Wednesday 10 June 2020

Operation Luna: Miscellaneous IV

Operation Luna.

Hermes is a colonized planet in Poul Anderson's Technic History and Trismegistus is a university on the goetic Earth so maybe Hermes Trismegistus (scroll down) presides over both timelines?

The IRS man's tie is:

"...spotted with white gammadions..." (10, p. 96)

Golcondas, industries and profits are ways to pay for space exploration. (p. 100)

"...security was as tight as Torquemada." (11, p. 110)

"'...crottle their greeps... Crotalus bunyani.'" (p. 113) (?)

"'Lapsituri te salutamus...'" (p. 115)

"We who are about to fall salute you."

- derived from:

"Morituri te salutamas."

6 comments:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

I never gave much thought to the NAME of the planet Hermes in the Technic series. I think Hermes was the Greek god of merchants? And since the Hermes colony was founded by commercial concerns, that might have been thought an apt name.

I looked up your link to "gammadions," and the IRS' officer's tie seems to be spotted with what looks like upside down capital L's. Which does seem odd.

Ad astra! Sean

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

Sean,

Wiktionary says that "gammadion" means "swastika."

Paul.

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

Sean,

Hermes is mainly the messenger of the gods.

Paul.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

Well, before the Nazis came along to spoil the Swastika everywhere outside, it seems, India, that symbol simply meant things like prosperity, good luck, good fortune, etc.

And the link you cited did show an upside capital L as being a gammadion.

Then one of the founders of the colony on Herme's most likely had Classical interests when picking that name for the planet.

Ad astra! Sean

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

Sean,

Each of the symbol's arms looks like the Greek letter, gamma.

Paul.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

I looked up the Swastika and I saw what you meant, each arm does look like a gamma.

Ad astra! Sean