i used to work at a used bookstore and there was an insect anatomy book for sale that was over $8000 im not even kidding. and i just found it at my school library. its mine for the month.
It’s page after page of the most detailed illustration on insect morphology I’ve ever seen
External anatomy only I’m afraid, but an absolutely invaluable resource nonetheless
It’s called An Atlas of Insect Morphology by Steinmann and Zombori. Looks like there are some much cheaper options now than when I last looked. When I saw it in the bookstore’s system I thought it was a pricing error but I remember looking it up and seeing one for sale that was over $10,000 so I was like okay then. I could only find pdfs from university libraries I don’t have access too. So I’m glad my school has a physical copy.
Idk if I can describe how useful this book is. It’s all illustration. The only text is the labels. I have a really nice book on insect anatomy but it’s like your classic textbook
Like very useful but it is still a pain to flip through a thousand page book looking for images but it’s mostly text. There aren’t nearly as many diagrams. It doesn’t show you nearly as many angles. It doesn’t show or label even close to level of detail the one above does.
In case anyone hasn’t read my tags: I’m going to scan this whole book and make it into a pdf. You all can have it for free. It will take a while. Bear with me.
A scorpion, not knowing how to swim, asked a frog to carry it across the river. “Do I look like a fool?” said the frog. “You’d sting me if I let you on my back!”
“Be logical,” said the scorpion. “If I stung you I’d certainly drown myself.”
“That’s true,” the frog acknowledged. “Climb aboard, then!” But no sooner than they were halfway across the river, the scorpion stung the frog, and they both began to thrash and drown. “Why on earth did you do that?” the frog said morosely. “Now we’re both going to die.”
“I can’t help it,” said the scorpion. “It’s my nature.”
___
…But no sooner than they were halfway across the river, the frog felt a subtle motion on its back, and in a panic dived deep beneath the rushing waters, leaving the scorpion to drown.
“It was going to sting me anyway,” muttered the frog, emerging on the other side of the river. “It was inevitable. You all knew it. Everyone knows what those scorpions are like. It was self-defense.”
___
…But no sooner had they cast off from the bank, the frog felt the tip of a stinger pressed lightly against the back of its neck. “What do you think you’re doing?” said the frog.
“Just a precaution,” said the scorpion. “I cannot sting you without drowning. And now, you cannot drown me without being stung. Fair’s fair, isn’t it?”
They swam in silence to the other end of the river, where the scorpion climbed off, leaving the frog fuming.
“After the kindness I showed you!” said the frog. “And you threatened to kill me in return?”
“Kindness?” said the scorpion. “To only invite me on your back after you knew I was defenseless, unable to use my tail without killing myself? My dear frog, I only treated you as I was treated. Your kindness was as poisoned as a scorpion’s sting.”
___
…“Just a precaution,” said the scorpion. “I cannot sting you without drowning. And now, you cannot drown me without being stung. Fair’s fair, isn’t it?”
“You have a point,” the frog acknowledged. “But once we get to dry land, couldn’t you sting me then without repercussion?”
“All I want is to cross the river safely,” said the scorpion. “Once I’m on the other side I would gladly let you be.”
“But I would have to trust you on that,” said the frog. “While you’re pressing a stinger to my neck. By ferrying you to land I’d be be giving up the one deterrent I hold over you.”
“But by the same logic, I can’t possibly withdraw my stinger while we’re still over water,” the scorpion protested.
The frog paused in the middle of the river, treading water. “So, I suppose we’re at an impasse.”
The river rushed around them. The scorpion’s stinger twitched against the frog’s unbroken skin. “I suppose so,” the scorpion said.
___
A scorpion, not knowing how to swim, asked a frog to carry it across the river. “Absolutely not!” said the frog, and dived beneath the waters, and so none of them learned anything.
___
A scorpion, being unable to swim, asked a turtle (as in the original Persian version of the fable) to carry it across the river. The turtle readily agreed, and allowed the scorpion aboard its shell. Halfway across, the scorpion gave in to its nature and stung, but failed to penetrate the turtle’s thick shell. The turtle, swimming placidly, failed to notice.
They reached the other side of the river, and parted ways as friends.
___
…Halfway across, the scorpion gave in to its nature and stung, but failed to penetrate the turtle’s thick shell.
The turtle, hearing the tap of the scorpion’s sting, was offended at the scorpion’s ungratefulness. Thankfully, having been granted the powers to both defend itself and to punish evil, the turtle sank beneath the waters and drowned the scorpion out of principle.
___
A scorpion, not knowing how to swim, asked a frog to carry it across the river. “Do I look like a fool?” sneered the frog. “You’d sting me if I let you on my back.”
The scorpion pleaded earnestly. “Do you think so little of me? Please, I must cross the river. What would I gain from stinging you? I would only end up drowning myself!”
“That’s true,” the frog acknowledged. “Even a scorpion knows to look out for its own skin. Climb aboard, then!”
But as they forged through the rushing waters, the scorpion grew worried. This frog thinks me a ruthless killer, it thought. Would it not be justified in throwing me off now and ridding the world of me? Why else would it agree to this? Every jostle made the scorpion more and more anxious, until the frog surged forward with a particularly large splash, and in panic the scorpion lashed out with its stinger.
“I knew it,” snarled the frog, as they both thrashed and drowned. “A scorpion cannot change its nature.”
___
A scorpion, not knowing how to swim, asked a frog to carry it across the river. The frog agreed, but no sooner than they were halfway across the scorpion stung the frog, and they both began to thrash and drown.
“I’ve only myself to blame,” sighed the frog, as they both sank beneath the waters. “You, you’re a scorpion, I couldn’t have expected anything better. But I knew better, and yet I went against my judgement! And now I’ve doomed us both!”
“You couldn’t help it,” said the scorpion mildly. “It’s your nature.”
___
…“Why on earth did you do that?” the frog said morosely. “Now we’re both going to die.”
“Alas, I was of two natures,” said the scorpion. “One said to gratefully ride your back across the river, and the other said to sting you where you stood. And so both fought, and neither won.” It smiled wistfully. “Ah, it would be nice to be just one thing, wouldn’t it? Unadulterated in nature. Without the capacity for conflict or regret.”
___
“By the way,” said the frog, as they swam, “I’ve been meaning to ask: What’s on the other side of the river?”
“It’s the journey,” said the scorpion. “Not the destination.”
___
…“What’s on the other side of anything?” said the scorpion. “A new beginning.”
___
…”Another scorpion to mate with,” said the scorpion. “And more prey to kill, and more living bodies to poison, and a forthcoming lineage of cruelties that you will be culpable in.”
___
…”Nothing we will live to see, I fear,” said the scorpion. “Already the currents are growing stronger, and the river seems like it shall swallow us both. We surge forward, and the shoreline recedes. But does that mean our striving was in vain?”
___
“I love you,” said the scorpion.
The frog glanced upward. “Do you?”
“Absolutely. Can you imagine the fear of drowning? Of course not. You’re a frog. Might as well be scared of breathing air. And yet here I am, clinging to your back, as the waters rage around us. Isn’t that love? Isn’t that trust? Isn’t that necessity? I could not kill you without killing myself. Are we not inseparable in this?”
The frog swam on, the both of them silent.
___
“I’m so tired,” murmured the frog eventually. “How much further to the other side? I don’t know how long we’ve been swimming. I’ve been treading water. And it’s getting so very dark.”
“Shh,” the scorpion said. “Don’t be afraid.”
The frog’s legs kicked out weakly. “How long has it been? We’re lost. We’re lost! We’re doomed to be cast about the waters forever. There is no land. There’s nothing on the other side, don’t you see!”
“Shh, shh,” said the scorpion. “My venom is a hallucinogenic. Beneath its surface, the river is endlessly deep, its currents carrying many things.”
“You - You’ve killed us both,” said the frog, and began to laugh deliriously. “Is this - is this what it’s like to drown?”
“We’ve killed each other,” said the scorpion soothingly. “My venom in my glands now pulsing through your veins, the waters of your birthing pool suffusing my lungs. We are engulfing each other now, drowning in each other. I am breathless. Do you feel it? Do you feel my sting pierced through your heart?”
“What a foolish thing to do,” murmured the frog. “No logic. No logic to it at all.”
“We couldn’t help it,” whispered the scorpion. “It’s our natures. Why else does anything in the world happen? Because we were made for this from birth, darling, every moment inexplicable and inevitable. What a crazy thing it is to fall in love, and yet - It’s all our fault! We are both blameless. We’re together now, darling. It couldn’t have happened any other way.”
___
“It’s funny,” said the frog. “I can’t say that I trust you, really. Or that I even think very much of you and that nasty little stinger of yours to begin with. But I’m doing this for you regardless. It’s strange, isn’t it? It’s strange. Why would I do this? I want to help you, want to go out of my way to help you. I let you climb right onto my back! Now, whyever would I go and do a foolish thing like that?”
___
A scorpion, not knowing how to swim, asked a frog to carry it across the river. “Do I look like a fool?” said the frog. “You’d sting me if I let you on my back!”
“Be logical,” said the scorpion. “If I stung you I’d certainly drown myself.”
“That’s true,” the frog acknowledged. “Come aboard, then!” But no sooner had the scorpion mounted the frog’s back than it began to sting, repeatedly, while still safely on the river’s bank.
The frog groaned, thrashing weakly as the venom coursed through its veins, beginning to liquefy its flesh. “Ah,” it muttered. “For some reason I never considered this possibility.”
“Because you were never scared of me,” the scorpion whispered in its ear. “You were never scared of dying. In a past life you wore a shell and sat in judgement. And then you were reborn: soft-skinned, swift, unburdened, as new and vulnerable as a child, moving anew through a world of children. How could anyone ever be cruel, you thought, seeing the precariousness of it all?” The scorpion bowed its head and drank. “How could anyone kill you without killing themselves?”
Wow, this was a demanding one to do. In general, most the forenames in the Church have a connection to saints or figures from the Abrahamic religions, while the surnames are similar to the names in the country they’re originally from. For the green haired gang, the origins of their names come from Egyptian, Greek and Irish mythology
Sothis-
The Greek name for the Egyptian goddess Sopdet, the personification of the star Sirius, the brightest star in the sky. Sopdet was related to the annual floods and was said to be a guide for deceased Pharaohs through the underworld, and later seen as a mother figure
Rhea-
“flowing”, the name of the wife of Kronos, lord of time, and the mother of the first 6 Olympian gods in Greek mythology. In Roman mythology, a woman named Rhea Silvia was the mother of Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome.
Seiros-
derived from ‘Seirios’, meaning “scorching” in Greek. An alternative name for the star Sirius
Seteth-
may originate from Seth, meaning “placed” or “appointed” in Hebrew. The third named son of Adam and Eve and ancestor of Noah. Also the name of an Egyptian god of deserts, storms, disorder and violence, and Isis (who was previously Sopdet) plays an important role in his most important myth. It’s also very similar to the Egyptian goddess Satis, an alternative spelling of which is 'Setet’. She was often conflated with Sopdet, and was a goddess of war, hunting and fertility, as well as a protector of the southern border
Cichol-
the earliest mentioned Fomorian in Irish mythology, monstrous, hostile beings that invaded Ireland from the sea and enemies of the first settlers. Cichol is said to be the leader of the Fomorians, and his followers survived for 200 years by fishing and fowling. His epithet (Gricenchos) roughly translates to 'of withered feet’
Flayn-
could come from Flann, meaning “red” in Irish Gaelic. Generally used as a masculine name and a friendly, cheerful nickname. May also be related to the name Finn, the name of the giant Fionn Mac Cumhaill, more commonly known as Finn McCool (a connection to Macuil)
Cethleann-
another of the Fomorians. She was a prophetess and foresaw her husband’s death in battle. She also managed to wound the Dagda (Irish Zeus) with a projectile in said battle. She was known as 'Cethlenn of the Crooked Teeth’
Manuela Casagranda-
Manuela: a feminine form of Manuel, originating from Emmanuel meaning “god is with us”.
Casagranda: alternative spelling of Casagrande, meaning “big house” (probably meant to be a link to the Mittelfrank Opera House)
Hanneman Von Essar-
Hanneman: a German name that comes from the Hanne, which is a diminutive of Johanne which has roots in John (why can names not be simple), meaning “YHWH is gracious”. John is the name of the man who baptised Jesus and also the Apostle who wrote the fourth gospel and Revelations in the Bible. Also an Irish surname, stemming from O'Hannagain, which is derived from the word 'Annadh’ meaning “delay”. Edit: I found out that there is a Hindu god called Hanuman, who is seen as a symbol of devotion, strength, intelligence and selflessness.
Essar: derived from Isolde, the wife of Tristan in Arthurian legends, or the word 'ishild’ in German, meaning “ice battle”. I’m not sure if the names are connected, but there’s also a Turkish name, 'Eser’, meaning “ product, achievement”. Also sounds a bit like essay
Catherine/Cassandra Rubens Charon-
Catherine: Originally comes from the name of the Greek goddess of magic, Hecate (Hekaterine ->Aikaterine -> Katherine), but in the Christian era the meaning became “pure”. Catherine is one of the great martyrs of Christianity, and the Emperor attempted to put her to death multiple times and failed each time until she accepted it herself. In that time she converted every person who met her to Christianity
Cassandra: from the Greek word meaning “to excel, to shine”. In Greek myth she was a Trojan princess who was given the gift of prophecy by Apollo, but was cursed so no one would believe her prophecies when she spurned his advances
Rubens: Portuguese form of Reuben, meaning “behold, a son” in Hebrew. In the Old Testament Reuben was the ancestor of one of the twelve tribes of Israel and was part of the plot to kill his brother Joseph, but tried to rescue him.
Charon: translates to “fierce brightness”, the ferryman of the underworld in Greek mythology who took the souls of the dead across the Acheron river. (Could be a link to Catherine’s role as a Knight of Seiros, delivering justice(?))
Shamir Nevrand-
Shamir: a masculine Arabic name with multiple meanings, like “sharp thorn, flint”, “precious stone”, “sentinel”. Comes from the Hebrew verb 'shamar’ meaning “to guard”. A material that King Solomon used to cut the stones to build the temple in Jerusalem
Nevrand: An alternate spelling of Nevra, the Turkish form of Nawra meaning “flower, blossom” in Arabic
Cyril-
a version of the Greek name 'Kyrillos’, meaning “lordly, masterful”. The name was borne by many important saints in Christianity
Gilbert Pronislav/Gustave Eddie Dominic-
Gilbert: “bright pledge”, derived from the Germanic elements 'gisil’, meaning “pledge, hostage” and 'beraht’, meaning “bright”. The name of a 12th century saint who founded the religious order of the Gilbertines
Gustave: French form of Gustav, which possibly means “staff of the Geats/Goths/Gods”, and has roots in an old Norse name, Gautstafr. Could also be from the Slavic name Gostislav, meaning “glorious guest”. Borne by many Swedish kings
(Also, Gustave Gilbert was an American psychologist who attempted to observe high-ranking Nazi officials during the Nuremberg trials)
Eddie: Diminutive of Edward, meaning “rich guard”. A name given to many Anglo-Saxon kings, the last of which was canonised as At Edward the Confessor, patron saint of kings, difficult marriages, separated spouses and the British Royal Family. He was portrayed as a pious man
Pronislav: an alternate spelling of Bronislav, which is the Russian/Czech form of Branislav and means “warrior” or “defender of glory”
Jeritza Von Hrym/Emile Von Bartels-
Jeritza: I can’t find any concrete meaning for this one, so I’ll have to go off similar names instead (if anyone knows the real etymology, let me know). First is Yaritza, a feminine Spanish name that means “little butterfly”, but I don’t think this is very likely. Another name it could derive from is Jericho, a city in Israel mentioned many times in the Old Testament; while the meaning is unknown, it could stem from the Hebrew words yareach, “moon”, or reyach, “fragment”. There’s also the possibility that it’s related to the name George, meaning “farmer, earthworker”, as farmers tend to use scythes. I suppose it’s just as enigmatic as Jeritza himself
Emile: from the Roman name Aemilius, meaning “rival”
Hrym: From Thrym, a jötun in Norse mythology who stole Thor’s hammer and planned to extort the gods into giving him the goddess Freya as his wife. He was slain by Thor dressed as Freya (best Norse myth, go read it)
Bartels: a short form of Bartholomew, meaning “son of Talmai”. Talmai comes from the Hebrew word for “furrow”, or is a Hebrew version of Ptolemy. Ptolemy was a mathematician, geographer and astronomer who proposed that the earth went round the sun, but it also means “war” (according to a source I found)
BONUS-
Byleth Eisner-
Byleth: Beleth was the king of hell in demonology, and the commander of 85 legions of demons. They ride a pale horse and all kinds of music is heard near them, and they were said to be first conjured by Noah’s son to help him write a book on mathematics. Beleth is said to look fierce when first summoned to test the courage of the summoner, and one book says that the summoner should wear a silver ring on their middle finger on their left hand to pay respects to them. They had no specific gender (as far as I’m aware) and are also considered a demon of love and lust
Eisner: a German/Jewish occupational name for and ironmonger (the chemical symbol of which is Fe)
Jeralt Reus Eisner-
Jeralt: “ruler of the spear”, a variant of Gerald (not really much else to say. Straight to the point, just like the man himself)
Reus: “giant” in Modern Dutch. One source also claims that it roughly translates to “the Russian” and was given to people who had travelled far away from there, but how true this is I’m not sure
I had a revelation about how the Hunger Games characters relate to the Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes characters. Here’s a terrible chart to represent it.
Peeta = Snow’s image-crafting wisdom combined with Sejanus’ lofty ideals.
Katniss = Lucy Gray’s District 12 background, survival instincts, and love of family combined with Sejanus’ tendency to impulsively do what’s right without considering the consequences.
