I was incredulous. "Come on, The Little Mermaid? Seriously?"
"You'll like this version," she assured me. "The mermaid is played by Eva Menander."
Upon waking, I tried to find some significance to that name but didn't come up with much. Menander is just a name to me; the only Greek comedy I've engaged with at all is Aristophanes. I tried reading it backwards, as Red nanem ave. It turns out that nanem is a word in Portuguese, the third-person plural imperative of nanar, which is a baby-talk word meaning "sleep," so I guess it could be translated as "Let them go night-night!" (I am completely ignorant of Portuguese and welcome correction from Laeth or the Goes/Gois brothers.)
I found that Menander menander is a blue butterfly from South America. It looks like this:
Dune recently came back up ("Sandworm rounds and Dr. Sand's All-Sand Tart"), and the main character, Paul Atreides, has a name that means "little son of Atreus." As I've mentioned before, Ovid uses precisely that title to refer to Menelaus. Morpho menelaus is another blue butterfly, one that has been featured extensively on this blog. In "Synchronicity, symmetry, and Menelaus blue morpho (and blue Mormon) butterflies," I tie the Menelaus to yet another butterfly, the blue Mormon. I don't think I've mentioned it here before, but ages ago (c. 2002) I briefly had a blog about magic and Mormonism called Blue Mormon, with a blue butterfly as the logo.
Where does Eva fit in, though? Then I remembered that back in the late nineties, when Pokémon was a new thing, one of the Very Special Musical Numbers on The Lance and Willy Show was the hymn "All Creatures of Our God and King" rewritten so that the lyrics consisted of nothing but a long concatenation of the names of different Pokémon, of which the two most salient were the rhyming pair Eevee and Butterfree. Butterfree is of course a butterfly, and it "evolves" from a caterpillar called Caterpie. Those names could be significant given the synchronistic importance of the Free Man and the Pie.
I noticed that "blue butterfly" sounds a lot like "bluebottle fly," and that brought to mind a half-remembered rhyme ending with "But the devil's best friend / Is a bluebottle fly." I remembered that that came from a children's book and that in context it was referring to a "swamp devil." I scoured the Internet in vain for such a rhyme, but finally I found it on Google Books. It's from Liza Lou and the Yeller Belly Swamp (1976) by Mercer Mayer. The full rhyme is:
Cats are sneakyAnd a fox is sly,But the devil's best friendIs a bluebottle fly.
Some of the details about the swamp devil are also interesting:
Bright and early the very next day, Liza Lou's mother said, "Hush Puppy, I want you to take this jug of blackstrap molasses over to the Parson's wife so's she and the Parson can have some breakfast hotcakes. But mind you be most particular when you pass the old well at the far side of the Yeller Belly Swamp.""I will, Momma," said Liza Lou, because she knew all about the sly swamp devil who lived at the bottom of the well. If ever he caught anyone passing by, he jumped down inside his ear and stole his soul away.
In the end, Liza Lou tricks the swamp devil into transforming into a fly and flying into the jug, where he is trapped in the molasses. Molasses is essentially the same thing as treacle, so the juxtaposition with someone "who lived at the bottom of the well" is interesting. It's also significant that the swamp devil steals souls by jumping down inside people's ears. In the comments on "Silver in the ears," which was about Genghis Khan pouring molten silver down people's ears, Bill brought up the Star Trek character Khan, who "placed bugs into the ears of his victims. This ultimately allowed him to control their minds." The swamp devil can transform into a bug, and stealing someone's soul is akin to controlling their mind. Note also that the Parson and his wife need the molasses so that they can have Round Food for breakfast.
So I guess this post brings us right back to those comments of Bill's on "Can you metamorphosize?" that I found so outrageous at the time, where he turned the butterfly into a demonic symbol and connected it with the devil as Lord of the Flies.
14 comments:
William,
When replacing vowels, a D-mOn ( demon) can also
read D-Men or D-Man.
The moon can also be a mon. As in Monday
( Moon's day ).
Flies are also symbolic of transformation
and metamorphosis
so in that regard are flies along with Bees, scarab beetles,
butterflies , bats, the mythical Phoenix, demonic as well?
Demonic meaning : an evil spirit, malignant
supernatural being, an incubus.
If so why is Utah the beehive state?
The devil spelled backwards is live-d . So
when we 'live' and are alive
in physical body are we ALL demonic?
D is the doorway. D-evil.
Interesting the illustration you posted
of the person of color with a fly buzzing
around her/him as if the young child
is attempting to trap the insect inside.
Is that a bee or a hoverfly?
My point being and IMHO, is that everything in
physical matter in this duality dimension, has
a dual nature including a bee and a fly.
I found this interesting in the article below:
Copy and paste:
"We have a tendency to think of flies as garbage-infesting,
picnic-harassing, bloodsucking pests.
But actually, most flies are big allies in the yard and garden."
Copy and paste:
"Flies play crucial roles in ecosystems, including pollination,
waste decomposition, and serving as food sources
for other animals."
~~~~~~
When I first saw the movie Back
to the Future I recall wondering why
the name Marty McFly.
I personally hate flies.
However maybe the surname McFly
was chosen by the script writer as a clue
and symbolic as the protagonist Marty
transcends time and space so as to
make changes, very much like Clark Kent,
Bruce Wayne, and Neo(Matrix).
Granted Marty's changes
weren't as grandiose as the Übermensch trio
Superman, Batman and Neo
however manipulating time and space is
still pretty powerful stuff, no?
All of those archetypes are agents of change.
Is change/transformation/metamorphosis
(in and of itself) demonic/devil/evil?
Hmmm... I personally believe that it is not, but that's just
my opinion.
https://www.birdsandblooms.com/gardening/garden-bugs/bees-flies-identifying-garden-bugs/
Debbie, the picture shows Aliza Lou tricking the swamp devil into flying into the jug of molasses, luring him there with the lie that there is a Parson’s soul in the jug.
Liza, not Aliza.
According to Wiki, Plutarch claimed Caesar's "the die is cast" Rubicon line was a quote from one of Menander's plays (and had a different meaning to the better-known Latin wording). Wiki lists the play as both Arrhephoros, "The Bearer of Ritual Objects", and Auletris, "The Female Flute-Player". Interesting.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menander
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alea_iacta_est
There was a time I could've recited the names of all 151 original Pokémon from memory, probably with no mistakes in ordering. Eevee, numbered 133, is unique in being able to evolve into a range of differently-typed forms; while the amount has increased over time, there were originally three. My favourite, the water-type Vaporeon (#134!), has a tail directly inspired by mermaids, and its colouring has been inconsistent through the years -- see the sprites section in the below link.
bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Vaporeon_(Pokémon)
Debbie's comment brought Gawr Gura's "Ash Again" to mind; I had various parts of it lodged in my head for a while after I commented about it on your Gura post (which, now I look again, also mentions The Little Mermaid). The line I found relevant here is "In dark we change as smoke returns to rain", though the whole song and its video are a metaphor for the woman-behind-Gura's struggles with sudden overwhelming fame and her decision to move on to a new, less restrictive role. It's often bad things that spark movement -- change -- towards good, or at least something better than before.
youtube.com/watch?v=twUFbqyul_M
narrowdesert.blogspot.com/2025/06/another-gross-gawr.html
WG, that's very interesting. This morning I took note of a song I heard playing in a public place: "Feeling Free" by Jesse Lawrence. Here are some of the lyrics:
Got my head over water
For the first time in years
Got my feet ‘cross the border
From a land of tears
Ain’t no way I’m going back under
Got my eyes in the wild blue yonder
What lies beyond the horizon?
Let’s go find out
Feeling free
Free to live my life
(Feeling free)
Free to roll the dice
Free to go left or right
I wanna feel
Free to go wherever I choose
Free to stay or just cut loose
Free to sing
Free to dance
Free to give in to lust and romance
Free
That's what I wanna be
That’s what I wanna be
The "free" theme ties in with Butterfree, which I connected to Menander. "Free to roll the dice" is a link to "the die is cast," and "Got my feet 'cross the border ... Ain't no way I'm going back" sounds a lot like crossing the Rubicon.
*blinks a few times, rubs eyes* Well then.
My thoughts were already stirred by Wiki's notes on Plutarch's rendering: "Literally 'let a die be cast', metaphorically 'let the game be played' [...] Suetonius's Latin translation is slightly misleading, being merely a statement about the inevitability of what is to come, while the Greek original contains a self-encouragement to venture forward." While I have several rivers to cross in the near future, a personal decision is currently troubling me because of likely side-effects. (Hm, am reminded of both a song and a meme...)
youtube.com/watch?v=DWeYX-i1CKU
i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/873/653/2f5.jpg
Have other things to say but they'll have to wait until I'm at a physical keyboard.
Taking Eva Menander and reading it backwards to derive meaning is seriously the most Mr. Mxyzptlk thing you could do. How funny.
I don't think it needs to be overcomplicated, particularly if you have Anne Hath A Way and Cara Way on your mind. In both of those cases, we had a woman's first name followed by mention of a Way. The same holds true in Eva Mendander.
Rather than reading it backwards, I would look at Menander as an Elvish play on words. It is a pretty simple translation, actually. Just break up the name to Men / An / Der, and plug and play. Elvish 101.
"Men", no surprise, gives us as our first option, "Way". Literally the first choice on Eldamo. A good clue we are on to something. It also means "Road, place, to go, proceed", etc. You get the picture.
"An" is a word that gives us "For". Granted, Eldamo positions it as a conjunction, but I think we can use it as a preposition in this game.
And "Der" is a word that means "Man".
Thus, Menander means "Way for Man". A way or road created for Men, is where my mind goes, given my story and the other word games with Anne Hathaway and Caraway.
Eva is a form of the name Eve, the Mother of All Living, and also a name that means Life. In Lehi's dream, the Rail Road leads back to the Tree of Life, and so the name Eva Menander makes complete sense in referring to the Way for Man to return to "Life" or the Tree that represents it.
I think fairly straightforward.
The fact that it is presented in context with the Little Mermaid is interesting and relevant. I believe I mentioned a couple days ago I had the very distinct thought one morning to translate Lone Starr (from Spaceballs) back into Elvish. This gave me the Elvish Ere-El, which when I said it out loud, seemed clearly intended to be the phonetic equivalent of Ariel, and my mind first went to The Little Mermaid.
In Disney's Little Mermaid (the OG - I haven't seen the live action one), the name of the Little Mermaid is Ariel. The name itself means "Lion of God", but importantly it is as a reference to Jerusalem in the Bible, specifically Isaiah 29 (the scriptures that are quoted by Nephi in 2 Nephi 27, though he leaves off Ariel).
In my story, Jerusalem is Tirion, and it is in Tirion where the White Tree of Lehi's vision is. will be. The Rail Road leads back to there for many, and I've guessed that Beings dressed up in their Man-Ape suits will make the walk literally to that other place.
Anyway, Ann Hathaway = Cara Way = Eva Menander. It may seem convoluted to some, but they follow the same pattern and reach the same meaning, and I think the game is played in a pretty clear and clever manner.
I was trying to think of another reason why the name Eva Menander was chosen, though. The other two had reasons for the names being in the game. In thinking about it, the name Eva Mendes came to my mind as an actress who had a very similar sounding name. I didn't even know who the actress was - I just remembered the name and that it was an actress I could look up (the association with an actress fit with the Eva Menander being an actress in your dream).
In looking up Eva Mendes, I saw that she was in the movie Hitch, with Will Smith. Smith came up before thanks to Men in Black. Hitch is another term that is used for Marriage (Will Smith plays a date/ relationship coach in the movie), and it also directly ties to this "Sealing" theme. For other reasons as well to me, the Hitch/ Marriage theme stood out in context with this road back to Tirion and the Tree. Heck, Hitch also has to do with Wagons (Hitch your wagon to a star).
I have another thought on trapping the Devil in a Jug, but will share that in a follow up.
Never mind on the Jug. I looked again at some things that tied in, and I have some different thoughts now.
The girls at the bottom of the treacle well draw things beginning with the letter M. Besides their blue color, that’s another thing the Menander menander, Morpho menelaus, and Mormon butterflies have in common.
The treacle/ Alice line is interesting.
Something else came to me that seems relevant in relation to the Little Mermaid.
Things got crazy for me with Elvish words and lots of dreams really beginning in the fall of 2019. Specifically, on October 13. You know, the season of Pumpkins. This process all kicked off with a riddle of sorts regarding Asenath. As mentioned, she is potentially invoked in these various Anne Hathaway/ Cara Way/ Eva Menander names, and this last Eva Menander tie to a Mermaid I think further supports this guess.
In that fateful riddle/ dream that sort of launched the crazy, a man was standing on something like a small stand and he was surrounded by a small group of people. He gave his, while looking at me (I was among the crowd) with a very curious look on his face. The riddle went:
Asenath may be a man-maid of the sea
She may be called of your flesh much redeemed
She may grow old and die due to events and circumstances
But she may BE something else: What is she?
I can't vouch that I got the middle lines exactly right - I captured them closely enough to give the general idea (this was my very first dream that I started to write down the dialogue, so I wasn't completely prepared), but the opening line is, I believe, verbatim.
This reference to a "man-maid of the sea" would seem to be suggestive of a Mermaid. Mermaid is from Meremayde, which is literally "Maid of the Sea". So, the speaker is calling Asenath a Mermaid, with the addition of the "Man" in front of it. Probably an Elvish riddler, so they wanted to make sure they specified the race as Man.
I have my own riddles to solve, and this connection to a Mermaid is one of them in terms of the link between Asenath herself and Eowyn. Eowyn in my other story elements took the form of Earwen on Valinor, who was Finarfin's wife. The name Earwen means "Sea Maiden", and is yet another, seemingly very direct, reference to a Mermaid.
In fact, the names I've used here to link Asenath to the Little Mermaid and Eva Menander have also been used for Eowyn. It is interesting, because the two of them are several times mentioned together, almost as if in the same breath. So, it is a bit of a mystery to think through. In one such case, the mention of Eowyn and Asenath together also specifically ties to Seals or getting "Hitched", which I'll share again in a follow up comment.
I should note also that even without my 2019 words, there is a connection between Asenath and Mermaids since in Daymon's story we have that strange account of Asenath's son being transformed into a Merman.
William,
Regarding mermaids:
and once again speaking of seals and mermaids and
transformations and metamorphosis, Oh My!!! ,
I forgot to add in my comment about the mermaid also
being symbolic of duality and change.
Their water habitat also gives them a connection
with the other side being, intuition, dreams
telepathy etc, that is, the Sacred Science Knowledge.
Copy and paste:
Mermaids are sometimes associated with
**** perilous events such as storms,
shipwrecks and drownings (Omens).
In other folk traditions
****(or sometimes within the same traditions),
they can be benevolent or beneficent,
bestowing boons or falling in love with humans.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Copy and paste: note the reference to shapeshifting.
Shapeshifting not necessarily referring to something demonic.
Rather having the ability or act of changing one's physical form or appearance.
"Selkies are mythological creatures that can shapeshift
between seal and human forms by removing
or putting on their seal skin.
They feature prominently in the oral traditions
and mythology of various cultures,
especially those of Celtic and Norse origin.
The term "selkie" derives from the Scots word for "seal",
and is also spelled as silkies, sylkies, or selchies.
Selkies are sometimes referred to as selkie folk
(Scots: selkie fowk), meaning "seal folk".
Selkies are mainly associated with the
Northern Isles of Scotland, where they are said
to live as seals in the sea but shed their skin to
become human on land.
*******Selkies have a dual nature:*******
they can be friendly and helpful to humans,
but they can also be dangerous and vengeful.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I know you already know all of this stuff William,
so please don't think I'm being a smart-ass thinking
I know everything because I ABSOLUTLEY DO NOT.
I am simply in awe of all the things that you know William
however I will put a few feathers in my cap as well
especially where it concerns the esoteric
because I've had a lifetime of paranormal
experiences and dreams and a gazillion hours
of research under my belt.
However as I've shared many times on your
blog, I also believe we All have this ability, not just
me. The problem being IMHO,
most of us has just forgotten the language,
courtesy of the Negative Polarity :-((((
I haven't gathered as much knowledge
as I would've liked, but I try to learn something new
everyday which is why I read your blog.
I think what I'm saying is I'm just offering
a different perspective of what
I believe the message of your syncs MIGHT be
by deciphering the Universal Language that they are
spoken in.
The big picture of what I'm trying to say is this:
I think your soul is trying to get your attention William
and that you, are going through a transformation
and truth be told I believe
that WE ALL ARE (humanity collectively ).
I think that humanity is being asked ;
so, are you little seals or big seals?
Hint; "little" being symbolic of children, meaning
being dependent and not being able to think
critically for ourselves.
In order words (and as you previously shared) :
"Ain’t no way I’m going back under
Got my eyes in the wild blue yonder
What lies beyond the horizon?
Let’s go find out"
~~~~~
True dat....
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selkie
Excellent work, Debbie, with the mermaid seal link.
i know the word, but don't remember the last time someone used it. obscure. perhaps more brazilian portuguese. from what i recall, our baby talk go to is rather 'mimir' (from 'dormir'). don't know how helpful this is but anyway.
Thank you William.
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