glebous & comicus The Glebe according to Zeus
Glebe Report February 14, 2014
25
In the land of Glebe
A guinea pig’s perspective on the Glebe
In The Language Garden Not really one – heart and hearth are roots apart By Adelle Farrelly
A new love-pig in town? After three failed love trysts last year, Zeus’ reckless behaviour became the subject of popular gossip among Glebe residents. “He came in several times smelling of parsley-tinis – and well before noon, I might add,” offered the editor of the Glebe Report on condition she not be quoted. Found in the parking lot behind Metro surrounded by empty boxes, deep fried carrots and bottles of parsley-spiked cucumberades, Zeus had finally hit bottom. Healthier and back from a stint at a Gatineau diet spa, the pig’s fortunes may finally be changing thanks to a little help from cupid. “I saw Zeus at the Bytowne with a furry new pig, Xena, watching the love story Gabrielle. They shared a seat and looked quite cozy,” confirmed Paul (see p. 24 for Paul’s review). Others are skeptical, however. “Zeus is a cheap pig and
probably just wanted to save money by sharing a seat! He still hasn’t paid me for the iPoops he ordered last year!” alleged Nabil of PC Perfect. Xena could be trouble, however. Known as the “warrior princess” of marketing, the furry piglet was wooed by GiddyPigs from Hah-Rich, the most successful marketing company in the Middle East. A favourite among several Arab princes, it’s unsurprising she caught the eye of the powerful politicians in our nation’s capital. Indeed, Frank Magazine just broke the story that it had been Xena that was to pose for the PM’s family Christmas card when in a rage of jealousy, PM Tartar hired an unknown chinchilla instead. Either way, the exotic Xena has a long history of breaking both hearts and marriages. Could Zeus be next? To meet Xena in propria persona, please send a $5 cheque or e-transfer to Zeus@GiddyPigs.com.
Sometimes false etymologies can be just as much fun as real ones. Take the example of heart and hearth. Just as Valentine’s Day arrives in the nick of time to warm lucky hearts in the misery of February, so too does a hearth, or fireplace, warm cold and dreary homes. The two words look remarkably similar, and the old saying that “Home is where the heart is” doesn’t help, as it is all too easy to imagine it as “Home is where the hearth is.” Even though the words are only one letter apart, however, they actually come from separate root words. Heart arrives via Old English heorte and hearth via heorth from the same language. The apparent similarity in spelling of those two words only adds to the confusion, but it is superficial. Originally, the “th” at the end of heorth would have been represented with the letter eth, which looks like a lower case “d” with a horizontal line through the stem: "đ.” We have since lost this letter, along with the letters yogh and thorn. As a result, it is quite understandable if you ever made the intuitive, albeit incorrect, connection between heart and hearth, both centres of so much potential warmth. Arguably, the connection, though false, is more charming than the truth. After all, who doesn’t enjoy the thought of sitting cozy with their sweetheart by the fire, especially in February? Adelle Farrelly is a writer and editor who takes heart from digging up the dirt on words and their roots, and pulling back the curtain on our linguistic heritage.
Glebe Musings by Laurie Maclean
Cartoon by Glebe resident Eric J. Martin