Dreaming of the Dog Days – Weather Words
Hello,
As I near completion of the first draft of “Words the Weather Gave Us” the weather has taken a turn for cold these days. The thermometer has dropped and heavier sweaters are looking tempting. As a result I’m dreaming of the Dog Days. Here’s an extract to let you know what I mean.
Local sunflower meadow in High Summer{Extract from “Words the Weather Gave Us” by Grace Tierney copyright 2022}
Dog days are midsummer days of great warmth and we have the Romans to thank for the expression, with perhaps a little borrowing from the ancient Greeks.
The Romans called the hottest weeks of the summer caniculares dies. They believed that the Dog Star rising with the sun added to its heat and hence the dog days (3-11 July, although calculations vary depending on your location) suffered under their combined heat. Having been lucky enough to visit Rome during that time period, I can understand why the Romans espoused that theory. Thank goodness for all the wonderful old water fountains for refilling your bottle.
The Dog Star, Sirius, is the brightest star usually visible from Earth. It is so-named thanks to its position in the Big Dog constellation, also known as Alpha Canis Majoris. It should be dogs plural though as it’s a binary star, consisting of Sirius A and Sirius B.
The expression has been part of English since the 1500s. The date of Sirius rising with the sun has moved through the calendar over the centuries. In ancient Egypt, around 3,000 BC, it happened at the same time as the summer solstice, adding even more significance to its co-rising. At the time the solstice marked the start of their new year and the beginning of the crucial Nile flood season. It is likely that the association of Sirius with dogs began here as the star’s hieroglyph was a dog, but the exact reasons are lost in time.
{end of extract}
Until next time, happy reading, writing, and wordfooling,
Grace (@Wordfoolery)
p.s. It’s day 28 of the 30 days NaNoWriMo 2022 writing challenge and I’m edging up on the finish line. Wish me luck!
