Page 250 - The Grotesque Children's Book

Forum in Rome, they have something called the Gemoniae Scales, which means “Steps
of Sighs”. These are the steps leading to the prison, on the stairs of which the corpses of
criminals are exposed for several days. We’ve left off the corpses as being too obviously
gruesome, but now that you know the symbolism, please take heed. We mean that the
stairway to heaven is paved with criminals who didn’t make it.

steam. Trad., Heat; warmth; sustenance; occasionally cooking. Megl., Many of our lamps or
vessels burble merrily with steam, and there we intend this to represent undiscovered
knowledge or creativity, waiting for mankind to uncork. However, when steam is
emanating from the mouth of some person or creature, we generally mean a spewing of
some sort, often some political rant designed to lull an unsuspecting and gullible audience
into thinking the speaker has the crowd’s best interest at heart. But it can also simply
mean the poor creature is ill.

sticks, things on sticks. Trad., The Greek word is pedum, representing the shepherd’s crook, or
curved stick for catching goats or sheep by the leg. Associated with fauns and satyrs;
also associated with Thalia, the muse of pastoral poetry. A long straight stick, called the
agolum, was used to drive cattle. Megl., Sticks for us represent the mahlstick, which has
a pad at the end, upon which we painters rest our wrists while working. But think of
Santi and me; we’re lying on our backs, painting the ceiling; no support sticks for us! So
whenever you see a stick, it’s a very unsubtle and unabashed cry for sympathy. You’ll
see how many things we put on sticks; even things which have no reason to be mounted
on them: armor, masks, nests, food, books, bottles, people, goats; really, everything,
because, my heavens we were in pain all the time, you know?

swans. Trad., Grace; beauty; love, music, and poetry. sacred to Venus, the goddess of love.
often pictured singing to a lyre. Megl., From the image of Jupiter taking the form of a
swan, we use this ugly bird to represent rape, violation, and unwanted physical
domination. The Italian justice system.

sword. Trad., Justice; pride; strength; virtue; action. Megl., Army; military force; the threat of
war; power in the hands of the wrong people.

symmetry. Trad., Duality of animal forms which distinguish them from asymmetrical nature.
Regular polygonal shapes have various meanings: Three/triangle represents Holy
Trinity; stability. Four/square represents earth, manifestation and the four states of
matter. Five/pentagon represents righteous authority, harmony, excellence and edible
fruit. Six/hexagon represents structure, function and order; space, power and time.
Seven/septagram is irregular; some recent naive efforts to create music around a seven-
tone scale, clearly an unsupportable notion which won't last. Eight/octagon represents

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