L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 18 L'Italo-Americano L ook, if you really want to insult an Italian man, look no further than t h e w o r d cornuto. While it sounds pretty innocuous in English, where it means "horned," it is the ultimate swear word to throw at your male enemies in the Bella Lingua, replete w i t h m i l d l y c h a u v i n i s t i c u n d e r t o n e s a n d d i r e c t l y hinting at their inability to keep a partner satisfied. Yes, b e c a u s e a c o r n u t o i s a c u c k o l d , a m a n w h o s e significant other has found i n t i m a t e s o l a c e w i t h someone else. A n d w h i l e t h e w o r d i s u s e d f o r w o m e n , t o o (cornuta), men tend to take it much, much more at heart. W e u s e d t o b e a s t r o n g l y patriarchal society, where manliness and virility used to be associated not only with t h e a b i l i t y t o c a r e a n d provide for the family but also with moral rectitude. A n d w h i l e , t o d a y , w e ' r e thankfully done with that kind of genderized nonsense, u n e a s i n e s s r i s e s nevertheless, in the heart of those who are called cornuto to their face. B u t h o w i s t h e i d e a o f being "horned" connected with being cheated on? W e l l , t h e o r i g i n o f t h e expression is not clear. In ancient times, horns were a symbol of virility, courage, and strength, so much so the Olympian gods were often r e p r e s e n t e d w i t h h o r n e d heads, and kings weren't new t o a d d h o r n s t o t h e i r insignia. But, perhaps, we're e v e n m o r e f a m i l i a r w i t h a n c i e n t w a r r i o r s ' h o r n e d helmets (just think of the V i k i n g s ! ) , t h e m s e l v e s a symbol of prowess. Linguists have been trying t o u n d e r s t a n d w h e n t h e ominous association between horns and conjugal infidelity came to be, but they haven't quite settled on a univocal solution. A c c o r d i n g t o s o m e , w e need to take a journey back t o 1 2 t h c e n t u r y Constantinople (modern- day Istanbul), at the time of E m p e r o r A n d r o n i c u s C o m n e n u s w h o w a s , apparently, quite the tyrant. When someone got on his nerves, he'd get their wives kidnapped to turn them into concubines, then have the head of a deer hung at their door, to symbolize the "prey" he had brought home. When, i n 1 1 8 5 , W i l l i a m t h e Conqueror's soldiers arrived in Thessaloniki, they were a m u s e d - - a n d c e r t a i n l y intrigued -- by the number of horned heads hanging on people's doors. Upon asking locals, they found out about the Emperor's habit. They found it so funny that, once b a c k i n S i c i l y , t h e y a p p a r e n t l y m a d e t h e expression "placing horns" (mettere le corna, in Italian, which is common language for "cheating on") popular on the island and, from there, it eventually spread across the country. A c c o r d i n g t o o t h e r s , however, it's not to moody A n d r o n i c u s w e o w e t h e expression mettere le corna at all. In fact, it may have o r i g i n a t e d m u c h e a r l i e r , although not too far from C o n s t a n t i n o p l e a t a l l . L e g e n d s s a y t h a t t h e expression may be connected to the mythological birth of the Minotaur. Thousands of years ago Minos, king of Crete and son of Zeus and Europa, had an altar built, dedicated to Poseidon, the god of seas: here, the king thought, he would sacrifice a white bull that Poseidon himself was to give him. But when he s a w t h e a n i m a l , M i n o s thought it was too beautiful to be killed, so he decided to k e e p i t , a n d s a c r i f i c e d another one instead. Now, if there is something we learn i n s c h o o l i s : " Y o u n e v e r cross a classical god," and Minos should have known that, too: once he discovered Minos' deceitful behavior, P o s e i d o n c a s t a c u r s e o n P a s i p h a e , M i n o s ' s w i f e , who fell in love with… the white bull his husband was to sacrifice. Fervently in love, Pasiphae hid in a wooden cow and… "spent the night" w i t h t h e a n i m a l : n i n e months later, she gave birth t o t h e M i n o t a u r , a h a l f - human, half-bull creature, tangible sign of her bestial, extra-conjugal escapade. A n d t h i s i s h o w h o r n s became, among the people of Crete, a symbol of infidelity and king Minos turned into the first cuckold in history. W aking up t o a f r o s t y wonderla n d i s q u i t e u s u a l i n O c t o b e r , especially if you are an early bird. It may not be snow's soft, glistening blanket -- we must wait some more weeks for that -- but you may find yourself just as enchanted by the glassy arabesques early morning brina makes on trees, on the colorful leaves that cover the ground, on the roofs of houses. B r i n a ( b r e e - n a h ) i s a n atmospheric formation made o f t i n y i c e c r y s t a l s - - sometimes similar to white, s m a l l s a n d - l i k e g r a i n s , s o m e t i m e s s h a p e d l i k e m i n u s c u l e n e e d l e s - - common when the night's c o l d f r e e z e s d e w . B r i n a makes everything white, but the real colors of the earth still peak through all that i c i n e s s , c r e a t i n g a n enchanting mix worthy of the most beautiful paintings. When it freezes on windows, it creates magical patterns, r e m i n i s c e n t o f t h e b e s t C h i n e s e s i l k a n d o r i e n t a l damask: twists and whirls chase one another with a s i n u o u s r e g u l a r i t y t h a t makes one wonder whether it's truly a work of nature, and nature alone. Interestingly, the word comes from the union of two terms, pruina and bruma: the first is Latin for "snow," " i c e , " a n d e v e n " w i n t e r , " while the second was used by our glorious ancestors to define the winter solstice. In p o e t r y , i t c o u l d a l s o b e associated with "winter" and "ice." In fact, we kept the word bruma in Italian, too, with the meaning of "fog." And just like fog, brina ( w h i c h , I a m s u r e y o u understood, means "frost" i n E n g l i s h ) , h a s a n a u r a made of mystery and silence p e r f e c t f o r O c t o b e r , t h e month we love to dedicate to Souls, Ghosts, and the Great B e y o n d , i n a l l i t s extraordinary declensions. -- L'Autunno è proprio arrivato: guarda che brina questa mattina! - - W h a t a f r o s t , t h i s m o r n i n g : t h e f a l l h a s definitely arrived! - - L a b r i n a s u l l ' e r b a a n c o r a v e r d e : c h e meraviglia! -- Frost on green grass: what a beautiful thing! -- C'era brina sul sentiero, ho bagnato tutte le scarpe -- The path was frosty, my shoes got wet! LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE Word of the day: brina, dew's frosty sister Italian curiosities: why are horns a symbol of infidelity? "Corna," horns, are associated with being a … cuckold! (Shutterstock) © Julietphotography | Dreamstime.com

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