A Murder of Angels
Naeryn
I've seen some words that distnctly remind me of Paganism. For example, when someone is taking a recuperative vacation from work, they're "on sabbatical". This bears a remarkable resemblance to the Pagan Sabbat - a time of renewal and regeneration.
Anyone else got any? (note - I'm not just looking for Pagan connections)
Anyone else got any? (note - I'm not just looking for Pagan connections)
Actually, Judaism used the term "sabbath" to denote their holy days LONG before Paganism used the term. The use of "sabbat" as a pagan holiday came about during the middle ages when certain days were known as the "Witches' Sabbath". Sabbath is simply a nearly-universal term for holiday or holy day.
I looked into this a bit further, and apparently the modern use of sabbatical as a period of time off relates to the part of Mosaic law where slaves must be freed every seven years. According to this site, that is.