Talk:Cockaigne

Etymology: The instance of "Cucaniensis" in Carmina Burana - noted in the artistic references section - is around 100 years older than the Middle English or Middle French instances recorded in the OED. If there are other instances in medieval Latin of this word, it might be worth noting.Delvebelow (talk) 16:30, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

London: "some have argued that it was the original pre-Roman name for the city,". Linguistically, is this possible? Perhaps the contributor (on 19:30, 2 October 2005) User:Agendum can report where this was read. --Wetman 07:22, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Believe it or not, I have heard this theory proposed - I think it was mentioned in Peter Ackroyd's TV series on London, so it may be in the accompanying book London: The Biography by Ackroyd. Personally, I think it's a load of tosh, but as a possible explanation of the derivation of Cockney I think it merits inclusion. Agendum 10:05, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Here you are. There's reference to Ackroyd's mention of the name in the review of the book here: [1] Agendum 16:02, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Thank you, Agendum. The reviewer's notice: "The word "Cockney," he explains, comes from "a cock's egg," a freak of nature; or perhaps it derives from coquina, a Latin word for cookery, thanks to London's cook-shops; or, inevitably, it may come from "the Celtic myth of London as 'Cockaigne,' a place of milk and honey." Such etymologies can't all be right, but Ackroyd conflates them with panache." The joke, first in print in 1824, was that the "land of Cockneys" would be the familiar land "of Cockaigne". Rather than a serious etymology, it was meant as a joke, which even staid OED notices. For etymologies in the article, let me introduce the OED instead, in an edit I hope will be acceptable. --Wetman 16:31, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Cocaine?

I assume there's no connection between the name "Cockaigne" and the drug "Cocaine". --Damian Yerrick (talk | stalk) 21:28, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

The suffix -ine is a chemical signifier. The coca part comes from a South American plant. South America and its botanicals weren't very familiar to medieval Europeans, yes? --Wetman (talk) 09:41, 25 March 2008 (UTC)

There was a poem once, maybe by Shel Silverstein or maybe not, about a place like the Cockaigne herein described, but he called it Cocaine. I can't seem to find it on Google, which is odd. After describing the joys of the place, the narrator tells the listener something like:

Seven summers you must sit

In a pile of piggy shit

That reaches slightly past your chin

And after that, we'll let you in!

I hope you'll do this holy penance

Sweet Cocaine could use more tenants

It's really weird that I don't get any hits for any of this. Does it ring a bell with anyone? --Trovatore (talk) 11:11, 16 February 2009 (UTC)

Hmm, I was thinking of a different poem by Silverstein, the one about "Gimmesome Roy". The poem I'm thinking of here is probably someone else. --Trovatore (talk) 11:17, 16 February 2009 (UTC)

I have no idea where Pieter Bruegel the Elder's "Luilekkerland" English translation to "Cockaigne" originates? The direct translation, into English, of the title used to identify this work of Bruegels' is lazy, pleasant/enjoyable land. Any Dutch or German speaker would agree. Running the English words together as Bruegel did with the Dutch words will simply result as "lazypleasantland". Any further further development of this theme is a display of romanticism. We humans tend to seek or create patterns where none actually exist and then see it as important knowledge. Tain't so... 41.13.92.140 (talk)

Spanish "Cucaña" means "fool"?

Spanish word "cucaña" may have some different meanings, but, as far as I know, it DOESN'T mean "fool" anyway... and I'm Spanish. :) According to the dictionary edited by the Spanish Royal Academy of Language, "cucaña" could mean: 1. A certain game I don't feel like to describe: http://www.fotos.org/galeria/data/576/medium/Francisco-de-Goya-The-Greasy-Pole-La-Cucana.jpg 2. The act of seeing that game. 3. Anything that lets one reach something quickly and without effort. 4. The very object reached by such means. 5. Jauja (Spanish word equivalent to "Cockaigne", as the article points out). Antonio --87.217.9.125 (talk) 23:17, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

Romanian-thracian origin of the Cogaion(on) mountain of the gods

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kogaionon Kogaionon it was considered as the Holy Mountain-"Olympus" where the gods dwell in thracian traditions more than 2000 years ago. There are 4 mountains in Romania as perfect candidates: Gugu Mountain not far away from Sarmizegetusa fortresses area and "Okeanos/Cazane"(boiling pots, name for Danube Gorge-the river "ocean"), Gaina in Western Carpathians, known for the "Girls Market" tradition, Ceahlau Mountain (in the area of...Caucoensi/Cauci tribe),..and Omu Peak (connected with stories about the golden apples and Axis Mundi-Geticus Polus carried by the Titan Atlas and where you also found the one-eye sphinx head representation of Saturn..."eye"="ochi" in romanian language, therefore "to see" family words) in Bucegi mountains. These "kogaions" were in fact also used as astronomical observatories, a perfect example is Kokino observatory from...Macedonia. Probably you've heard in Homer's Illiad of the thracian tribe of Cicones. Needless to say that for the ancient greeks, their gods were born in Carpathian Mountains of the north-danubian tracians(geto-dacians).Bigshotnews 17:12, 28 May 2011 (UTC)