message that would be too socially awkward, sexually s...

The Decameron This 14th-century work of Italian literature consists of 100 novellas with a frame story of 10 young people sheltering outside Florence from the Black Death and telling each other 10 stories each day for 10 days. The stories span various genres (or what we would now think of as genr...

I read a lot of Victorian/Edwardian fictional novels, mostly books that were geared towards female readers. Often enough, family members are described as kissing each other. Sometimes a kiss on the cheek will be specified, but not often. I am wondering if this a cultural difference that has chang...