Latin fun

sahun

I am studying latin and am currently doing a project to find some fun latin, after scanning the internet i have found that it is harder than it seems.

It wuold be helpful to me if people could post some fun things to do with latin, the language as well as the culture.

Things like latin songs would be fun, I have already translated 'Happy Birthday', 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star' and 'Three Blind Mice'

The more ideas the better people so please start posting.

Midas

I'm sure there are a few 'fun' books for children to help them learn latin, but I can't remember what they were called. I think they were about the adventures of a mouse or something like that ??? You could have a scout on Amazon.

Savvy_Sue

Yup, it's Minimus the Mouse.

Finding some old Latin songs can be great fun - Gaudeamus igitur, the song for St Andrews University is one our Latin teacher introduced us to - let us rejoice therefore, because we're all going to die horribly ... Our school song was 7 verses of Latin, but I'm afraid I've forgotten it all, including the tune ...

In season, of course, we used to sing carols in Latin.

RoCas

Is this one any use?
http://www.quia.com/pages/magistermccann.html

There are what seem to be some good links further down the page.

pavlovs_dog

um.. there are latin elements in monty python's life of brian (a roman guard makes a graffitti artist go around respraying his graffitti because of a grammatical error :rotfl: )

harry potter (the first book at least) is available translated into latin - dont know if that helps

sahun

Thank you everyone for your ideas, they have all been great helps.

wigginsmum

If you're a Pratchett fan, then you'll know the song Il Porcupino Nihil Sodomy Est

How about Puff The Magic Dragon for translation?

Chadsman

Have a read of the books 'Latin For All Occasions' and 'Latin For Even More Occasions' ...they are both very funny.

kittiwoz

We used "Ecce Romana" for Latin GCSE which I enjoyed because it was stories (albeit simple ones, getting gradually more difficult as you built up your knowledge of the language). We also had some translations of Roman myths, I particularly liked the gory ones, of which there are many since the Romans had quite a taste for it. It seemed like much more fun reading stories in Latin than asking for directions or talking about school in French. Pliny is fun too, he's such a gossipy old woman- "they beat his head and legs and even, shocking to say, his genitals!" How's that for tabloid style sensation and voyeuristic mock-horror.

Our latin teacher also taught us some useful latin phrases such as "force fortis" (fat chance!) and some insults which I can't remember but I think were Roman insults rather than just translated modern day insults ( I recall something about a goat). Also the marvellous excuse for failling to hand in homework, "aliengenis me abduxerant. qui annos est"

Eoin_McLove

'Pecunia in arbotis non crescit.' (Money does not grow on trees) Perhaps an apt motto for this website?

Regarding 'culture', interestingly the Romans used to put coins in the mouths of the deceased prior to cremation on the funeral pyre. This was because when the dead souls entered the Underworld, they had to pay Charon the boatman the fare to cross the River Styx, from where they could then rest. If the souls had no money to pay Charon, they had to hang about in the Underworld for a hundred years. This is described in detail in Virgil's The Aeneid, Book VI.

Catullus' poems are a bit saucy, but I can't remember enough to quote them. There was a very rude one about how he used to go to the amphitheatre and pick such a seat so that he could look up girls' skirts/togas.

Seneca the Great wrote, 'Religion is taken by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the leaders as useful.' I don't know the original translation, but roughly I make it: 'religionis est captus per plebs esse verus , per sapiens esse reproba, et per duces esse utilis.'

Ah, 'A' Level Latin...

Snow_Angel

Off the subject a bit.....are you studying latin at college. I'm trying to find a distance learning course in latin. Anyone know of any? Thanks.