On Jun 2, 2004, at 15:44, Panza, Robin wrote:
Didn't the Plucky Little Taylor (a children's story) kill seven in one blow?
So he did, as reported by the Brothers Grimm :)
The design could be a fly-swatter with 7 splats on it!
Add to that Helen's contribution:
Malvary Cole wrote:
I just remembered the Magpie Rhyme - last line: Seven for a secret never to be told.
I think I can do that one on my own!! All you need is a frame, with these
words written at the bottom, or the top...There you are! Instant secret
lace!!
With the 7-splatted fly swatter *within that frame* (and let them guess *which* secret it is... <g>) Love it :)
I also liked Magda's tale of the Belgian "royal seven"; it reminded me of the "magic" attached to the 7th son of the 7th son (and, the same applies to daughters, I think; though, if I remember a-right, nothing good comes out of *that* combination <g>).
It reminded me also of *all kinds* of superstitions connected with the number seven; I spent many years in my childhood and teen years collecting public transportation tickets whose numbers added up to 21 (3x 7, both being lucky)... :) Come to think of it, the "beyond seven mountains... " etc ,*also* invokes the "lucky 21", repeating the "beyond seven" phrase three times. And then there's the 21st birthday; the sign of having arrived at adulthood...
Once on the "superstition trail", and prodded by Debora's list of colours of sin, I dipped into my "Cassell Dictionary of Superstitions"... Quote:
"The number seven is associated with the supernatural and will bring success to any project associated with it (good news <g> T). God created the world in seven days, man lives through seven 'ages' and in ancient times there were thought to be seven planets. The seventh son of the seventh son is said to have the gift of second sight and will make a good doctor, having special powers of healing. If the date of a person's birth is divisible by seven, he or she will enjoy good luck throughout life. The myth of the 'seven year itch' said to tempt adults who have been in the same relationship for that length of time to form new partnerships (I think the person writing this might have profited from "Eats, shoots and leaves" <g> T), is probably derived from the ancient ntion that major changes in a person's life occur after every seven (or nine) years. This idea is welcomed by some parents, who console themselves that badly behaved children will change their ways once they reach the age of seven." End quote.
That last one... In the old days of artisan guilds, it was more "you'd better, or else", rather than *hoping* for a change... :) The whole system was based on a 7-year period; you started sweeping the floor, running errands, and observing your master at about 7. At about 14, you became an apprentice, and started learning in earnest. At about 21, you became a journeyman, semi-independent, travelling and studying with other masters...
I don't think that we need to worry about anyone stealing the ideas via the archives. On the one hand, "Seven" seems to be so firmly entrenched in the various cultures, that some repetitions/similiarities among various projects are inevitable. On the other hand, there are so many of them, we can afford to spare some :)
And, as someone (Jacquie?) pointed out, once (if?) the project gets going (ie we reach the stage of a real "cartoon", on which everyone's agreed), the whole thing is likely to go "underground" for a while, with the visuals available only to participants, and with only words being banded on the list (and, probably, not even those; it's very easy to create a "special" list... Even *I* can do it <g>)
--- Tamara P Duvall http://lorien.emufarm.org/~tpd Lexington, Virginia, USA (Formerly of Warsaw, Poland) Healthy US through The No-CARB Diet: no C-heney, no A-shcroft, no R-umsfeld, no B-ush.
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