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Complex Numbers #1074374 added July 25, 2024 at 12:15pm
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Let Me Give You a Hand
Wrapping up this round of "Journalistic Intentions"  [18+] with the final randomly-selected prompt:
Antwerp
And seriously, I used a random number generator. It's pure chance that it landed on a city in Belgium at a time when I'm planning a trip to France and Belgium.
And I'd love to visit, really, I would. The city hosts the Bollekesfeest every year, which features local beer; if you need to know anything about me at all, it's that Belgian beer is my Kryptonite. Sadly, the event takes place in August, and the timing doesn't work out for me. And it's home to the Antwerpse Brouw Compagnie, which I've heard brews a beer called Seef or Seefbier whose origin dates back to the 16th century. For context, that was before European colonization of the Americas. Hopefully the beer itself isn't that old, but damn, it sounds like something I need to try. (Their more modern brews look awesome, too.)
The problem is I don't have unlimited time. Tant de bières, si peu de temps. Yes, that's French, though Antwerp is in the Dutch-speaking part of the country. Hell, it's practically Nederland, another country I'd love to visit. My primary interest in Belgium this trip is their famous abbey breweries. Monk beer. So, Brussels and maybe Bruges. I think. Yes, I'm aware that Brussels and Antwerp are quite close together, maybe 40km; I'm perfectly capable of reading a map. There's still not enough time to do everything.
Besides, I gotta save some cool stuff for the next trip.
And no, I still haven't picked up much of the language. I tried. It's harder than French, because it's simultaneously very similar to English and very, very different. All of the Dutch-speaking people I know have perfect English, and it's embarrassing that I can't seem to return the courtesy. Well, maybe not "perfect" English (because such a thing does not exist), but still better than that of most Americans.
As you know if you've been following along, one of my other interests is etymology, and the origin of the name "Antwerp" is debatable. But, like Rome, in addition to the actual etymology, it has a mythological etymology, and it's glorious.
I'll just let Eupedia relate it:
The legend says that the name 'Antwerp' comes from the Dutch "hand werpen" meaning "hand thrown".
The story has it that a mean and nasty giant controlled the river traffic, demanding exorbitant tolls. Those who refused to pay had one of their hand cut off.
But one day, a young and brave Roman soldier named Silvius Brabo managed to kill the giant. He cut the giant's hand and threw it in the Scheldt River, giving the city its name.
I need details, dammit. How did Silvius Brabo defeat the giant? More importantly, how did he keep the giant from landing on him when he killed it? I did find that the giant's name was Antigoon, which somehow doesn't mean "he who fights against goons." And is this the first example of classic rent-seeking behavior and its inevitable consequences?
Sadly, the likely actual origin of the name is far less interesting: "The name comes more probably from the word ‘aanwerp’ (alluvial mound’), which describes the first settlement's geographical feature." (Same Eupedia source as above.) Yeah, apparently "werp" served double duty, much as its English descendant "warp" does. Though one could make the argument that the alluvial soil was "thrown" there by the river, I suppose.
And now I want to visit Antwerp more than ever. Dammit. I don't have infinite funds, either. Maybe I can start charging tolls. |
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