Yesterday we had no water at our house and this morning my car was totally encased in a thick layer of ice. My relationship with water seems to have hit a rough spot. Have I somehow offended Poseidon?
Who is the Greek god of doorknobs--or did the Greeks have no need for a doorknob deity? A little while ago when I opened the door to leave my office, the doorknob suddenly, without warning, fell off in my hand. (Although, come to think of it, what kind of warning was I expecting?) Now I'm sitting in my office waiting for whoever is responsible for campus doorknob repair. I'm afraid to close the door in case I can't get it open again, so I guess I'm not going anywhere for a while.
Hephaestus--Greek god of the forge, of weapons and metalwork and smithery. I suppose a doorknob could serve as a weapon in a pinch, so we'll adopt Hephaestus as our doorknob deity. The Romans adapted him as Vulcan, a name much more mellifluous than Hephaestus and also more redolent with pop-culture associations.
Despite my marred morning, I'm not feeling particularly volcanic today. Sure, the ice made my morning commute a little intense, but I got here safely and taught my three morning classes without a hitch. I'll have to leave my office door hanging open when I go to teach my afternoon class, but even the sight of that uncooperative doorknob has failed to roil my emotions. What could go wrong? Against all odds, I feel calm, safe, positively pacific.
Just don't tell Poseidon. He's bound to trouble the waters.
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