Discipline and Punish (in easy lessons)

[robinturner]

I recently wrote: "according to Nietzsche, people in the past had really bad memories, so witnessing someone being flayed alive or broken on the wheel was a handy mnemonic."

Come to think of it, I'm not sure if "mnemonic" is the right word here. Mnemonics along these lines might be more like the following ...

    Do not take up arms to steal,
      Or you'll be broken on the wheel.
    Talk not behind another's back,
      For you may end up on the rack.
    Take not the fruits of others' toil,
      Or you will end up boiled in oil.
    And if you chop the sacred tree,
      Wrapped round it will your innards be.

That last one was a real punishment in ancient Germany, something fluffy-bunny pagans should pause to consider.

Comments

[solri.livejournal.com]

Yes, I did. Doggerel is my speciality.

My comment about fluffy-bunny pagans was not suggesting them that some of them might go lumberjacking in a sacred grove. I was just lampooning the idea that the olde pagans were really nice gentle people, who were in touch with Gaia, respected the power of womyn, sacrificed buckwheat cookies rather than animals or people, and had absolutely nothing to do with the sack of Rome.

[solri.livejournal.com]

Not for you - we seem to have similar views on this subject.