The bibliomedusa

I’ve been promising to post a picture of the Bibliomedusa for ages, only it took me ages to get it framed, and then it took me ages to have a digital camera in the same room with it. The photo below does not do it justice in the least, but it gives the basic idea:

For most people, I need to explain the joke, so I will. It is the single language-geekiest library joke I have ever, ever seen.
The library- honor society, to which I am privileged to belong, is Beta Phi Mu. Reportedly, the letters stand for a Greek phrase meaning “librarians are the guardians of knowledge.” My husband the classics geek turned that into βιβλιοφυλακεσ φιλοσοφια μεδοντεσ (my transcription may or may not be correct; I know the Greek alphabet and… nothing else about the language whatever). The funny bit is that μεδονσ is the specifically masculine word for guardian. A female guardian is a μεδουσα. A medusa. A bibliomedusa!
The Bibliomedusa is the custom work of my friend Matt Grana. I think I asked him to put “Elseviley Verlag” on the pedestal of the stoned warrior in back; it came out as “Owed Fees,” but oh well. The use of a bit of the Beta Phi Mu logo on the “clock” in back is inspired (and yes, that’s the logo again as the Bibliomedusa’s tattoo). I love the Bibliomedusa to bits and she will go with me wherever I go.
So now you can share the joke, at least. (Source: Caveat Lector)

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The bibliomedusa

I’ve been promising to post a picture of the Bibliomedusa for ages, only it took me ages to get it framed, and then it took me ages to have a digital camera in the same room with it. The photo below does not do it justice in the least, but it gives the basic idea:

For most people, I need to explain the joke, so I will. It is the single language-geekiest library joke I have ever, ever seen.
The library- honor society, to which I am privileged to belong, is Beta Phi Mu. Reportedly, the letters stand for a Greek phrase meaning “librarians are the guardians of knowledge.” My husband the classics geek turned that into βιβλιοφυλακεσ φιλοσοφια μεδοντεσ (my transcription may or may not be correct; I know the Greek alphabet and… nothing else about the language whatever). The funny bit is that μεδονσ is the specifically masculine word for guardian. A female guardian is a μεδουσα. A medusa. A bibliomedusa!
The Bibliomedusa is the custom work of my friend Matt Grana. I think I asked him to put “Elseviley Verlag” on the pedestal of the stoned warrior in back; it came out as “Owed Fees,” but oh well. The use of a bit of the Beta Phi Mu logo on the “clock” in back is inspired (and yes, that’s the logo again as the Bibliomedusa’s tattoo). I love the Bibliomedusa to bits and she will go with me wherever I go.
So now you can share the joke, at least. (Source: Caveat Lector)

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Related posts

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