Nephelococcygia Meaning | Nephelococcygia | Nephelococcygia wiki | What is Nephelococcygia |
Nephelococcygia Meaning | Nephelococcygia | Nephelococcygia wiki | What is Nephelococcygia |
Nephelococcygia pronounced ne-fê-lê-kak-’si-jee-yê is a term used when people find familiar objects within the shape of a cloud. At one time or another, humans have looked up to the clouds and imagined shapes resembling familiar objects. The earth’s atmosphere and the system of the weather are complex and self-organizing, the system itself is transient, permanent and fleeting, and transfixed all at the same time. Maybe an imagined letter of the alphabet. Or, it might be an animal or a person’s face. This is called nephelococcygia and the word was first coined in the play The Birds written in 414 B.C. by the Greek comic poet Aristophanes.
He wrote in the style known as Old Comedy, a farcical and free style form that permitted him to ridicule the public figures and institutions of his time. In spite of difficulties with translations, his sharp wit still comes through today and The Birds is widely considered Aristophanes’ best work. The comedy takes place around two Athenians, Pisthetaerus and Eulpides. Fed up with the corruption that seems to govern their city, they find a solution in leaving for a better future in a better place by turning into birds and immediately begin planning a city they decide to call “Nephelococcygia.”
In their quest for a perfect city they join forces with their once human friend Tereus, the Epops, ‘who is a bird, without being born of one’. Terus is convinced by Pisthetaerus and Eulpides and other birds of their right to reign the skies, and together they create an ideal, flawless city nestled in the clouds: Nephelococcygia. Rebelling against humankind and the gods alike: they fight and are the victors. Eventually Pisthetaerus marries Zeus’ lover.
The menu of their wedding banquet includes roasted birds, to wit, those who opposed the new rulers.
As children, many of us enjoyed lying on blankets or freshly cut grass watching fluffy white cloud formations float across the sky while trying to decipher various shapes. There’s actually a term for cloud watching—nephelococcygia—and it can’t be beat for inexpensive fun. Airlines are now charging more for window seats that allow passengers to view life in reverse by looking down upon the clouds and the Earth below
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