Tuesday 8 September 2020

If you want peace, prepare for war

 

Law of the jungle is that what’s beautiful, is dangerous. That wisdom did not come about by itself. From the PIE root “deu-“ sprung about “belle”, which in Latin means a “woman” and my third-favourite Disney princess. The same PIE root also gave rise to “bell-“ which means “war” or “warlike”.

 

Bellona on the badge given to the Volunteer Army during the First World War
 

 

The Romans, in what can only be an epiphany, decided that their deity of war is most definitely a woman, called Bellona. Bellona then went on to lend her name to all things war, including, to “Voldemort’s last, best servant” (Bellatrix Lestrange). Time is divided on the basis of wars, with ante-bellum (before), and post-bellum (after). The rules which governed the conditions which demanded a declaration of war in Rome were called “jus ad bellum” (“ad” means towards, so the rule in place while nations are nearing towards a war, to this day are called so). The code of law in place while the war went on was “jus in bello”. Those with an inclination towards fighting are termed “bellicose”, and those actually, belligerents. A beautiful irony, with the Red Cross picking up on the lingo of the deities of war.

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