Terra:
>Mark Galeotti used several times term "kowtow" in his Kralori "Voice"s. It
>literally means "hit your head to floor" by two chinese characters. It shows
>greatest type of reverence.
I prefer the more prosaic translation "knock head". Unlike his British compatriots who refused to kowtow and so got to taste the death of a thousand cuts, Harry Flashman is always enthusiastically banging his noggin in "Flashman and the Dragon".
>Hmm, this is "oriental" custom to show reverence to rulers. Kneeling down,
>entreating to Father on your knees, as modern muslim do five times to the
>direction of Mecca. Greeks in Alexander time disliked it, though translators
>which I found in internet didn't translate "proskunesis" properly.
I have just spent the day teaching first formers all about court ceremonial in Roman times, from the distinctly egalitarian "Ave" of the Republic through to full "proskunesis" of the adoration of a living god (or at least "Equal of the Apostles" et al later on): I always pick the most obnoxious kids to demonstrate this one. No wonder Constantine Porphygenitus devoted some 200 pages of his manual on court ceremonials to what shoes everyone gets to wear, what with all the lesser minions scooting around on the floor. (We then later moved on to a game where we pretty much simulate the opening scens of the movie Gladiator, which ends with kids linking arms and charging each other, then using "rock paper scissors" to determine the victors. Worked this up from the time we did Home of the Bold II at Convulsion My job-on-side really is way too much fun...
>I don't know lunars do it to their TakenEgi, perhaps I should reread Michael
>O'brien's "Jaxarte and Red Emperor".
Yep, plundered all sorts of Roman/Byzantine stuff for the Moonson stories, though the stuff about the fake food and special markings on the bowls of stuff you can eat comes from the Chinese.
Cheers,
MOB --__--__--
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