Dali is a hunting goddess from the mythology of the Georgian people. The patron of hoofed wild mountain animals, she was said to reward hunters who obeyed her taboos and to punish violators. She was usually described as a beautiful nude woman with golden hair and glowing skin, although she sometimes took on the form of her favored animals. Stories depict her taking human lovers and jealously killing them, and later clashing with her rival Saint George. After the rise of Christianity in Georgia, the stories told about Dali changed; Saint George was presented as having the power to overrule her, and she began to be conflated with a malicious nature spirit called the ali. As a patron of the hunt, she has been compared with Artemis of Greek mythology, a hag in Scottish mythology called the glaistig, and a maiden from folklore who tames a unicorn. Her associations with gold, seduction, and the morning star have led scholars to draw connections with goddesses such as Aphrodite and Ishtar.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dali_%28goddess%29
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1932:
The Australian military began a "war against emus" (man with dead emu pictured), flightless native birds blamed for widespread damage to crops in Western Australia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emu_War
1960:
In the trial R v Penguin Books Ltd, publisher Penguin Books was acquitted of obscenity for the publication of Lady Chatterley's Lover by D. H. Lawrence. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R_v_Penguin_Books_Ltd
1995:
Former South African minister of defence Magnus Malan and 19 others were arrested and charged with 13 murders in the KwaMakhutha massacre of 1987, for which they were all acquitted. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnus_Malan
2016:
The Chicago Cubs defeated the Cleveland Indians in the 2016 World Series, ending the longest championship drought in Major League Baseball history. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_World_Series
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
amaranth: 1. (dated, poetic) An imaginary flower that does not wither. 2. Any of various herbs of the genus Amaranthus. 3. The characteristic purplish-red colour of the flowers or leaves of these plants. amaranth: 4. (chemistry) A red to purple azo dye used as a biological stain, and in some countries in cosmetics and as a food colouring. 5. (cooking) The seed of these plants, used as a cereal. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/amaranth
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
If you desire a man to tell you comfortable lies about your prowess, and so fetter any hope of true excellence, I'm sure you may find one anywhere. Not all prisons are made of iron bars. Some are made of feather beds. --Lois McMaster Bujold https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Lois_McMaster_Bujold