September 05, 2003
The origin of pants: revealed!
::I called in reinforcements today. Patrick continues the guest blogger series with this little ditty::
The story of the origin of pants is an interesting and yet little known bit of history. The etymology of the word (as well as the clothing article) is something that has often given me pause. I like pants. I can't imagine life without them. But where did they come from? Has man always worn pants?
I believe I have finally answered these questions, and the answer came as a bit of a surprise. Yet it was something that had been staring me in the face. Something I must have been an IDIOT to have missed. In his work Theogony, Hesiod (ca. 700) mentions the clothing traditionally worn by the deities of the pantheon. Not surprisingly, they are hardly distinct from what the mortals of the time were wearing. Later, Thales goes in to much more specific detail, and it is from this author that we make the startling discovery: Pan invented Pants! How obvious can it be?!
It seems the original deity was not so much a half-man, half-goat that we think of today, but rather a bawdy little man who shunned the traditional toga for his own devices. As time went on, he became so associated with his invention that they became a part of his permanent appearance and bear his name even to this day. UNBELIEVABLE? NO! It's true. Just look at the diagram below if you don't believe me.
::Thanks, Patrick!::
Posted by Shannon at September 5, 2003 12:08 AM | TrackBackExcellent!
Candice and I have a good friend from England, his name is Simon, and we were all visiting my parents in Covington several years ago when something funny concerning the word pants happened. We had the boys with us and Simon and I were each holding the hand of one of the boys and walking on the seawall on Lake Ponchatrain. Candice commented on liking the style of Simon's pants. Simon whirled around and said, "I beg your pardon!" in a very British accent. Well, apparently, Englishmen refer to their underwear as pants. Very funny...well, I guess you had to be there.
lol... I can identify with that totally... a few years ago when I lived in new orleans... I worked for an engineering team from England... I'd been out to the french quarter that weekend with friends and as usual, on monday morning Derek (the chief engineer) wanted all the details... I mentioned that everyone had loved my new rainbow-striped suspenders... he was quiet for a second, and then asked me in a funny tone of voice, "Everybody SAW your suspenders?" I looked at his face and knew something was up... come to find out, the British call those little garters that hold a man's socks up "suspenders". It was sooo funny... I laughed all day long... I kept seeing myself in my mind's eye wearing rainbow-striped sock garters on the outside of my jeans...
Posted by: Aunt Vickie at September 5, 2003 11:15 AMPat, I knew you were a diety all the time. I guess I just wanted you to come out and say it first. Thanks:)
Posted by: svenska at September 5, 2003 12:32 PMPatrick- I noticed before that your comic characters kind of looked like you. That's really cool. Have you ever tried a self portrait?
Posted by: Lisa at September 5, 2003 11:23 PMWas it the arrows that gave it away, Lisa? Just kidding ya!
Posted by: Shannon at September 6, 2003 04:42 PMI was told that a chinese lady invented pants???
Posted by: williams at October 8, 2003 10:36 PM