Dog Days , the phrase invokes the hottest, most stifling days of summer. These animals can sniff it out. Forecasters predict an onslaught of heavy snow, ice, flooding and powerful winds from Thursday to Saturday in a broad swath of the country, from the Plains and Midwest to the East Coast. This superstition dates back to medieval times, when animals with dark fur were symbolic of death. The Ancient Greeks and Romans, in particular, had grim feelings for Sirius . Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). All rights reserved. Qu lstima! The XP limit, once again 500,000 experience, with 51 levels compared to Field of Dreams'45. I believed her, and I loved her. The Old Farmers Almanac,1817. So in about 50-some years, the sky shifts about one degree.. Keep your pets safe and secure on July Fourth. By the age of 10, most children in the United States have been taught all 50 states that make up the country. Fannie didnt know anything about the Romans or Sirius rising with the sun, but she did claim to be part Indian. (Check out this family guide to stargazing during the dog days of summer. Much like the limping dog, the individual will soon find that the world they once knew is no more. If you are a superstitious sort, you can expect bad luck, intense heat, abrupt thunderstorms, fevers, flooding, and a generally more ill-tempered population. Norimitsu Odachi: Who Could Have Possibly Wielded This Enormous 15th Century Japanese Sword? A surge of Arctic air will follow. Box 520 | Dublin, NH 03444. 2021 FACT | Federation of American Consumers and Travelers. If you are walking outside after dark and discover that you are being followed by a black dog, you'd do well to quicken your step. Very much like the lyrics of the famous She may be ancient Egypts most famous face, but the quest to find the eternal resting place of Queen Nefertiti has never been hotter. (316) 529-3800. dogdaysofsommer@yahoo.com. Please be respectful of copyright. Many of them originate from Greek mythology. Also check if he might be suffering from an illness. The Farmers Almanac entry cites Virgils description of Sirius as a bringerof drought and plague to frail mortals, rises and saddens the sky with sinister light.. Any success they had experienced in the past will be wiped away, replaced by failure at every juncture. 30 ff.). the dog days 1. Entrepreneur, Firebrand and Controversial Character; Cas Walker. While some of these four-legged wanderers are shy and fearful, others act as if they have known us their entire lives. Plus, try this Dog-Days Iced Tea to keep you refreshed in theheat. When we dont know the origin of a phrase, we come up with a plausible explanation. 2023 The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers on this website. (not verified). See more. pixabay 1. Are the dog days, around when Sirius rises, really the hottest days of the year? about Was George Really Americas First President? We eventually learned that his former owner had been taken away in an ambulance after suffering a heart attack from which he never recovered. They believed the combined power of the stars is what made this the hottest time of year. The dog days of summer are a difficult period for those who have to work out in the open. But isnt it funnyhow the memories remain. And here from Quintus Smyrnaeus; "up springs Helios in glory, flashing fire far over earth-fire, when beside his radiant chariot-team races the red star Sirius" (Quintus Smyrnaeus, "Fall of Troy" 8. Some dogs seem to bay at just about everything. A bigger mystery to me is why August 17th is designated as the start of "Cat Days" in the almanac and always has been. Throughout the history of civilization, the concept of the apocalypse has been ever present, in one way or another. Right: Herakles fighting a lion ( Wikimedia Commons ). Petrus Serrarius (a Dutch millenarian theologian, 16001669) and Samuel Bochart (a French Protestant biblical scholar, 1599 1667) finding the explanation about the young man and the pesky fox to be an unsatisfactory cause for such a well-established institution, concluded that the Romans likely derived the practice from Judea, as an to allusion to Samson and his foxes where, probably the burning of the Philistines' corn might, for some time, have been annually commemorated. From then on, his dog, now ours, would mimic the sound that pierced through the night as the man who had raised him from a puppy was taken away, never to return. Filed Under: Homespun Tagged With: dog days, hot, humid, southern weather. Contact her at Walkerworld77@msn.com or at https://www.facebook.com/AmandaWalker.Columnist. Viewed as undesirables who were obviously up to no good, the victims were often blamed for the circumstances that led to their untimely demise. Ovid inquired into the custom's origin and found that the Romans were commemorating an ancient incident where a young man had captured a pesky fox, tied straw to it and, set it on fire. ", Samson and the Foxes, miniature (Judges 15:1-8: "Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took torches, and turned the foxes tail to tail, and put one torch in the middle between two tails. But farther south, itll happen earlier in the year; farther north, itll happen later. Eco-friendly burial alternatives, explained. 8 Superstitions About Dogs and Their Meanings Cindy Parmiter Aug 4, 2022 1:49 PM EDT If you are walking outside after dark and discover that you are being followed by a black dog, you'd do well to quicken your step. Find Sirius, the Brightest Star of February, Stargazing: Finding the Stars and Constellations, Night Sky Map for January 2023: The Brightest Night Sky of the Year, My rooster not crowing and staying on perch. (Diodorus Siculus, Library of History Book 4, Chap. She soon meets a mysterious woman named Tara who sets her on a more erotic course. What if we could clean them out? So, fetch your Disney ears and get ready for a tail-wagging good time. But when accompanied by rain, Although this sounds plausible, it's not the right answer. These punishingly hot summer days get their name from an ancient belief about the brightest star in the skynot from dogs tendency to laze around in the heat. Yall best be careful.. In truth, the dog is a good metaphor for heat and humidity. Dog Days of Summer! Tweet. Megalithic Sites Are More than Just Stone, Neanderthal-Human Sex Caused a Million Covid Deaths, Caesars Savage Human Skewers Unearthed In German Fort, The Evidence is Cut in Stone: A Compelling Argument for Lost High Technology in Ancient Egypt. As one might expect there is some history here. You can email the show at ShortWave@NPR.org. (MORE: July Is the Warmest Time of the Year for Much of the U . According to the Farmers' Almanac, the phrase refers to the time period that the Sun occupies the same region of the sky as Sirius, the brightest star visible from any part of Earth and part of the constellation named Canis Major, which means "Greater Dog.". The phrase dog days goes all the way back to the ancient Egyptians, who reigned from around 3100 B.C. Nefer Say Nefer - Was Nefertiti Buried in the Valley of the Queens? The month itself gets its name from Caesar Augustus, adopted son of Julius Caesar. Sirius is the fifth-nearest star, 8.7 light-years from Earth. 10, 5). Cephalus, decided to lend the hound to hunt the Teumessian fox, who could never be caught. Custom programming and server maintenance by Reinvented Inc. Watch our video on the Dog Days and the Dog Star! The period in the summer often thought to be hottest, usually considered to be July 3 to August 11. Much like their feline counterparts, they are victimized to this day by antiquated notions of the past. According to The Old Farmer's Almanac, the unofficial authority on all things folklore and weather-related, the phrase "dog days" refers to the hottest time of the year, which is the 40 days that span from July 3 through August 11. What the heck are "cat days"? Aratus says; "A star that keenest of all blazes with a searing flame and him men call Sirius. The Old Farmer's Almanac marks the time as 40 days from July 3 to Aug. 11, coinciding with the rising of the star Sirius, also called the Dog Star. The hunting dog of Orion, his appearance was generally not a welcome omen. Can we bring a species back from the brink?, Video Story, Copyright 1996-2015 National Geographic Society, Copyright 2015-2023 National Geographic Partners, LLC. Dog Days. The Dog Days of Summer Featured Program drops today in MLB The Show 22, and it's your chance to earn some of the hottest rewards to date. However in the Hebrew story, the Philistines seem to be attempting to assuage Samson with the death of the girl and her father (Judges 15:6). HubPages is a registered trademark of The Arena Platform, Inc. Other product and company names shown may be trademarks of their respective owners. The dates for this period have varied somewhat over the centuries with the King James Bible having the span as July 6th and ending September 5th. The term has its origins in ancient Rome, when hot summer days were called "dog days" (dies caniculares).The name derives from the star Sirius, which, being the brightest star in Canis Major (Large Dog) constellation, was known as the "Dog Star." Ancient Origins 2013 - 2023Disclaimer- Terms of Publication - Privacy Policy & Cookies - Advertising Policy -Submissions - We Give Back - Contact us. suppliers of these are subject to change without notice, and some restrictions and limitations may apply. Mosquito bites and simple scratches, especially cat scratches, were more prone to becoming infected. Amphitryon, the Father of Herakles, moved his family to Thebes (where Heracles would kill his first lion, and his first wife,) because he was commissioned to slay the Teumessian fox; 'Amphitryon would free the Cadmean Land of its Fox. Although the "dog days" have been thought to traditionally run from July 3 to August 11 - certain common traditions say they're longer and extend on into the month of September. List of 2023 pet holidays and awareness days, weeks and months centered around dogs and cats. More About Sirius The Brightest Star in the Sky They believed the heat from the two stars combined is what made these days the hottest of the year, a period that could bring fever or even catastrophe. AtAncient Origins, we believe that one of the most important fields of knowledge we can pursue as human beings is our beginnings. What do they have to do with dogs? This means that the dog days of ancient Greece arent the dog days of today. As such, the story made its way to Greece, where the Pelasgians apparently knew him as Aristaeus. The Pelasgians of the Minoan Island Ceos, had their own recollection of the story. DK Publishing 2012. This bit of folklore also gives us the saying, A cat has nine lives. Because August is a yowly time for cats, this may have prompted the speculation about witches on the prowl in the first place. According to superstition, to hear a dog howling for no apparent reason means that death is approaching. (Please see my article Aristaeus the Pelasgian/Philistine Samson referenced at the end of this piece). Watch our video on the Dog Days and the Dog Star! (n.) "period of dry, hot weather at the height of summer," 1530s, from Latin dies caniculares, the idea, though not the phrase, from Greek; so called because they occur around the time of the heliacal rising of Sirius, the Dog Star (kyn seirios).Noted as the hottest and most unwholesome time of the year; often reckoned as July 3 to August 11, but variously calculated, depending on . Dates July 3, 2023 The phrase "Dog Days" conjures up the hottest, most sultry days of summer. Artist and writer. In other words Sirius (the Dog Star) is not there at or before sunrise anymore. A Blazing Weapon: Unraveling the Mystery of Greek Fire, Sacred Marvels: 17 Cathedrals That Will Take Your Breath Away, In Pictures, In Search of the Fabled 1,000-ft White Pyramid of Xian in China, Egyptologists Reveal a Lost Chamber in the Great Pyramid With Cosmic Rays, Library in Stone: The Ica Stones of Professor Cabrera Part I, Two Sides to Every Story: The North American Martyrs Shrines and Indigenous/ Roman Catholic Relations, The Origins of the Faeries: Encoded in our Cultures Part I, Curse of the Buried Pearl: The Hunt for Ancient Treasures Part I, The Enigma of the Shugborough Inscription, http://www.theoi.com/Ther/AlopexTeumesios.html, http://www.academia.edu/5681942/Aristaeus_the_Pelasgian_Philistine_Samson, www.godrules.net/library/clarke/clarkejud15.htm, www.biblestudytools.com/gw/judges/passage/?q=judges+15:4-14, On the Political Economy of Plant Disease Epidemics, Anubis and Xolotl: The Remarkable Resemblance of the Death Dog Gods, Saudi Arabian Dog Remains Are A Shocking Find. She said they would get a glazed look in their eyes, and if you ever saw that look you could count on them being crazy and should get away from them as quickly as possible. This is soon after the Summer Solstice in late June, which also tends to be the beginning of the worst of summer's heat. The result is a periodic (about every 26,000 years) wobble, which changes our perspective with respect to how we view the surrounding stars and constellations. For better times, our hopes arevain. (Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, under "ARISTAEUS," -1870). However, it wasnt always just cats and dogs Few ancient cultures have captured the modern imagination like the Egyptian and Maya civilizations, with their elaborate belief structures. Ancient Red Sea Port May Have Worlds Oldest Pet Cemetery, 10,000-Year-Old Dog Bone Supports Theory of Coastal Route to the Americas. All rights reserved (About Us). Wounds won't heal, they'll just fester and pain ya Put your right sock on first during the Dog Days or you'll fall and break your leg It's easier to get drunk so there are more drunks during this time of year, just look at Uncle Booger. The "dog days" of summer are actually named after the "dog star," Siriusthe brightest star in the sky besides the sun. I loved her so much that even now, over forty years later, I still sometimes stop in the middle of an ordinary day just to remember. The eyes look milky in color and the snakes vision is impaired until it sheds the old layer, usually a few days. "In the summer, Sirius rises and sets with the Sun. So, did the Greeks get it right? Statistically speaking, black dogs are the least likely to be adopted from shelters. A friend claims that one should not hatch eggs during Dog Days. Fannie used to warn us of the perils that could come with the dog days of summer. Long COVID patients turn to unproven treatments, Why evenings can be harder on people with dementia, This disease often goes under-diagnosedunless youre white, This sacred site could be Georgias first national park, See glow-in-the-dark mushrooms in Brazils other rainforest, 9 things to know about Holi, Indias most colorful festival, Anyone can discover a fossil on this beach. One of these sentiments asserts that if you are walking outside after dark and discover that you are being followed by a black dog, you'd do well to quicken your step. It would appear that the stench of death, whether realized or predicted, is something that few dogs will suffer willingly. Featured image: Crop of " Canis Major ,Lepus,Columba Noachi &Cela Sculptoris ", plate 30 in Urania's Mirror . The number "40," used as a time period, is widely attested to Hebrew convention. Supposedly, if such a creature sets its sights on an individual during the twilight hours, this means that their soul has been marked for collection by the ruler of the netherworld. If the cat eats grass during the Dog Days, it's gonna hail hairballs In reply to Dog days by Wendy B. But when accompanied by rain, So we would too. The Roman tradition sought to retaliate in kind, against all foxes for the loss of the crop. Humans have been griping about the weather as far back as written history reaches, and the dog days were an important time for all. dog days pl ( normally plural, singular dog day ) ( archaic) The days following the heliacal rising of Sirius, now in early August ( Gregorian) at dates varying by latitude . Typically they can't go outside for about 6 weeks after hatching. quotations synonym Synonym: (archaic) canicular days The unpleasantly hot days of late summer . It was reputed in local legend to be the seat of the god Wotan and to be haunted. June's moon reaches its fullest point at 12:11 a.m. EDT (0411 GMT) on Friday, June 13. The same "Teumessian fox" or "Cadmean vixen" is associated with both Oedipus, and Herakles. Dog days of summer .. oh how i loathe thee. Now people come up with other explanations for why theyre called the dog days of summer, [like] this is when dogs can go crazy, said Anne Curzan, an English professor at the University of Michigan. Instead, the dog days refer to Sirius, the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major, which means big dog in Latin and is said to represent one of Orions hunting dogs. ), If you go back even as far as Homer, The Iliad, its referring to Sirius as Orions dog rising, and it describes the star as being associated with war and disaster, said Jay B. Holberg, author of Sirius: Brightest Diamond in the Night Sky and senior research scientist at the University of Arizona Lunar & Planetary Laboratory. FACT has negotiated favorable agreements on behalf of its members with reputable benefit providers, all of whom assume full responsibility for their programs. ISBN 978-1-4654-0353-7). Realizing that they have been seen and not wishing to be confronted by an angry dog at every turn, these put-upon entities will usually retreat rather than face the unflinching devotion of an overprotective dog. While this is often the hottest time of the summer, and publications like the Farmer's Almanac placed the dog days as occurring between July 3 and Aug. 11 each year, Long points out that Sirius . This superstition took hold centuries ago in parts of Europe when vagabonds and drunkards began disappearing in the dead of night. in both cases. Avoid heat stroke and dehydration. ( Wikimedia Commons ). Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. For instance, we discovered soon after adopting one of our canine companions that he has an unnerving habit of howling every time he hears a siren.