Guest guest Posted April 27, 2004 Report Share Posted April 27, 2004 "Have you ever seen hair like hers? Red as fire, and such shoes," Bengt continued. "Can I borrow one? I'd like to go out rowing and I haven't any boat." He took hold of one of Pippi's braids but dropped it instantly and cried, "Ouch, I burned myself." Then all five boys joined hands around Pippi, jumping up and down and screaming, "Redhead! Redhead!" Pippi stood in the middle of the ring and smiled in the friendliest way. Bengt had hoped she would get mad and begin to cry. At least she ought to have looked scared. When nothing happened, he gave her a push. "I don't think you have a very nice way with ladies," said Pippi. And she lifted him in her strong arms--high in the air--and carried him over to a birch tree and hung him on a branch. Then she took the next boy and hung him over another branch. The next one she set on a gatepost outside a cottage, and the next she threw right over a fence so that he landed in a flowerbed. The last of the fighters she put in a tiny toy cart that stood by the side of the road. The boys were absolutely speechless with fright. (Pippi Longstocking, Astrid Lindgren, 1950, pp. 32-33) I never read Pippi Longstocking before, but found this passage reprinted in a book I'm reading by Ingrid Muscio called Cunt: A Declaration of Independence. In promotion of this book, Margaret Cho (a comedienne who at one point was given her own tv show here in America, and who has at least one movie out, if not two) says: "Beautifully written and incredibly informative, this book is like no other. It made me laugh, cry and really apreciate what I have down there more than anything I've ever read. Not just an owner's manual, but a love letter to the most valuable thing on the planet. Everyone who was born out of one needs to read Cunt." For all of the experts in the origin of words out there: what is the origin of the word "cunt" ? Has its meaning changed over time? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 27, 2004 Report Share Posted April 27, 2004 Hi Mary Ann: I am no expert in etymology, but I do believe that "cunt" comes from one of those Bronze Age Indo-European roots, and that it had no obscene or derogatory implications until much, much later in history. Is the fall of this word related to the historically simultaneous fall of Goddess culture and rise of patriarchy? I have no idea, but it's probably a valid theory. I recall a passage in "The Vagina Monolgues," which is particularly relevant to Shakti Sadhana: It states that the word cunt "was derived from the goddess Kali's title of Kunda or Cunti, and shares the same root as kin and country"! And the Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets adds that the word is linguistically related to "cunning, kenning and ken: knowledge, learning and insight." That does seem similar to the treatment of the Goddess by the patriarchal religions that came later -- eventually redefining all symbols of divine femininity as symbols of evil and/or profanity. And sure enough, just this moment I found an online essay that states: "Its prefix, 'cu', is an expression of "quintessential femineity" (Eric Partridge, 1961), confirming 'cunt' as a truly feminine term. The synonymy between 'cu' and femininity was in place even before the development of written language: "in the unwritten prehistoric Indo-European [...] languages 'cu' or 'koo' was a word base expressing 'feminine', 'fecund' and associated notions" (Thorne, 1990). The proto-Indo-European 'cu' is also cognate with other feminine/vaginal terms, such as the Hebrew 'cus', the Arabic 'cush' and 'kush', the Nostratic 'kuni' ('woman'), and the Irish 'cuint' ('cunt')." And on and on -- tons of information. Here's the link for anyone who may be interested: http://www.matthewhunt.com/cunt.html Aum Maatangyai Namahe , "Mary Ann" <maryann@m...> wrote: *** what is the origin of the word "cunt" ? Has its meaning changed over time? *** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 27, 2004 Report Share Posted April 27, 2004 Thank you, DB. The author of the book makes claims as to its ancient meanings, but does not devote a lot of time to exploring etymology, so I thought I'd check with SS , "Devi Bhakta" <devi_bhakta> wrote: > Hi Mary Ann: > > I am no expert in etymology, but I do believe that "cunt" comes from > one of those Bronze Age Indo-European roots, and that it had no > obscene or derogatory implications until much, much later in > history. Is the fall of this word related to the historically > simultaneous fall of Goddess culture and rise of patriarchy? I have > no idea, but it's probably a valid theory. > > I recall a passage in "The Vagina Monolgues," which is particularly > relevant to Shakti Sadhana: It states that the word cunt "was > derived from the goddess Kali's title of Kunda or Cunti, and shares > the same root as kin and country"! And the Woman's Encyclopedia of > Myths and Secrets adds that the word is linguistically related > to "cunning, kenning and ken: knowledge, learning and insight." That > does seem similar to the treatment of the Goddess by the patriarchal > religions that came later -- eventually redefining all symbols of > divine femininity as symbols of evil and/or profanity. > > And sure enough, just this moment I found an online essay that > states: "Its prefix, 'cu', is an expression of "quintessential > femineity" (Eric Partridge, 1961), confirming 'cunt' as a truly > feminine term. The synonymy between 'cu' and femininity was in place > even before the development of written language: "in the unwritten > prehistoric Indo-European [...] languages 'cu' or 'koo' was a word > base expressing 'feminine', 'fecund' and associated notions" (> Thorne, 1990). The proto-Indo-European 'cu' is also cognate with > other feminine/vaginal terms, such as the Hebrew 'cus', the > Arabic 'cush' and 'kush', the Nostratic 'kuni' ('woman'), and the > Irish 'cuint' ('cunt')." > > And on and on -- tons of information. Here's the link for anyone who > may be interested: > > http://www.matthewhunt.com/cunt.html > > Aum Maatangyai Namahe > > , "Mary Ann" <maryann@m...> > wrote: > > *** what is the origin of the word "cunt" ? Has its meaning changed > over time? *** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 27, 2004 Report Share Posted April 27, 2004 Just had a word idea: "cuintessential" - a cute name for a company selling stuff geared to promote the feminine: Cuintessentials. , "Devi Bhakta" <devi_bhakta> wrote: > Hi Mary Ann: > > I am no expert in etymology, but I do believe that "cunt" comes from > one of those Bronze Age Indo-European roots, and that it had no > obscene or derogatory implications until much, much later in > history. Is the fall of this word related to the historically > simultaneous fall of Goddess culture and rise of patriarchy? I have > no idea, but it's probably a valid theory. > > I recall a passage in "The Vagina Monolgues," which is particularly > relevant to Shakti Sadhana: It states that the word cunt "was > derived from the goddess Kali's title of Kunda or Cunti, and shares > the same root as kin and country"! And the Woman's Encyclopedia of > Myths and Secrets adds that the word is linguistically related > to "cunning, kenning and ken: knowledge, learning and insight." That > does seem similar to the treatment of the Goddess by the patriarchal > religions that came later -- eventually redefining all symbols of > divine femininity as symbols of evil and/or profanity. > > And sure enough, just this moment I found an online essay that > states: "Its prefix, 'cu', is an expression of "quintessential > femineity" (Eric Partridge, 1961), confirming 'cunt' as a truly > feminine term. The synonymy between 'cu' and femininity was in place > even before the development of written language: "in the unwritten > prehistoric Indo-European [...] languages 'cu' or 'koo' was a word > base expressing 'feminine', 'fecund' and associated notions" (> Thorne, 1990). The proto-Indo-European 'cu' is also cognate with > other feminine/vaginal terms, such as the Hebrew 'cus', the > Arabic 'cush' and 'kush', the Nostratic 'kuni' ('woman'), and the > Irish 'cuint' ('cunt')." > > And on and on -- tons of information. Here's the link for anyone who > may be interested: > > http://www.matthewhunt.com/cunt.html > > Aum Maatangyai Namahe > > , "Mary Ann" <maryann@m...> > wrote: > > *** what is the origin of the word "cunt" ? Has its meaning changed > over time? *** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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