NATIVES MAKING FUN OF JULIUS CAESAR

TL;DR

Caesar wrote about the Hercynian Forest, in which there live elks - creatures with no joints in legs, sleeping while standing

some information may be difficult to verify but people may be forced to pick a side

knowledge can dramatically change the perspective of the listener/reader (anyone watched "The Usual Suspects"?)

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The image above shows a European moose blocking the path I was about to take. It was taken from a distance of about 10 meters. Don't do that... They may get irritated. As this one did.

That particular situation reminded me of a fragment from "De bello Gallico" by Julius Caesar (6.24-6.28) where he describes the Hercynian Forest and the beasts inhabiting it. Of the Alces (moose/elk) he writes:

There are also [animals] which are called elks. The shape of these, and the varied color of their skins, is much like roes, but in size they surpass them a little and are destitute of horns, and have legs without joints and ligatures; nor do they lie down for the purpose of rest, nor, if they have been thrown down by any accident, can they raise or lift themselves up. Trees serve as beds to them; they lean themselves against them, and thus reclining only slightly, they take their rest; when the huntsmen have discovered from the footsteps of these animals whither they are accustomed to betake themselves, they either undermine all the trees at the roots, or cut into them so far that the upper part of the trees may appear to be left standing. When they have leant upon them, according to their habit, they knock down by their weight the unsupported trees, and fall down themselves along with them.

— Julius Caesar, "De Bello Gallico" 6.27

Mother moose chilling with her two kids on a hilltop. by Angantyr

My point is, if one has ever, ever! even once, seen a moose, they'd know how far-fetched that story was. Robert Hobb ascribes the story to a native informant and I enjoy the thought of locals pulling Caesar's leg. This makes me think of how now, after more than 2000 years we have a surviving record of a nonsense, in which people of Rome, who have never visited the wild Hercynian Forest may have believed. Was Caesar in that particular situation a fool, a liar or both?

Surviving documents are a good source of inspiration as there is typically a grain of truth in them. Information is redacted, misspelled, intentionally corrupted... It's fun when a new piece of information is uncovered but... it's even more fun when an alternative version appears and we get to compare them!

Story-wise this gives a starting point for an interesting twist. With multiple versions there arises a question of "which is the real one?" They all can, in some aspects, be true, wrong or corrupted in others. Some texts are known only in copied fragments as the original works did not survive, which makes it even more difficult to make the right choice; and people often choose sides for the sake of simplicity. It's easier that way. And with authorities such as Caesar, one can even brag about reading of the Hercynian wilderness, citing the source material. Even if the source is difficult to verify. It's easier and people like telling and listening to interesting stories.

With regards to the Summer Camp it gives me ideas of how the information can be perceived differently, depending on the reader or the listener. I imagine a story being told by the bonfire, in which some people believe, some consider it a myth, while others part of a reality. There's a change of perspective happening afterwards, when more information is revealed and when I remember that earlier scene. I'm lead to believe a certain reality is true but it's only smoke and mirrors. It makes for an interesting read.

#SummerCamp #DailyInspirations