Consider this inscription:
S A T O R
A R E P O
T E N E T
O P E R A
R O T A S
Which may or may not mean something like 'Arepo the sower holds the wheels at work,' which, having consulted my Allen and Greenough's New Latin Grammar, would mean 'opera', an accusative, is possibly a cognate accusative...Which I don't understand all that well, but I doubt the palindrome was invented for grammatical purity. And as palindromes go, this is a doozy. Read each row left to right, going down. Or start at the bottom, read right to left, and go up. Or read down each column from top to bottom, going right, or from bottom to top, going left. This inscription occurred all over the Roman Empire, and possibly had Mithraic origins, but was adopted by Christians at some point, passed into European folklore, was adopted by imaginary, fictitious Hermetic mages, wound up on Anton von Webern's gravestone, is referenced in Umberto Eco's Foucault's Pendulum and indeed inspired Terry Pratchett to name the marketplace outside the Unseen University in Ankh-Morpork 'Sator Square'. (It's a 'magic square.' Get it?)
And it's just neat.
Now listen to Latin radio broadcasts from Finland. And read Sluggy Freelance in Latin. And if you ever need to say 'My ass is on fire' in Latin, it's 'Culum meum ardet.'
Posted by aloysius at April 12, 2003 04:55 PM |I suspect the palindrome in question is ADVERTISING, and really means :
Countryman Arepo runs a wheel shop. In other words, it's a peasant who's knows how to build cart wheels and has come into town where the business is. The point of inventing an advertising slogan that constitutes q quadridirectional palindrome is that it imitates the 360° rotation of the wheel.
Assigning some obscure Christian meaning to this is just retrospective recuperation. But then, that's what Christianity mostly is, no?
JDV
Posted by: James DeVries on August 12, 2003 04:57 AMthis site was of no help and you need to die
Posted by: on October 29, 2003 08:06 AMSorry, I've been busy!
Your grammar, syntax and "de Saussure"-ien sense of language is faulty. People don't need to die, they "have" to die. They "need", or are "driven" to reproduce.
I'm clearly right about the origins of this quadripalindrome, though. It was always posted in front of cartwrights' and wheelmakers' shops long before the frontier cross symbol of the Roman Empire metamorphosed into a supposed concern for human rights.
Just an old piece of dust walking wrapped 'round my water bag,
James
Posted by: James DeVries on November 4, 2003 12:36 PMS A T O R
A R E P O
T E N E T
O P E R A
R O T A S
You can clearly see that this alchemist formulae can be read any way you want it. (upwards, downwards, to the left or your right)
If you can see you can make out this enscribing
P A T E R N O S T E R so clearly it was used by christians in the Roman empire as a code for christian colaboratores.
I realize this was of no help at all, but gimme a break I am only 11.
The simple and obvious solution to the old SATOR puzzle will appear in my forthcoming book on Gematria..
See, for now:
www.jesusisbuddha.com
Posted by: Christian lindtner on December 16, 2003 08:14 AMMe and some friend broke into an abandon house and found allof this shit written on the walls along with the star of david and this
492
357
816
and
g
god
d
it freaked us out so we left and now we are just trying to figure out what it is all about
done of our latin teachers knew
the house also had this other square
POR
EWE
ROP
if u trace the word power it makes a swatstaka
This "magic square" is a protection talisman for heroin addicts. That is the only practical application I have seen it used for.
Posted by: junior on February 15, 2004 08:24 PMJust found your site. On a quick skim (not much time) I didn't notice anyone looking at the number decoding aspects of the square or its other version from Ethiopia the Sador square (from the churches of Lalibella). There's a mathematical link but I won't reveal it here for the sake of those who might want to hunt for themselves (and that may be literal). Remember all letters can be interchangeable with numbers and in various codes. It gets really interesting when you see how certain values interrelate between the results and tie into archaeoastronomy, etc. I'm basically a poet and dreamer, always failed math in school so keep it simple! :-) Emerald
Posted by: Liz O'Driscoll on March 9, 2004 10:50 AMall your questions and doubts, including the true essence of your "personal interpretations" which are of no basis on the meaning of the "words" are being answered by the "authorities:" the PBMA (Philippine Benevolent Missionares Association) Members in the Philippines.
Posted by: ranie on March 11, 2004 12:55 AMthe "words" stand for five (5) spiritual entities, which are also representing five aconyms with the following meanings;
the "S" in the first word stands for "SALUTATOR EMEGUM TUTENO UMETEG ROMAS MOSCOT RAGASUL WEGUM SETRUM" which is also runs as a prayer.
the other meanings are our secrets...
Posted by: ranie on March 11, 2004 01:02 AMthe "words" stand for five (5) spiritual entities, which are also representing five acronyms with the following meanings;
the "S" in the first word stands for "SALUTATOR EMEGUM TUTENO UMETEG ROMAS MOSCOT RAGASUL WEGUM SETRUM" which is also runs as a prayer.
the other meanings are our secrets...
Posted by: on March 11, 2004 01:04 AMit seems that ur web had lost its subscribers. please get in touch with me for more info about the "words."
do you want to know about the "25 llaves?" it is more than the words "sator arepo etc."
Posted by: ranie on April 10, 2004 12:44 AM see also: The KEPT TRUTH
http://antomoro.free.fr/expos/copysession/copysession.html
http://membres.lycos.fr/villemingerard/CarreMag/CMesoter.htm
My best cordiality's Paolo
Posted by: Paolo Manzelli on April 21, 2004 03:10 AM492
357
816
if u add this number u will get a sum of 15 at any way u do. this is use as an amulet against an enemy so he can go against you.
Posted by: phoenix on May 18, 2004 09:22 PM