500words

  Sometimes the place where people get stuck is inside their own bodies, and it can be rough.    Few, if any of us, love everything about our bodies.   We perceive them to be too large, too short, too old, dark or pale, too hairy, not hairy enough, too fat, wrinkly, wobbly etc.   This is probably pretty universal but when a person has a severely distorted view of themselves, and really hates their body, it can cause a mental health condition called body dysmorphic disorder.   Body dysmorphia is a very real and distressing anxiety disorder and is usually treated with CBT and/or medication, although some people go through numerous cosmetic procedures to try to “fix” their perceived flaws. Many transgender individuals have a complex relationship with their bodies too, but gender dysphoria and body dysmorphia are absolutely not the same thing.   Gender dysphoria is rooted in the issue of identity as opposed to a self-doubt fuelled by societal expectation...

  Eagles, Pine martens, Firearms and Shipwrecks – Interesting Emblems on Flags Every flag in the world has some sort of reasoning behind its design, incorporating emblems which depict the values and ideas of various countries. However, many feature symbols which may make little sense to you or me. This blog gives a run through of four of the more ‘interesting’ emblems located on flags, and why they are there. 1) Albania and the two headed eagle The two headed eagle has been used since Ancient times as an emblem for fortitude, nationalism and empire. The symbol of the two headed eagle appears on many local and national coats of arms, and also on the national flag of Serbia. However, the flag which draws the most attention to this symbol is Albania, with it proudly located in the centre of the flag on a simple red background. The two heads of the eagle are to represent the northern and southern extremes of the country. Additionally, according to local folklore, the word Shqi...

    A crescent (‘ the Crescent’?) is the political, military and religious emblem of the Byzantine and Turkish empires.  It later because a more generally used emblem of Islam and used by Islamic countries and depicted on numerous flags.     The Crescent, known in Arabic as Hilaal, denotes the first quarter of the waning moon.   There are several theories as to why it was adopted – one that the sudden appearance of the moon saved the people of the city of Constantinople (now Byzantium) from a surprise attack, in which the Romans defeated the goths on the first day of the lunar month; another hypothesis suggests that the crescent was chosen to honour the Goddess Diana.       Diana is better known as the hunting Goddess but her reach expanded over time to include the moon.   However, a third theory notes the use of the moon because the Islamic faith emerged in Arabia – where desert travel was often at night, by the light of t...

  The Flag of the Isle of Man   The flag of the Isle of Man consists of a triskelion composed of three armoured legs with golden spurs on a red background.   It has been the official flag since 1932 and is based on the Manx coat of arms which dates back to the 13 th century. A triskelion is a symmetrical triple rotating spiral and dates back to early Maltese symbols of 4400 -3600 BC   and to the well known (at least to us) calendar stones in Ireland, like the entrance stone at New Grange in County Meath dating to c3200 BC.   The latter reinterpreted as a symbol of the Trinity by early Irish Christianity The actual triskeles symbol of three human legs is found in Greek antiquity, beginning in archaic pottery and continuing in coinage in the classical period, the 5 th  and 4th  centuries BC.         Silver Drachma from Sicily, minted during the reign of Agathocles (361–289 BC) The triskelion was adopted as emblem by the rul...

The bald eagle is a sea eagle that commonly occurs inland along rivers and large lakes. The adult male is about 90 cm long and has a wingspan of 2 metres, whereas the larger female birds may reach up to 108 cm in length and have a wingspan of 2.5 metres. Both male and female birds are dark brown, with a white-feathered head which gives its ‘bald’ title, and a white tail. The eagles have yellow beaks, eyes, and feet. The bald eagle is the only eagle solely native to North America and was adopted as the national bird and emblem of the USA on 20 June 1782. The eagle was chosen because of its long life, great strength, its representation as a bird of freedom, and because it was believed to exist only in the USA (it doesn’t, it’s common across Canada and visits Mexico in the winter). But does the bald eagles’ life span, strength and freedom really make it a representative emblem of the USA today? Long life The death rates from smoking, obesity, homicides, opioid overdoses, suicides, r...

  If you were to head west from Paris and visit the Chateau de Malmaison, you would find a pair of slippers on display which were worn by Empress Josephine at Napoleon Bonaparte’s coronation. Empress Josephine’s coronation slippers, 1812 These, along with the couple’s ermine lined robes, were adorned with bees crafted in gold wire and gilded bronze. Napoleon I, in Coronation Robes,  1812, Anne-Louis Girodet (  Bowes Museum )   The emblem of the bee has a long history in France. In 1653 a labourer digging a trench during repairs to the C12th church of St Brice in Tournai (which is in present day Belgium) unearthed the tomb of Childeric, the first King of France ( c. 437 – 481 CE) and with it, a trove of gold and jewels. The treasures included more than three hundred golden honeybees with garnet wings which would probably have been sewn onto his robe.   Childeric’s bees The bee was chosen to link the new dynasty to the origins of France, the Merovin...

  We move our arms and hands when we talk.   This is gesturing, and it’s one part of nonverbal communication.   Gestures fall into two categories – speech illustrators and, you’ve guessed it, emblems. Speech illustrators support our words the same way tone of voice and facial expressions do.   When you say the word “big” and stretch you hands out wide in front of you, that’s an illustrator and all people, no matter where they are from, use these types of gestures to reinforce their speaking. Emblems (aka emblematic gestures) are deliberate body movements that are consciously sent and easily translated into speech, such as a thumbs-up, a shush with the index finger  to the lips, or a wave that means “hello” or “good-bye”.   They symbolise an idea, they are quick to use and unambiguous, and most people within a culture or group agree on their meaning.   Having said that, a thumbs-up can mean “I need a lift” or “OK”.   Emblems can be still, or th...