le monstre anguipiède

English translation: serpent-footed monster

17:28 Feb 13, 2002
French to English translations [PRO]
Folklore / Greek mythology
French term or phrase: le monstre anguipiède
I suspect they might mean anguillepiède as in eel, but I'm not sure
A mi-chemin du sentier qui y mène , on peut voir une sculpture inspirée d'un bas -relief gallo-romain découvert au sommet représentant Jupiter et le monstre anguipiède.
Sarah Downing
Local time: 14:44
English translation:serpent-footed monster
Explanation:
I tried to figure out who exactly is being referred to here, and I believe it's this fellow: Typhon (or Typhoeus in Greek) " An immortal winged, serpent footed giant with faming eyes and breath and hands tipped with a hundred serpents. He was buried beneath Mt Etna by Zeus."
from http://www.theoi.com/Bestiary.htm
There's more description at http://www.theoi.com/Tartaros/Typhoios.html: "Typhoeus was a monstrous immortal giant who was defeated and imprisoned beneath Mount Aitna by Zeus.
He was so large that his head was said to brush the stars. Typhoeus appeared human down to the thighs, but had two coiled vipers in place of legs with hissing serpentine heads. Attached to his hands in place of fingers were a hundred serpent heads, fifty each hand. He was winged, with dirty matted hair and beard, pointed ears, and eyes flashing fire."
Sounds like my kind of guy!

Selected response from:

Margaret Doney
Grading comment
Thank you to everyone. I totally agree that the majority of readers, unless of course they've had a very good education in the classics, would not know the meaning of anguiped, so I think that in this case it is best to paraphrase.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
5 +2anguiped monster/creature
Meri Buettner
5 +1serpent-footed monster
Jeff Skinner
4eel-footed monster
Pierre POUSSIN
4snake-legged monster
Mary Worby
4serpent-footed monster
Margaret Doney
4Jupiter and the anguipede monster
Steven Geller


  

Answers


12 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +2
anguiped monster/creature


Explanation:
- having legs in the form of serpents

Termium

Meri Buettner
France
Local time: 19:44
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Nikki Scott-Despaigne: Or quite simply "anguiped" without the monster bit : http://www.acacialand.com/studies.html
4 mins
  -> quite right, thanks Nikki

agree  Guereau: According to Le Robert : "anguiforme" = qui a la forme d'un serpent.
16 mins
  -> thanks Frédéric!

disagree  Jeff Skinner: I think the 'one-to-one correspondence' approach is inapplicable here... Mary's comment below makes me wonder how many French readers had to go look up 'anguipiede' afterwards!
4 hrs
  -> ???probably the same amount as English speakers...which would mean "good translation of the original" - not sure I understand your point

agree  Steven Geller: If you want to "translate" it, then the correct translation is ANGUIPEDE
7 hrs
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16 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
eel-footed monster


Explanation:
You are right. In fact (cf.Lovecraft's "Myth of Cthullu") the representation of Sea-Gods with tentacles as a base is as old as mankind!

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-02-13 17:49:43 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

spelt: \"anguipède\" in french (monster is redondant, yes) Tentacled footed.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-02-13 17:51:35 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

sorry, tentacle-footed if necessary!

Pierre POUSSIN
France
Local time: 19:44
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Meri Buettner: glad you caught that...hehehe
13 mins
  -> For Abomination will rise from the forgotten abyss...Thank you!

disagree  Steven Geller: Anguipede is snake-footed. Eels are not reptiles. Snake-footed or serpent-footed would be correct.
7 hrs
  -> Sorry, you are right!
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28 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
snake-legged monster


Explanation:
I don't know about you, but if I came across the word 'anguiped' in a travel guide, I wouldn't have a clue what it meant. High reader bafflement factor!

I also found no useful references to the word anguiped on the web. However, I did find a few of the above (without the monster bit)

HTH

Mary

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-02-13 18:02:19 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

serpent-legged might also cut it - gets a sprinkling of hits!


    Reference: http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=%22snake-legged%22&hl=en&me...
Mary Worby
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:44
Native speaker of: English

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Meri Buettner: found also in archaeology...
2 mins

disagree  Steven Geller: pede = foot from L. pes, pedes -- the monster could lose a foot and still have a leg :-)
7 hrs
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4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +1
serpent-footed monster


Explanation:
The Oxford English Dictionary (on-line) has "anguiped(e)" among its entries, which it defines as "having feet or legs in the form of serpents, serpent-footed". Looks like a textbook example of linguistic cross-pollination to me. :)

Jeff Skinner
Sweden
Local time: 19:44
Works in field
Native speaker of: English

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Meri Buettner: translating a term by it's definition is "paraphrase" - not a great idea
37 mins
  -> In general, yes - but it depends on your audience. It seems the audience is probably going to be tourists of one sort or another, most of whom probably aren't going to know the meaning of 'anguiped'.

agree  Margaret Doney: for more info, see below
2 hrs
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7 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
serpent-footed monster


Explanation:
I tried to figure out who exactly is being referred to here, and I believe it's this fellow: Typhon (or Typhoeus in Greek) " An immortal winged, serpent footed giant with faming eyes and breath and hands tipped with a hundred serpents. He was buried beneath Mt Etna by Zeus."
from http://www.theoi.com/Bestiary.htm
There's more description at http://www.theoi.com/Tartaros/Typhoios.html: "Typhoeus was a monstrous immortal giant who was defeated and imprisoned beneath Mount Aitna by Zeus.
He was so large that his head was said to brush the stars. Typhoeus appeared human down to the thighs, but had two coiled vipers in place of legs with hissing serpentine heads. Attached to his hands in place of fingers were a hundred serpent heads, fifty each hand. He was winged, with dirty matted hair and beard, pointed ears, and eyes flashing fire."
Sounds like my kind of guy!



Margaret Doney
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Thank you to everyone. I totally agree that the majority of readers, unless of course they've had a very good education in the classics, would not know the meaning of anguiped, so I think that in this case it is best to paraphrase.
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

7 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
Jupiter and the anguipede monster


Explanation:
Taubman Medical Library: Magical Amulet Collection: Group 4 ... A very strange representation of the anguipede, apparently without parallel. The
right hand ... Some of the characters resemble Greek letters, but since the stone ...
www.lib.umich.edu/taubman/amulets/group4.htm

-=-=- Amulets Page 2 -=-=- - ... snake) and Hathor (frog-headed). Reverse, the Greek verse 'One Bait, one Hathor,
one Akori ... Green jasper, An anguipede, a snake-legged mythological creation of ...
people.we.mediaone.net/rapere/amulet2.htm

ds18 ... with Greek and Egyptian mythologies, but Syrian, Anatolian and now Chaldean traditions
with these amulets and their inscriptions. The cock-headed anguipede ...
www.darkstar1.co.uk/ds18.html


Steven Geller
Local time: 19:44
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