Thursday

14 December 2017

— still snow in patches on the grass

Good Morning All,

Yesterday was Tamora Pierce’s birthday. I was going to help her celebrate in yesterday’s natter, but the good news about the Alabama election pushed her off the page. 

She comes from Pennsylvania and writes fantasy fiction for teenagers, including The Song of the Lioness. I am happy to report no other Pierce has yet made much of a name for him or herself in the world of literature, other—of course—than Mildred Pierce, the protagonist of James Cain’s novel of the same name.

It would be my guess that  some of you out of curiosity have done at least some internet surfing to read about marginally famous (or as we say in this small country World Famous in Denmark) people who share your surname. Up until an hour ago, I’d never done that. I’m not sure why, but I suspect it has something to do with the strange relationship names and I have. A name, any name, seems to me freighted out with, weighted down with, buoyed up by all sorts of strange powers, charms, mysteries, and not some danger. Certainly, I can understand members of some tribes believing that once someone knows your name he or she has some power over you.

Before going up on the net, I did of course know there were some famous Pierce’s in the history books, including President Franklin Pierce, with whom—thank Jesus—I am not related. And Pierces have done well in the world of sports: Billy Pierce, a pretty good southpaw for the White Sox in the 1950s; Mary Pierce, a retired French tennis player; Paul Pierce, the great and future Hall of Fame small forward for the Celtics. There are as well Pierce Bronson, a.k.a. Bond, James Bond; Charles Pierce, a Worcester, MA, sportswriter and political pundit; and of course the (often) sanctimonious Hawkeye Pierce of M*A*S*H.

A half hour up on the net, reassured me that in general Pierces have done precious little to light up the planet, though quite a few would be recognizable to people who work in the movie industry, music (especially jazz), architecture, and Massachusetts or New York state politics.  Plus my dad, though he has no Wikipedia article of his own yet, got several mentions as the young lion who predicted the Hurricane of 1938,

After that, while  still in that semi-addictive surfing mode, I chanced upon one of those history-of-names websites and discovered all sorts of wonders:

Etymology & Historical Origin -  Pierce, an English, Welsh, Irish surname, anglicized form of Piers, developed into an English surname from the French personal name Pierre (Peter in English) brought there after the Norman Conquest of 1066. Pierre (like Peter) is a name derived from the Greek word pétros meaning ‘rock.’ One of Christ’s apostles, Simon, a fisherman, is given the nickname Peter or ‘rock’ by Jesus H. Christ himself.  In Matthew 16:17-18, Jesus says explicitly “And I tell you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church.” Clearly, Jesus played favorites and Peter was his main man, founder of the Christian Church (the rock upon which it was built), regarded as the first pope  since Jesus gave Peter “the keys of the kingdom of heaven.” In fact, it is Saint Peter that Christians expect to meet at the Pearly Gates of Heaven one day.  (All of this is good to know, especially having something like a namesake at those crucial gates.)

Literature:  A 14th century poem called “William’s Vision of Piers Plowman”, written by William Langland and widely considered one of the most significant works of medieval English literature. The lengthy poem is a Christian allegory wherein Piers Plowman is the virtuous, hard-laboring, Christ-like figure who serves as a guide to Truth, imploring his society to live righteously and saving them from the consequences of sin.

I wondered if my grandfather (Farfar, in Danish, father’s father) knew about that. He was a banker, who when not raking in the coin spent a great deal of time putting together religious tracts and softcover daily devotionals, as well as writing fight songs for Dartmouth, which was his alma mater.)

Personality: Pierces are on a journey to find spiritual truth. They are extremely idealistic and intuitive. They have rare and exceptional spiritual energy that brings a sense of obligation to illuminate the world around them. They have the capacity to see the bigger picture, and they possess the skills to inspire others spiritually. They have strong diplomatic skills and can become great peacemakers. 

Characteristics of Pierces: Inspirational; Highly Intuitive; Spiritual Teacher; Extremely Bright; Uplifting; Truth-seeker.

I must say that when I began reading through the history of the name Pierce I’d been deeply skeptical. It had, at first,  sounded suspiciously like what one reads in horoscopes or hears from Gypsy women with crystal balls. But by the end of it, I must say it all appears (as it were) wonderfully accurate.  It  seemed this erudite historian somehow knew me personally. 

Go Well and Stay Well,

Bhekaron

P.S. Since one of you wrote in yesterday to point out that amid my smug and daily pontifications  my attempts at humor are weak, maybe I better just mention that the last paragraph up there represents one of my woeful and inadequate attempts to be amusingly ironic. 

P.P.S. One Holly and one Johs snap: