Grave Metallum
November 9, 2015 3:01 PM   Subscribe

The infrequently updated blog Heavy Latin chronicles and translates the uses, and misuses, of Latin by metal bands.
posted by Pope Guilty (20 comments total) 18 users marked this as a favorite
 
Sanctum stercore
posted by growabrain at 3:03 PM on November 9, 2015 [2 favorites]


That is the most pedantic thing ever. It is... the pedantiest.
posted by phooky at 3:12 PM on November 9, 2015 [4 favorites]


Today I learned that the Latin word for "pizza" is placentula, which is pretty metal. Maybe the Vatican outsourced the editing of the Lexicon Recentis Latinitatis to GWAR.
posted by Iridic at 3:23 PM on November 9, 2015 [2 favorites]


#21: You can silence me but there will be others. Semper Fidelis Tyrannosaurus!

Dr. Killinger: It's Sic Semper Tyrannis. You said, "Ever faithful terrible lizard."

#21: I did? Cool.
posted by Existential Dread at 3:24 PM on November 9, 2015 [3 favorites]


Nice. Reminds me of German speakers' comment re: Die Rache Krieg Lied Der Assyriche, a song about the Assyrians which has a German title for no discernible reason.
posted by ignignokt at 4:18 PM on November 9, 2015


Gravis metallum.

Speaking of pedantic.

(I like that is was followed by …something that was encouraged by Satan. Knows Latin, the devil does.)
posted by BWA at 4:20 PM on November 9, 2015 [1 favorite]


I like it when metal bands use dumb latin on purpose like Gloryhammer
posted by cashlock at 4:35 PM on November 9, 2015 [1 favorite]


Knows Latin, the devil does.

Although, possibly, not very good Latin. Based on his acolytes. Maybe he just teaches them wrong Latin to irritate God.
posted by GenjiandProust at 5:06 PM on November 9, 2015 [1 favorite]


Powerwolf is a chronic offender, although there's something endearing about a metal song with more amens and hallelujahs than a tent revival.
posted by Wolfdog at 5:16 PM on November 9, 2015 [1 favorite]


This reminds me of a random conversation I had in college with a guy who wanted to turn the motet Beatus vir into a speed metal song. From what I heard, it made a kind of sense.
posted by Cash4Lead at 5:51 PM on November 9, 2015


Iridic, that Lexicon Recentis Latinitatis is solid gold.

playboy: iúvenis voluptárius
rugby: ludus follis ovāti
snack bar: thermopólium potórium et gustatórium
posted by ostro at 6:06 PM on November 9, 2015 [1 favorite]


P.S. When the Vatican itself comes up with things like:

"camping: campus tentórius"

I don't know that anybody gets to criticize anybody else's Latin anymore. What even is going on out there.
posted by ostro at 6:09 PM on November 9, 2015 [3 favorites]


Powerwolf yt is a chronic offender, although there's something endearing about a metal song with more amens and hallelujahs than a tent revival.

Powerwolf (specifically "Amen and Attack") is what led me to the site. I love their bizarre, silly use of Catholic and horror imagery mashed together in weird, nonsensical ways.

"We drink! We drink! We drink your blood! Kyrie eleison!"
posted by Pope Guilty at 6:18 PM on November 9, 2015 [1 favorite]


Yeah, I know I'm not respecting the original intention, but I love me some Mass in B Minor. I like it on its own, but I also like to use tracks from it as intros to metal playlists.
posted by ignignokt at 6:28 PM on November 9, 2015 [1 favorite]


They mention Sabaton, but they have not yet addressed Resist and Bite (your choice: lyric video or RWBY AMV); of course perhaps that is because the Latin in there is used correctly.
posted by Wolfdog at 6:42 PM on November 9, 2015


Sic semper tyrannosaurus.
posted by notsnot at 6:57 PM on November 9, 2015 [1 favorite]


Although, possibly, not very good Latin. Based on his acolytes. Maybe he just teaches them wrong Latin to irritate God.

Lichtenberg already addressed this: The rules of grammar are mere human statutes, which is why when he speaks out of the possessed the Devil himself speaks bad Latin.
posted by kenko at 8:13 PM on November 9, 2015 [3 favorites]


All the lyrics on Italian song-smiths Nazgûl's first album are allegedly in Latin, but after having heard the record a number of times, I can neither confirm nor deny that this is true.
posted by Trinity-Gehenna at 8:13 PM on November 9, 2015


The rules of grammar are mere human statutes, which is why when he speaks out of the possessed the Devil himself speaks bad Latin.

Heh, shades of the Verbis Diablo from Penny Dreadful:
The goal was an art piece that worked with the theme of the “corrupted tongue”. The only consistent part of the grammar is a series of auxiliaries which help to orient sentences in time and space. [...] [T]he syntax for a given sentence is generally governed by the first word, though it may change midway through for no reason. Certain words may have one meaning most of the time and then change meanings for no reason. The idea is that one can’t understand the language without being “touched”, and it’s impossible to identify and explain.
posted by vibratory manner of working at 11:06 PM on November 9, 2015


This made for an amusing playlist while I was doing a Linux reinstall on my laptop. Cheers!
posted by Samizdata at 11:58 PM on November 9, 2015 [1 favorite]


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