Thursday, August 02, 2007

a bumper sticker can say so much about a person

Like for example, my bumper sticker--clean water, our link to living-- Actually I didn't choose that bumper sticker as it was chosen (and placed) for me. I'm not sure what that says about me.

On the way to work this morning I saw a bumber sticker that said "I break for Kobolds." I didn't know what a kobold was so I thought I should find out. Where can I find a quick and reliable answer to my question? Wikipedia of course, because (in the words of Michael Scott) “Wikipedia is the best thing ever. Anyone in the world can write anything they want about any subject, so you know you are getting the best possible information.”

So this is what I found as far as the Kobold goes:

Kobolds are spirits of German folklore. The name comes from "Kobe" = house, hut and the word "hold" = comely, good (Paul Hermann, "Deutsche Mythologie") and is often translated in English as goblin.

The most common version, Heinzelmännchen, is similar to Robin Goodfellow and brownies: as household elves of ambivalent nature, they sometimes perform domestic chores, but play malicious tricks if not appeased (Hinzelmann is a particular example).

Kobold is often used in German to translate the word 'Leprechaun', a type of Irish fairy goblin.

So I'm thinking ok, now I know what a Kobold is, great. That is not a very funny or clever bumper sticker, so whatever. And as I scroll further down the page, I see that Kobolds are well known in the gaming circles and were made popular by Dungeons and Dragons (I refuse to link to dungeons and dragons anything). Still not a funny bumpersticker.

Bumper Sticker's I love:

"This is what a radical feminist looks like" especially when older white guy is driving daughter's borrowed car in the south.

"Sweet as Candy" especially when seen on an early 90's escort wagon driven by a hipster-hippy.

3 comments:

Daniel said...

I saw a bumper sticker on the back of a mid 80s van in the Wal-Mart parking lot that said: I was into Dungeons and Dragons before it was cool.

I never knew that Dungeons and Dragons was cool.

CëRïSë said...

That makes me think of the "Buckeye State" sticker that mysteriously appeared on my '97 Geo Metro around the same time (and place). 'Too bad the Popcan didn't make it to that promised land... sniff.

CëRïSë said...

(Or it did... it just didn't get me there. Sniff, again.)