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07/09/2006: "Asses"
Over the weekend Teh Luvverly Interweb Tubes contained these informations:
The donkey or ass, Equus asinus, is a domesticated animal of the horse family Equidae.
Asses are real animals originating, like everything else, in Africa. The city of Damascus was referred to as the "City of Asses" in cuneiform texts (no jokes now).
A mule is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse. The term "mule" (Latin mulus) was formerly applied to the offspring of any two creatures of different species.
A hinny is the offspring of a male horse and a female donkey.
Mules are considered more intelligent than both horses and donkeys (and hinnies).
Nevertheless, although formal studies of their behaviour and cognition are rather limited, donkeys appear to be quite intelligent, cautious, friendly, playful, and eager to learn. Much like their cousins, los llamas, some species are ideal for guarding herds of sheep against predators because 90% of donkeys (Zogby poll) hate canines and will keep them away from the herd.
For the Greeks (& me), the ass was associated with the Syrian [huh?] God of wine, Dionysius!
Mark Twain noted that The mule possesses the sobriety, patience, endurance and sure-footedness of the ass, and the vigour, strength and courage of the horse.
A male ass is called a jack, a female ass is called a jenny or jennet (I know people called this!)
A male bank teller is called a johnny, a female is called a jilly (I also know people called this!)
Mules and hinnies are almost always sterile, which is attributed to the fact that donkeys have 62 chromosomes, while horses have 64. (although I do faintly recall something about pigeons & corn having the same number [11?] of chromosomes... whilst I acknowledge the difficulty, wouldn't that be fun?! On hot days they could shit popcorn!)
A female mule is called a molly. Mules are considered more intelligent than both horses and donkeys. (don't know anyone called this)
An inseminator of any equine stylee is called a sire, an inseminee ™ is called a dam.
May also be so for doggies.
In the late 18th century, the word donkey started to replace ass, almost certainly to avoid confusion with the word arse, (how, idiots? "My ass likes to eat carrots?" Only in Carry On films... besides, the English only had parsnips & turnips & mangelwurzels & other foul stuff before the Dutch rescued them from stupidity & malnutrition...) but not without the curious consequence of American English losing the word arse entirely and assigning its meaning to ass.
Bear in mind that the first ass appeared in the New World (That's America, 'Tish...) in 1495...
The Bible often specifies whether a person rode asses, since this was used to indicate a person's wealth in much the same way luxury cars do today.
Curiously, mules have become far less common since the rise of the automobile, the motorized tractor, and other internal combustion-powered vehicles. The Hydrogen Revolution may well render (no pun intended) them extinct.
In Spain mules are used in the Catalan provinces, in the mountainous districts of Andalusia (where those sissy horses fear to tiptoe), and in the province of Alicante, where sauce comes from.
Good draught-mules are bred in La Mancha, which may account for Sr Sancho Panza riding his beloved Dapple.
Burro seems to be simply Spanish, 'Tish, for ass. So, etymologists, where does that place the burrito?
The Mexican drug mule, bred by a male drug ass out of a mustang drug mare, is also a hardy, strong and useful animal.
The mules of Northern China are much cheaper, almost as good, although their longevity is variable.
France is perhaps the most important ass-rearing country in Europe!
Br Robert Green imported miniature asses to the United States and was a lifetime advocator of the breed. Mr. Green is perhaps best quoted when he said "Miniature Donkeys possess the affectionate nature of a Newfoundland, the resignation of a cow, the durability of a mule, the courage of a tiger, and the intellectual capability only slightly inferior to man's."
There you have it.
Key Words: donkey, ass, mule, hinny, llama, jack, jenny (jennet), johnny, jilly, molly, sire, dam, arse, burro, Newfoundland, cow, tiger, man
Blessed Be!
lerevdr on Sun 09-Jul-2006 @ 20:49 e.s.t [permalink]
[2 Comments]
Replies: 2 Comments
On Wednesday, July 26th, at 22:23 e.s.t, Brother B said:
In fact, the Catalan donkey (ase, burro, ...) is becoming increasingly common as a symbol of Catalunya.
Partly, I'm told, as a response to the macho image of the toro used by the hormonally challenged in the rest of the country.
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On Wednesday, August 2nd, at 17:17 e.s.t, blockguard said:
Sirs,
yr missive on asses was all that one requires from the Net: informative, erudite, humorous. I have long been making the case that the adoption by Australian explorers of the camel in favour of - as y so correctly epitheted - those namby-pamby tippy-toed horses was a 'technological' advance. Folk jus' don't see animals in that way any more.
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