[Sca-cooks] candy and hostages

[Stefan li Rous]

Cailte said:
  <<< On Thu, 03 Aug 2006 11:58:31 -0400
    "Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius"
<adamantius.magister at verizon.net> wrote:
 >
 > But in general, the word "hostage" has its roots in the
 > word "host",
 > and it didn't have quite the same high-stress and
 > terrifyingly brutal
 > connotation that it has had more recently.

thanks for the great explanation. i think fostering is
more what folks today might compare it to?  the idea of
switching offspring to keep everyone on good terms.>>>

Yes Adamantius, thank you.  I wasn't aware of "hostage" being used  
that way, although now that you mention it, I was aware of the idea.

It doesn't sound like "fostering" fits this Roman way of taking out  
insurance. "Fostering" seems more like a give and take, a two way  
method, whereas with the Romans it sounds like the Romans only took  
hostages, they didn't give out any.

I guess it is a matter of who has the perceived power. Like the fact  
that the US demands the Hezbollah to stop firing ineffective missiles  
at Israel, but has no problem with Israel destroying huge swathes of  
Lebanon with US made and US paid for cannons, aircraft and bombs.

Stefan
--------
THLord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
    Mark S. Harris           Austin, Texas           
StefanliRous at austin.rr.com
**** See Stefan's Florilegium files at:  http://www.florilegium.org ****