WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT HOMER?
FACT AND FICTION ABOUT THE FIRST POET
by Maia Nestor

Who was Homer, or Homeros, as he was known by the ancients? Where was he from? When did he compose? Was he even the author of both the Iliad and the Odyssey, as the Greeks believed, or even one of them? And did the Trojan War, the subject, at least tangentially, of his two great poems, ever even happen?

We know very little about this man. Tradition labels him a blind poet, but we have no way of knowing if this is indeed fact or supposition. The tradition of blindness probably arises from his depiction of a blind bard in the Odyssey. With Homer, precious little can be known. But the point of his origin, or the origin of the poet, can be narrowed down, as they are composed in an Ionic Greek with some Aeolic frisson. Several places claim his as native son, and scholars now postulate that he may have been from the Ionic Islands, perhaps Rhodes, or Anatolia, the western coast of modern Turkey.

As to the dates of composition, they have long been thought to be of circa 9th century, B.C. Recently, some scholars (see Burgess) have dated him later, to even the sixth century. If we accept the traditional dates, we can say that Homer composed and performed before the adoption of writing as we know it was widespread. Writing or lack of is moot, really, since we know, largely through the groundbreaking work of Milman Parry, that these poems were given orally. The oral tradition still exists in some parts of the world, and it is fairly certain that Homer was a poet in this tradition. Even a cursory examination of the Iliad and the Odyssey gives one certain stock phrases and epithets, which the bard would use as aids to memory. Both poems consist of 25000 lines of largely metrically formulae, and the descriptions of sunsets, or gods, or heroes, etc. helped the poet find and keep his place during performances which lasted for several hours. The lines of the poems were composed in complete lines six metrical units of length, employing dactylic hexameter. As these fixed forms were divided into units of certain length, the formulae were crucial.

We can't even assert with any degree of certitude that one man was the author of both poems. Indeed, there are two schools of thought about said authorship. The Separtists argue that these are works of two separate authors, while the traditionalists believe that they are consistent with the same hand at different levels of maturity, the Iliad being the work of a younger poet, and the Odyssey done by a more seasoned hand. \tab For many years, it was thought that the Trojan War, traditionally believed to have taken place circa 1200 B.C., was nothing but a literary device. In the latter nineteenth century, Heinrich Schliemann, armed with only a copy of Homer, set out to find the city of Troy, and apparently he was successful, excavating a hill called Hissarlik in Anatolia. Although this site wasn't precise on all points in Homer (the proximity to the sea, the size of the city), recent excavations by Korfmann have uncovered a sizeable lower town and what appears to be a ditch analogous to the ditch built by the Achaeans in Homer. Soundings of the marsh near Hissarlik have also shown that at the time in question, Hissarlik was much closer to the sea than it is today. Further archaeological digs have unearthed a society that we label Mycenaean, reflective of the world of the heroes depicted in Homer.

Although Homer uses many things from his own time that did not exist in the Late Bronze Age, he has some telling details that no longer existed in his day (for example, the boars tusk helmet) that were consistent with the Late Bronze Age. We can't say whether the War happened as Homer described, or if he was taking poetic license with a series of Mycenaean raids against Anatolian cities, but some of his details lead one to think that he was at the very least basing his poems on a tradition carried down from that time.

What we can say about Homer is that these poems have had an immeasurable influence. In ancient Athens, the tyrant Pisistratus, created a law that all visiting poets would have to recite all they knew of Homer to a body of scribes, who would take their words down. All these versions were collated into what we now call the Iliad and the Odyssey. Aristotle praised Homer extravagantly, and Plato quoted him liberally. We can see how these works had a profound efect on much of the literature of the Greek and Roman World; we also could say that the compelling version of an Heroic Age shaped Greek society, and by extension, the Romans. These two peoples shaped much of our current western civilization- it's not that much of a stretch, then, to say that this maybe blind poet of whom we know so little is still impacting our world today.

So what made and makes him so compelling in the three thousand odd years of his existence? Modernists would eschew the formulaic style of the pieces, and he does use stock characters; i.e. characters already well known by his audience. Why are we so enamored of these works? The answer lies in the genius of the poet. He takes these stock characters and makes them live. The Trojan War is only the backdrop of the Iliad. The central theme, which he states up front, is the wrath (metis) of Achilles, but we not only follow the progression of this character, with his excellence and doubts and transformations, but we note the other characters, fully-fleshed as they are, from the unspeakable Thersites, to the wise Nestor, to the aged Priam, to the heroic Hektor to the gods themselves. Although I don't agree that this is an anti-war piece in the sense that thsi was his agenda, I will allow that Homer has the broad humanistic perspective that permits us to see that these are people caught by circumstance and geography- his approach is nonpartisan and because of this, all the characters possess, in the words of Heywood Broun, souls and elbows. We can feel Achilles grief at the death of Patroclus, just as we can feel the sense of dread hovering about the shoulders of Andromache as she fears for her husband.Who can forget the scene where he depicts both the Achaeans and Trojans sitting on the plain at night, each seeing the others' campfires?

In the Odyssey, again Homer did not invent the genre of the Nostoi, or Returns, of the varying Greek heroes. His creativity lies in both the construct of the poem- using in media res to create texture and interest instead of giving us a linear and lesser recitation- and in his choice of hero, the endlessly inventive and pragmatic Odysseus, the ultimate survivor, and possibly the first modern hero. Odysseus' unshakable need to return home resonates within us and outside of us. (Think Baum's Dorothy and her 'there's no place like home.' Think of the theme of spirituals, the 'going home' and of course, the major objective of Basball, which is to get home.) Of course, Odysseus needs to surmount insurmountable odds, like any great hero. And as we take the journey with him, we're struck by his love story, his deeds of derring-do, his sense of survival, and his need to know. No wonder Athena (and she is the goddess of wisdom, remember) adores him.

I couldn't let this article end without mentioning Homer's portrayal of the gods as basically indestructable humans. We see jealousy, one-upmanship, jockeying for position, subterfuge- say what you will, his gods are a hoot. He takes the entire spectrum of humanity and metes it out in believable fashion, and he does so in words - winged words to quote the author - that thunder. Homer contributes an enormous amount to the understanding and the deepening of the pool of human knowledge - so what if we don't know if Homer is his true name, or much about him at all? For us, it should suffice to kow that he existed at all. For me, it does.

FINDING A STORY
MARIA'S ROLEPLAY HELPDESK CONTINUES
by Maria Marius

As I have stated in an earlier edition of the Acta Diurna, to write an interactive story (or to do roleplay), you need a group, a story and a character. I've already delved into the mysteries of developing a character. So maybe it's time to discuss creating a story.

The entire point of interactive writing is that you do it with other people. (If it is not interactive, it is just called "writing" and you do it alone in a sensory deprivation chamber.) We will assume, for the sake of this article, that you have some folks who want to work with you on a story. So. Now you need a plot or story line.

Where can you get one of those?

First of all, please understand that there has been nothing new written since Homer produced the Iliad. Choose any story you have ever read, and you will find the core of that story in Homer. Jane Austen handled the concepts a bit differently than did, say, Mickey Spillane. But it's all there in the Iliad. Trust me. Did you ever read Shakespeare? Even HE didn't fabricate new stories. He retold the old ones… and did it so well that we are still reading him almost half a millennium later.

My point is not that you have to be Shakespeare. What I am saying is that, if there is nothing really new, then we can all feel free to borrow from others and we need not worry about being "good enough" at creating the plot. As an aside, however, I note that it is inappropriate to simply steal a story written by another--that is called "plagiarism." What you can do, however, is borrow themes or combine situations.

Arthur Miller may own the copyright on the play "Death of a Salesman," but he does not own the concept of a man who devotes his life to soul destroying pursuits. Nor does Shakespeare own the idea that ungrateful children might torment their ailing father. And Cinderella doesn't hold a lock on the concept that a woman might hate the drudgery of her life and dream of being rescued by a prince who will take her to a better place.

So… suppose you and your friends considered the above stories, and decided that it would be good to write about a tired man who has devoted his life to acquiring wealth for the benefit of his family. He has worked tirelessly to satisfy a rapacious wife and children who don't respect him. On top of all that, his younger brother schemes behind his back to take everything he has worked to build.

Nothing new there. Not really. Set that story in Rome and make the guy a senator who has been building wealth through secret (and highly illegal) trade arrangements. Put it in Germania, and turn the guy into a Viking marauder who would have preferred to trade peacefully but found it to be less profitable than taking goods and captives by force of arms. Maybe you would prefer Greece in the Golden Age? How about having the guy dream of being a philosopher all the while he is accumulating great wealth through trading slaves captured unlawfully from Ionia? And on his way back home from… wherever… the guy rescues a young woman from some horrific danger and she is so grateful to him that she… Well, you get the drift.

You can do the same sort of thing with television shows or movies. George Lucas doesn't own the idea that a young man would dream of being an important warrior who saves his people from an evil enemy. The Law and Order folks don't have a monopoly on the concept of government employees working together in varied capacities to control crime. And neither Nathanial Hawthorne nor Grace Metalious owned the plot device of secret sexual liaisons that cause pain and torment to the participants all out of proportion to whatever joy the affairs might have brought.

Personally, I find reading police case files to be highly inspirational. So are newspaper stories. Pay attention to the gossip your aunt tells your mother. In our town, there once was a family in which a woman had four children by her husband. She divorced the man and married his father, by whom she then had four more children. The four older children were half-siblings of their mother's younger children, but the older ones were also nieces and nephews of the younger ones. Think of the wonderful story you could set in Babylon or Egypt based on THAT family!

You can also use a Macguffin to spur your creativity. A Macguffin is a plot device that explains or drives a situation in a particular direction without needing to provide a full explanation of how or why that device functions. Alfred Hitchcock once explained that he wanted to make a film about a man who forces a woman to go to bed with another man because it was his professional duty. He wanted to set the film in Brazil and implicate Germans engaging in nefarious activity of some sort. Hitchcock needed a reason for the Germans to be in Brazil. He thought of jewel mining (Brazil produces some of the most outstanding precious minerals and gems in the world) but then one day, it occurred to him that uranium would be a good thing to use instead of gems or gold. The atomic bomb had not yet been unleashed when the film was in pre-production. Neither Hitchcock nor his partner knew exactly what Germans might want with uranium. But Hitchcock figured that if Rutherford could split the atom and unleash heat, then somebody someday would probably make a bomb. His partner felt that it didn't much matter. What they were interested in doing was putting together a love story and one Macguffin was as good as another as long as it forced the characters where they needed to go. Notorious was released in 1946, and has been engrossing audiences ever since.

The advantage of working with a group of people is that you can throw out a tentative idea…and let others add their own take on it. I was in a chat meeting with several friends the other day and was asked, "Why can't we have an alternative history story?" The answer, of course, is that we CAN have an alternative history story. So the next question was "What if Cleopatra and Antony were stronger than Octavian and his allies?" Which led to, "What if Eleanor Roosevelt could fly?" Now, we didn't really want Eleanor to appear in our story, nor did we want a flying super model. (Well, perhaps one of us DID want a flying super model but that idea was voted down.) However the ensuing discussion led to a consideration of technology that the Romans almost possessed and people who almost lived long enough to do certain things and events that almost happened one way but turned out differently … which led to a discussion of a whole series of additional what ifs? This all resulted in the creation of a new story at ResPublica Romana called Time of Chaos.

How that story will turn out is anybody's guess at this point. But it is the process of creating the story that is important. The fun is in the interactive exchange … and taking an old familiar character and using him or her to see a new situation in a familiar way--or in creating a new character who can see a familiar situation in a new way.

The tale is told that Michelangelo once explained the process of creating a sculpture was simply a matter of seeing the statue and chipping off all the extra marble that was not needed. The stories are out there waiting for you to see them. They are everywhere. All you need to do is chip away the details you don't need, and add a spin that you find satisfying.

SOCRATES THE PECULIAR
WINNING ESSAY OF THE PHILOS SOPHIA GROUP ESSAY CONTEST
by Nikolaos Cleomenes

“The way that an individual can understand Socrates determines the basic line of the thought.”

Karl Jaspers: Die Grossen Philosophen, 1957.

Socrates used a word, which the Athenians used for him, and he announced himself with that term: “I am most peculiar person and I am driving men to perplexity”. (Plato, Theaetetus 149a “But I assure you it is true; only do not tell on me to the others; for it is not known that I possess this art. But other people, since they do not know it, do not say this of me, but say that I am a most eccentric person and drive men to distraction. Have you heard that also?” That is the translation given by Harold North Fowler, Plato: Plato in Twelve Volumes, Cambridge, MA, Harvard Univ. Press, London 1921.) The actual Greek text is: τοῦτο μὲν οὐ λέγουσι περὶ ἐμοῦ, ὅτι δὲ ἀτοπώτατός εἰμι καὶ ποιῶ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἀπορεῖν”

The word ἀτοπώτατός (atopwtato is recorded to the ancient Greek language with success but is difficult to be translated. Schleiermacher (Über den Werth des Socrates als Philosophen, In: Sämtliche Werke. Berlin 1938. 3. Abt. 2Bd. S. 287-308.) gave the following suggestion and translated the word as “eigen”. The ancient Greek word is superlative of the adjective “atopos, meaning “atopwtatos” (atopos = incongruous). The first letter “a” is a privative prefix affront of the word topos = meros (place = area), qesis = position, which have also be transferred in numerous forms to the German language too. For example the words “unpassend und unstatthaft” Thus the word “atopos” means something that is not at the correct position and for that reason gives the impression of a thing, which is peculiar. Thus, when Schleiermacher translated the Greek word with the German word “eigen” = peculiar gives us the correct meaning but not the actual Greek word.

The same difficulty exists at the second part of the phrase. Its main core is the verb “aporein” = wonder. That word can be a helpful fact. If we will try to translate it we can realize that has, as the above-mentioned term, the letter “a” that once more is a privative prefix, and then follows the subject with the root meaning. That subject, the ancient Greek word “poros”, means the passage, the way through a river; let us remember the forma Greek word, which named as “tenagos”, although the word “poros” means additionally a “narrow sea passage”.

We can conclude that the word means all the passages through the water element. Hence, “aporein” means, after all, the lack of passages, or a way to lead you further ahead, because you cannot see a path for that.

We can understand for what reason the Athenians called Socrates accordingly! Socrates in his discussion with Theaetetus continues and enplaned, as always, the reason of why they called him like that. The reason is the maieutiki (maieutikh), as he stated, “I am the son of a noble and burly midwife, Phaenarete.” I cannot find a reason to post all that remarkable passage, and thus I will just continue. Socrates was, like the Sophists, a man who did not care about the natural or non-ethical problems. He did not ask himself if the death is good or bad in its nature. But the different between the Socratic and Sophist teachings, eventually, is the different of the means used for the examination of the human knowledge. The Socratic examination (elegcos) and the sophist antilogy, is the diversity between a dog and a cat (Plato, Sophist 231a6). He claimed that his goal is to examine mans capability to understand his ethical importance. The mean is the use of maieutiki, he named it literary, because throughout his examination process can give berth of every mans daimonion, his personal daemon.

Ethic spirit, the daimon, is the a virtues human, who has as his highest reason of existence the just judgments and the uncontrollably explore of his life, “a non-explored life is not worthy to live it.” Socrates’ daimon voiced to him. He went to the court and he judged from the city of Athens as guilty. Socrates did not hear his daimon and thus accept his death as something moral and intrinsic worthy!

Appendix
The actual Socratic discussion mentions the above-mentioned phrase translated by Harold North Fowler plus the ancient Greek text:

Plato, Theaetetus
[149a] Socrates: Have you then not heard, you absurd boy, that I am the son of a noble and burly midwife, Phaenarete? Theaetetus: Yes, I have heard that. Socrates: And have you also heard that I practice the same art? Theaetetus: No, never. Socrates: But I assure you it is true; only do not tell on me to the others; for it is not known that I possess this art. But other people, since they do not know it, do not say this of me, but say that I am a most eccentric person and drive men to distraction. Have you heard that also?
[149b] Theaetetus: Yes, I have.

(The ancient Greek text can be readable by using the fonts: Athena, Palatino Linotype and other Unicode Greek polytonic supported fonts. You can find some here.)

Bibliography:
The above text is based on the following book(s):
Plato. Plato in Twelve Volumes, Vol. 4 translated by Harold North Fowler. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1977.
Plato. Plato in Twelve Volumes, Vol. 9 translated by Harold N. Fowler. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1925.
Plato. Plato in Twelve Volumes, Vol. 12 translated by Harold N. Fowler. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1921.

HOW THE CHAINSAW CAME TO STAY
A SEMI-DIVINE COLUMN
by Cornellia Cornelius

It’s that time again. Time for ACTA and Max has been reminding me to write an article and has even offered me lots of suggestions as he continues to remind me.

Like about how many folks I've banned this week. - Well that won't work since I've not banned anyone and sincerely hope I don't have to for a very long time.

He suggested I write about the times I've smacked him. - Hmmmm... he said an article, not a book, so that's out of the question.

Something of interest to the masses, he says. - Like what?

How about the story of your chainsaw and how a Roman demigoddess came to carry such a high tech instrument.

Really a very simple story. It all started back in Ancient Sites in about April, 1998 and back when I was just a member of the site.Several members had started 'The Red Headed Angry Poet's League'. I thought immediately, now that's something that is tailored made for me. I am naturally redheaded. So I applied - and was quickly rejected by BigFrank Cassius and Strabo Furius.

Seems I had neglected the other part of the entry. One must write a poem. So I sat down with a friend of mine and chose the subect of Easter (it was the Easter season, after all) and we wrote a poem, bearing in mind that it must be an angry poem.I submitted the poem and was once again rejected by Strabo even though he had admitted my Gemina, Pomponia Tullius and my Twin, maia Nestor.

I reacted to this travesty of justice in true Roman style, I plotted revenge which took the form of a short post where Strabo was killed by a chainsaw. Of course, I was holding it at the time. I was readily admitted to the Red Headed Angry Poet's League for my superb short story.

Later that year, Strabo received a scanner and made a very nice drawing of several folks at Ancient Sites and he was kind enough to include me, complete with chainsaw and from that day forward became more than just a fashion accessory. It was now my weapon of choice. We later rewarded Strabo by making him Ancient Sites own Holyman. Revenge is sweet.

HISTORY OF ANCIENTWORLDS
PART IV
by Heraklia Aelius

On March 31, 2001, hundreds of ancient history enthusiasts world-wide woke up to an Internet without AncientSites and had to figure out what to do with themselves. The “AncientSites Diaspora” began from the final “lights-out” of the site the day before. In the next few months, AncientSites members were instrumental in founding or helping develop Pan Historia, Historywalker, Ancient Domains, AncientSites Alliance, Ancient Times, and literally dozens of Yahoo and Community Zero groups throughout the web, all devoted more or less to ancient history, all hoping to recreate the AS community. It was my personal experience - being involved in a “Britannia,” a “Rostra,” and a site devoted to Julius Caesar, and almost all of the others at various times - that although there were many options out there, the largely-standard bulletin board format lacked something . . . even though I couldn’t put my finger on just what. With all this now-free time on my hands, without an online home to visit, I began working on a web site on Julius Caesar and frequently mourned the passing of the community and camaraderie of AncientSites. You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone. We all tried to keep in touch by e-mail, although people began to drift away as new sites became established.

Jot had largely disappeared after AS went down, and Decimus, perhaps joking, said he would take his grief and disappointment to a genuine Aegean island for a vacation. So I was surprised, sometime in late summer, 2001, to get an e-mail from Jot. To my astonishment, he asked if I thought anyone would be interested in rebuilding AncientSites from the ground up.

Many of us had invested so much emotionally in the community at AS that, at first, all I could think of was, “can we do it?” Without a central place to keep track of former members - although AncientSites Alliance did its best - I’d lost track with 80% of the people I had known in the six months since AS went down. Second, I had learned that it can take big bucks to run a site. Right after AS closed, I’d spent time at writing sites like ThemeStream, only to find them begin to wink out, one after another, because “free sites” were becoming a thing of the past. How could Jot finance it? Wouldn’t we need offices, developers, staff, all the things that AncientSites had? But from the instant he mentioned it, the idea took root and I realized how very much I missed what had been, even if I hardly believed anything would come of his e-mail. And he was determined that, this time, no fancy office, no suits developing ideas, this would be his “baby” the way he’d originally thought about AncientSites. It seemed worth a try, but I hardly dared believe anything would come of it.

However, Jot didn’t give up. By very early January, 2002, I received a sworn-secret invitation to come alpha-test the new site, along with Julilla, Cornellia, JoJo, and a few others who agreed to beta-test. Due to copyright problems, we couldn’t call it “AncientSites,” but “AncientWorlds” seemed appropriate. I realized Jot was single-handedly writing every bit of the software himself in his spare time. Slowly, January crawled by with three or four of us doing bug-hunts, seldom online at the same time - and grams didn’t work yet! There wasn’t much more than a domus and a few boards, but from the second I saw the long-familiar black-and-gold logo and the graphics, I had the oddest feeling of homecoming. But that left out one critical element - the community itself.

Somehow, and I’ve never known just how, in early February a wave of people trooped back, all former AS citizens, and each one having heard from word of mouth that “AS is coming back!” in spite of Jot’s hope of secrecy until everything was ready. Instead of no one online when I went on to test, suddenly familiar faces, not seen for 10 months, seemed everywhere! The newly-recreated grams flew, with people happily greeting familiar faces and asking a million questions. There was a kind of delerium about that period . . . people were so ecstatic to find their “home” had returned that we all got rather soppy and thoroughly happy. Drinking parties were everywhere as, every day it seemed, former friends regathered and once-familiar names reappeared on the CommPanel.

So we came up with the idea of a Beta Launch on the very anniversary of AncientSites’ demise, March 30, 2002, and the developing citizens of Machu Picchu, Rome, Athens, Tara, and Babylon got involved in trying to plan something appropriate to welcome our citizens home. After much thought, it had been decided NOT to bring back New York (always rather an historical anomaly at AncientSites), so there were just the five cities - Germania’s development, and the morphing of Tara into Celtia, were months in the future.

From the very beginning, Jot knew that, to survive, the site would require subscription. Too many online communities had gone bust in the year AS was down to leave any doubt that free sites were an endangered species. But it was agreed not to pursue subscriptions until we found out the level of interest. Right up to the Beta launch and well beyond, there was no certainty that there would be enough interest, or financial support, for the new site to survive. I often thought about the early days of AncientSites, when Jot and Decimus were creating S.P.Q.R. in their living rooms, and wondered how Jot found time for all the programming after a full work day. But almost weekly, new features rolled out and the constant stream of “homecomers” continued.

The Beta-Launch occupied the days leading up to March 30 with a “Olympic” ceremony, lighting the old AncientSites torch on Mt. Olympus itself, with runners from all the cities then carrying it proudly through every corner of our ancient world. Finally, on March 30, the last runners brought the torch into Rome itself, founding city of the community. We’d all agreed that the torch would be lit precisely at 10 PM EST . . . we only overlooked one problem, that the fragile system buckled under an unprecedented 44 people online!! Trying to get those last posts up felt like doing so in the midst of a divinely technical hurricane, with grams disappearing and posts disappearing, but finally Jot managed to “light” the AncientWorlds torch that we now see everyday at log-in - and AncientWorlds was “unofficially” open!

Almost immediately, planning began for a genuine “official” Launch. Slowly, ideas developed for a new community, Germania - while our Celts worked to extend the borders of their community and became Celtia. We agreed to work on a “Gold Launch” program based on the cruise of an ancient sailing vessel, The Golden Phoenix, with cruise stops at all our ancient communities, each proudly displaying their history and culture as well as offering plenty of virtual food and wine.

The Cruise of the Golden Phoenix was an unqualified triumph for each city, as newly-inaugurated scribes worked their fingers (almost literally) to the bone and thousands of posts celebrated the official return of AncientWorlds. Jot worked overtime trying to make sure a new server would support the increased numbers at the site, unveiling new features almost daily. What struck me, as the celebrations went on from October 18 until the “official” birthday of November 2, was the good nature of everyone involved. It was as if, having “lost” our prior community, everyone was working particularly hard to bring positive contributions and good will to the new community. A system of subscription memberships was inaugurated at the same time as the Launch and people ponied up with relatively little complaint. Perhaps losing, and then refinding, our world of shared interests had focused us all on keeping what we had this time around!

The thrill of having AncientWorlds “back” makes me realize how many old friends I had missed and how many new ones I’ve made in the past 18 months. Jot views this community as a chance to do some of the creative programming never possible at AncientSites, and his ideas show me that “the sky’s the limit” for what he wants this site to be. But I will not forget what makes AncientWorlds (and AS before it) so special - that quality of community, as I saw old neighbors returning and creating life, interest, and humor where there had been only empty cities. Here’s to AncientWorlds . . . and long may our new incarnation survive!

TREE SIGNS OF THE CELTS
FIND OUT WHAT YOUR TREE IS LIKE
by Senenmut Hatshepsut

The ancient Celts used to give their newborn babies the sign of a tree. What’s your tree, and are you like it ? Find out below!

Dec 23 to Jan 01 Apples
Jan 02 to Jan 11 Fir
Jan 12 to Jan 24 Elm
Jan 25 to Feb 03 Cypress
Feb 04 to Feb 08 Poplar
Feb 09 to Feb 18 Cedar
Feb 19 to Feb 28 Pine
Mar 01 to Mar 10 Willow
Mar 11 to Mar 20 Limes
Mar 21 Oak
Mar 22 to Mar 31Hazelnut
Apr 01 to Apr 10 Rowan
Apr 11 to Apr 20 Maple
Apr 21 to Apr 30 Walnut
May 01 to May 14 Poplar
May 15 to May 24 Chestnut
May 25 to Jun 03 Ash
Jun 04 to Jun 13 Hornbeam
Jun 14 to Jun 23 Fig
Jun 24 Birch
Jun 25 to Jul 04 Apples
Jul 05 to Jul 14 Fir
Jul 15 to Jul 25 Elm
Jul 26 to Aug 04 Cypress
Aug 05 to Aug 14 Poplar
Aug 15 to Aug 23 Cedar
Aug 24 to Sep 02 Pine
Sep 03 to Sep 12Willow
Sep 13 to Sep 22 Limes
Sep 23 Olive
Sep 24 to Oct 03 Hazelnut
Oct 04 to Oct 13 Rowan
Oct 14 to Oct 23 Maple
Oct 24 to Nov 11 Walnut
Nov 12 to Nov 21 Chestnut
Nov 22 to Dec 01 Ash
Dec 02 to Dec 11 Hornbeam
Dec 12 to Dec 21Fig
Dec 22 Beech

Apples
They are usually small people with a big love of life. They are always in love, want to give love and desire to be loved. Apples exude a lot of charm and have plenty of appeal and imagination. Ready to tackle any adventure, they are carefree and live for today. A flirt at any party, they are devoted and affectionate at home. Many Apples work in scientific pursuits-a career often at odds with their philosophical nature.

Ash
Ambitious and enterprising, the Ash tree is energetic and impulsive. Tending towards vanity, they are often uncommonly attractive and don’t care for criticism. Exacting, intellectual and skilful, they like to play with their fate. They are very faithful and trustworthy, and are devoted and discreet lovers, although sometimes their brains rule over their hearts.

Beech
The Beech is the creative tree. They also have good taste and can be on the materialistic side. They care about how they look and take a pride in what they wear. They are good at organising and managing their life and can be frugal when necessary. They rarely take risks and are good with a budget. A born leader, they are usually reasonable logical and measured individuals.

Cedar
Confident and adaptable, the Cedar often displays a very rare beauty. They are also quick-thinking, self-confident and determined. They like to live in the lap of luxury and are mostly fit and healthy. Never shy, the Cedar will make judgments and be quick to look down on others. Quick-tempered and impatient, their desire is to impress others with their many talents. Cedars are very hard workers. They retain an optimism for life and are forever waiting for that one true love.

Chestnut
Honest to the very end, the Chestnut is of unusual beauty. Vivacious and full of life, they can often act superior, but this may be a cover for a lack of confidence and a feeling of being misunderstood. Displaying a well-developed sense of justice, the Chestnut is a diplomat, but can be irritable and sensitive in others’ company. They love only once and have difficulty in finding a partner.

Cypress
Faithful to the end, the Cypress is strong and muscular. They are good at coping with life’s ups and downs and are also very adaptable and optimistic. Mostly happy and content, they are passionate lovers who can rarely cope with loneliness. They need money and praise for their actions and can be insecure. The Cypress tree is also quick-tempered, wild, academic and reckless.

Elm
Noble-minded and generous, the Elm tree loves a laugh and enjoys making other people happy. They usually have nice bodies and like to wear tasteful clothes, although they don’t care too much for material possessions on the whole. They forgive mistakes easily and are cheerful and practical. Faithful and honest in their partnerships, the Elm likes to take the lead, but is not as skilled at obeying authority. With their know-it-all attitude, they also like to make decisions for others.

Fig
Down-to-earth and sensible, the Fig is a strong, self-willed and independent person who does not allow contradiction or arguments into their life. A lover of family, children and animals, the Fig is wonderful to have around at Christmas time. With the tendency to be a bit of a butterfly, they have a good sense of humour and are practical and intelligent. They love spending idle and lazy hours.

Fir
Displaying immaculate style and taste, Fir trees are ones to adore the beautiful things in life. They like to be dignified and mysterious and can often be aloof. They can also be moody, stubborn and egotistical, but always care deeply for those who are close to them. In their professional lives, they are talented, ambitious and reliable, and make many friends-and enemies-along the way. The Fir is not often happy with the way their partner performs in the bedroom.

Hazelnut
They stand out in the crowd and know how to make an impression. Extraordinarily charming, the Hazelnut is undemanding and very tolerant. They stand up for what they believe and for the rights of others and are often active fighting social causes. A good sense of judgment accompanies the Hazelnut’s choice of lover and they are an honest and tolerant partner, although they can be demanding and changeable in the bedroom.

Hornbeam
Marked by their cool beauty and tasteful clothes, the Hornbeam takes pride in their looks and state of health. They exhibit very good taste and they know it ! The Hornbeam likes life to be comfortable, but they also like to be disciplined with an early-to-bed, early-to-rise mentality. Unsure of themselves and rarely happy with their state of mind, Hornbeams look for kindness, acknowledgment and emotion from a partner, but they mistrust most people. They like to dream of unusual lovers.

Limes
Plagued with self-doubt, the Lime tree is a passive type and will often make sacrifices for their friends. They are also multi-talented, but lack drive and often tend towards laziness and idleness. They avoid arguments, stress and hard work. Likely to accept life’s lot without a whimper, they are soft and relenting. They like to complain and have a very jealous streak, although they can be very loyal partners.

Maple
The Maple is independent of mind and is very hard to categorise because they are out of the ordinary. Filled with imagination and originality, they can be shy and reserved about their ideas, but still maintain their ambition. Proud and full of self-respect, the Maple hungers for new experiences and wants to impress those important to them. They can be nervous and display many complexes. They have a good memory which can make for a complicated love-life. They also make money easily.

Oak
Strong and unchanging, the Oak is very courageous and robust. Not keen on variety, they are unrelenting, independent and sensible. A person of action, the Oak always has their feet on the ground.

Olive
The Olive is wise and tolerant. They are also known to be impartial, reasonable and balanced. They bask in the warmth of the sun and of the feelings of those they love. The Olive avoids aggression and disorder and instead prefers to be calm and merry. They have an inbuilt sense of justice and are sensitive and emphatic to others. They are never the jealous type. The Olive tree loves to read and spend time in the company of sophisticate people.

Pine
An individual, the Pine tree revels in keeping good company. They are strong and very robust and know how to live life comfortably. Always on the go, they like natural pursuits and a good companion. Not known for their friendly nature, Pines do fall in love easily, but the passion is brief probably because, as in other parts of their lives, they give up too easily. There are many disappointments for the Pine until they find their ideal partner, but in a relationship they will be trustworthy and practical.

Poplar
An air of uncertainty marks the Poplar tree. They may look very decorative, but they rarely possess confident behaviour and are only courageous if absolutely necessary. They also require a pleasant home and work environment and are often artistic by nature with good organisational skills. Choosy and sometimes lonely, they can harbour great animosity. Poplars love to philosophise and are reliable in any situation. When they choose a partner, they choose them seriously.

Rowan
There are many attributes for the lucky Rowan, who is sensitive and brimming with charm, cheerfulness and gifts. Lacking an ego they do, however, like to draw attention to themselves. They love life and are not fussed when complications set in. They are always on the move and are calm amidst any commotion. Both dependent and independent, they have good taste and an artistic bent. They are passionate and emotional and are always good company. But watch out-they don’t forgive easily !

Walnut
Passionate and unrelenting, the Walnut is strange and full of contrasts. Equipped with big egos, they are aggressive, spontaneous and can have unexpected reactions. They see the big picture and have broad horizons coupled with unlimited ambition. Ingenious strategists, they are inflexible and not always liked, but are often admired. They can be difficult partners because of their jealousy, but they are usually passionate lovers, too.

Willow
Melancholy and often sad, the Willow is one of the most beautiful trees. A dreamer, who has a taste for anything exquisite and elegant, they love to travel and are often restless if they can’t escape. They are difficult to live with and are mostly demanding and sometimes frivolous. But they are honest and care about people’s problems and have good intuition. Love can be elusive for them.