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kothornos (a thick-soled laced boot worn by tragic actors in ancient Athenian tragedies). I did a bit of looking after this word. I like shoes. But found that those shoes worn by tragedians fitted both on left and right foot. There was a Theramenes (455-404 BC), who was nicknamed "kóthornos" , because his polictics were lacking 'principle'. ( wanting to save both cabbage and goat) Any theater and shoe minded person who knows why those boots were fitting both feet? They look about like this: link
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They look about like this: link That pic doesn't look to me like it would work very well when worn on the wrong foot, so I googled kothornos. Google redirected me to kothornoi and gave me this treatise on the history of footwear that you might find interesting.
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That's real fun. I was asking by myself if someone would remark what I also saw. The soles are clearly drawn like real left and right shoe soles. ( that's what the 'about' in my sentence meant) So you won the first prize for this hidden game before the game even started. Good observer nr.1 !
P.S Thanks for that link!
Last edited by BranShea; 01/05/10 07:46 AM.
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stranger
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stranger
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I decided to join with this word because I could not get my mind around how tragic acting and shoes fit together! Thanks for explaining it all to me.
Vikki
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Probably the uncomfortablity of shoes designed to fit neither foot properly helped the actors maintain the proper demeanor for good tragic acting.
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kothornosI think that folks are missing the point of a buskin, or an open boot, more like a sandal, (cf. Japanese geta see illustration in Wikipedia article). The tragic buskin mainly increased the actor's stature while on stage. It is possible that the kothornos might have been worn over some other kind of shoe, as a kind of external lift. It is interesting that in Late Latin (mainly in Patristic literature), coturnus came to mean 'proud'.
Ceci n'est pas un seing.
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Welcome Vikki. I started to look closer because I too missed the connection boot-tragedy and I still mis the point. So buskin has the same meaning.
But why do tragedians need a higher (?) stature than comedians.( hunter's boots had the same shape I read)
(diamonds in the soles of my shoes)
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Probably the uncomfortablity of shoes designed to fit neither foot properly helped the actors maintain the proper demeanor for good tragic acting. Just a curiosity, Faldage, as to why you used such a seemingly clumsy word like uncomfortability, instead of "discomfort". Just six of one, half dozen of another??
----please, draw me a sheep----
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Your link about the geta took me back to one of the stories from that Japanese movie "Kaidan". The episode "The Woman of the Snow" link At the end of this part of the story you get a long shot with the straw shoes he has made for his family. His wife ( the snow witch ) at that moment must leave him, because he mentioned an incident on their first meeting. This he was forbidden ever to say a word about on the peril of death. She does not kill him though because of the children they have, but returns to the world of snow. ( best seen full screen)
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Just a curiosity, Faldage, as to why you used such a seemingly clumsy word like uncomfortability, instead
of "discomfort". Just six of one, half dozen of another??
Just because of its seeming clumsiness.
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