The
Age of the Rat
...how quaint...
(again...sorry 'bout da length!)
Rats have been reguarded as troubblesome pests, bearers of disease and signs of good fortune. Women have hoisted their skirts, men have killed them outright and children have enjoied chasing them about. The Rat has always been a symbol of evolution and adaptation. It lives wherever it can - changing its diet, its habits, its lifestyle - to survive. History has wrongfully over-shadowed this unique and vital creature...time for a lesson.
In Ancient Egypt the gods each had their counterparts. To Nun was Naunet, to Bes she was Beset, Wenenu had Wenenut and to Re - Lord of the Sun - his counterpart was Rat. She was wife to the sun-god Ra, who was called "mother of the gods" as Ra was called "father of the gods". Rat was portrayed as a woman wearing a headdress of a disk with horns and the uraeus and sometimes with two feathers on the disk.
In the Middle Ages, Rats were blamed for bearing the Black Plauge. True, but only in part. The people of the time knew nothing about hygene and threw their own wastes into the streets - even as people walked. The virus developed and attatched itself to fleas, who in turn latched onto the backs of Rats, who were simply attracted to the prospect of food. Rats squeezed into the homes of the citizens and fell ill to the blood-seeking insects that are truely to blame. As a side-note, a rarely used method of healing for this disease was discovered in the Arabic teachings. One was to lance the boils - not to commit them to bleeding. This, unfortunately was never accepted - for it was 'unChristian'.
The Year of the Rat
For thousands of years the Chinese have continued a tradition of slight parallel to the standard Zodiac. While the Western Zodiac consists of signs relating to one's day of birth, the Chinese Zodiac aligns itself with the year.
1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, etc.
People born in the Year of the Rat are noted for their charm and attraction for the opposite sex. They work hard to achieve their goals, acquire possessions, and are likely to be perfectionists. They are basically thrifty with money. Rat people are easily angered and love to gossip. Their ambitions are big, and they are usually very successful. They are most compatible with people born in the years of the Dragon, Monkey, and Ox.
Occasionally do they deviate into the types of animals, corrisponding to the Feng Shui aspects of Fire, Water, Wood, Earth and Metal. The popular concensus of the origin of these animals reads like this:
Buddah called forth all of the animals to test the twelve most virtuous. The Ox, being known for his dependability, headed out early that morning to make sure he was the first - long before the sun arose. The Rat, knowing full well that he could not move as fast as the rest of the animals, lept onto the Ox's head and sat between his horns. As the sun's rays reached the great Buddah's doorway, the Rat jumped down from his ride and squeezed through the door while the Ox and the rest of them were made to wait for the gates to be opened. As the animals entered the Buddah's main chamber, they found that the Rat had been named The First for his inginuity - the Ox second for his good sportsmanship, the Tiger third, the Rabbit fourth place, the Dragon fifth, the Snake sixth, the Horse seventh, the Ram eighth, the Monkey ninth, the Rooster tenth, the Dog eleventh, and the Pig twelfth...Famous Rats
Rat - Egyptian goddess
Alan Alda - 'Hawkeye' from M.A.S.H. (among many other movie roles)
The Rat Pack - consisting of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford
Tunnel Rat - G.I. Joe
Tempolton - Charlotte's Web
Danger Mouse - (ok, ok...so he's not technicly a rat...but he's really cool!)
Nick and Fletcher - The Chicken's Run
Mrs. Frisby - The Secret of NIHM
Jimmy Carter - 41st President
RATT - 80's rock band
Rizzo the Rat - The Muppet Show
George Washington - first Prez (...and if'n ya don't know that i'm gonna kick ya!)
Charlton Heston - movie actor
Scabbers - Harry Potter
William Shakespeare - writter of...DUH!
Splinter - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
RatTrap - Transformers: Beast Wars
...and a whole crap-load of others!
More to come...perhaps...