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Armchair Classicist (Ryan Schaller)

@armchairclassicist.bsky.social

2.7K followers 3.8K following 1.9K posts

Ancient history and lit, photos of my cats. Writer, reader, fantasy, sci-fi, 🏳️‍🌈Ally, No🚫GenAI content. Lawyer by day. Probably followed you for mentioning reading, history, or writing in your profile. "Armchair Classicist: The Page" on FB

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Armchair Classicist (Ryan Schaller) @armchairclassicist.bsky.social · Sep 3

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One of my posts earlier this week has been shared 500+ times over the past few days. So if you're looking at the page for the first time, here's a pin status explaining what this page is:

I am not a professional Classicist or historian. I am an enthusiastic amateur who works by day as a lawyer

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Armchair Classicist (Ryan Schaller) @armchairclassicist.bsky.social · 3d

Current non-fiction reading:
Bleeck’s translation of the Avesta and other Zoroastrian religious texts
Steven Mithin’s “After the Ice” (prehistory of humans from end of the last ice age)
Stith Thompson’s “The Folktale”
📚💙

Photo of the spines of the three books named in the post.

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Armchair Classicist (Ryan Schaller) @armchairclassicist.bsky.social · 4d

Relaxing Caturday for Izzy the tabby.
🐈‍⬛📷 #Cats #CatsOfBlueSky

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Armchair Classicist (Ryan Schaller) @armchairclassicist.bsky.social · 4d

Thanks to my friend Tim for sending me this one!

Eladio Bobadilla @eladiobobadilla.com · 5d

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Armchair Classicist (Ryan Schaller) @armchairclassicist.bsky.social · 5d

Love an honest footnote.

“The latter part of this verse is beyond the Translator’s comprehension”

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Armchair Classicist (Ryan Schaller) @armchairclassicist.bsky.social · 6d

Zora this evening
🐈‍⬛📷

Brown tortoiseshell cat looks at camera from cat tower

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Armchair Classicist (Ryan Schaller) @armchairclassicist.bsky.social · 6d

Sorry for the lack of actual classics content lately. I’ve gone from having copious amounts of free time in the spring and summer to work suddenly picking up about two weeks ago. My brain is pretty drained and cat pics and memes are all I’ve got at the moment.

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Armchair Classicist (Ryan Schaller) @armchairclassicist.bsky.social · 6d

Of course!

Armchair Classicist (Ryan Schaller) @armchairclassicist.bsky.social · 6d

📚💙 #readers

Text: "Lock me in a castle and call me Belle because all I want is a massive in-home library and dishes that wash themselves."
Below the text is an image of Belle from Disney's animated Beauty and the Beast.

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Armchair Classicist (Ryan Schaller) @armchairclassicist.bsky.social · 6d

Morning cuddles with Zora
🐈‍⬛📷

Brown tortoiseshell cat napping on a lap

Armchair Classicist (Ryan Schaller) @armchairclassicist.bsky.social · 8d

If you have #cats then you know
🐈🐈

screenshot of a post by "odd.bats"

People who don't own cats will be like "Why is there random garbage in your living room?
While cat owners are like "Don't be rude those are his things"

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Armchair Classicist (Ryan Schaller) @armchairclassicist.bsky.social · 9d

Morning cuddles with Zora
🐈‍⬛📷
#Cats

Armchair Classicist (Ryan Schaller) @armchairclassicist.bsky.social · 10d

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Armchair Classicist (Ryan Schaller) @armchairclassicist.bsky.social · 14d

📚💙

Screenshot of a tweet by @Stefan_Bachmann (Stefan Bachmann)
Buys ten books.
Reads three of them.
See how many awesome new books are out and buys eight more.
Repeat forever until house expodes.

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Armchair Classicist (Ryan Schaller) @armchairclassicist.bsky.social · 14d

11/11
When they had thus spoken they assumed the forms of doves again and flew away, leaving me to regret my folly and repent of my fickleness. Many years have come and gone since then, but I can never forget the happiness which I might have enjoyed, and so I roam about in despair.

[END]

Armchair Classicist (Ryan Schaller) @armchairclassicist.bsky.social · 14d

10/11
Who could ever expect attachment from thee?
The morning brings light, the evening night;
Nor can a bat perceive the sun.”

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Armchair Classicist (Ryan Schaller) @armchairclassicist.bsky.social · 14d

9/11
but while I was trying to ingratiate myself with the new comer, the two others awoke, and all three upbraided me in this strain: “O faithless and ignorant wretch! are you not ashamed of your unsteady and chameleon-like nature, and do you not know that the first condition of love is fidelity!

Armchair Classicist (Ryan Schaller) @armchairclassicist.bsky.social · 14d

8/11
which pleased her so much that she also laid her head in my lap and fell asleep. Soon afterwards a third dove alighted on the tree, and was like the others transformed into a beautiful girl. Forgetting what I had said to the other ladies, I fell violently in love with her,

Armchair Classicist (Ryan Schaller) @armchairclassicist.bsky.social · 14d

7/11
or wish for flowers in a garden.”

” On hearing these sarcastic remarks I gently removed the head of the first lady from my lap and said to the second: “I renounce a thousand mistresses like this for half a glance of your eyes,” adding many other complimentary expressions

Armchair Classicist (Ryan Schaller) @armchairclassicist.bsky.social · 14d

6/11
Desirous to please her, I expressed some compliments, to which she thus responded: “Men are of weak intellects and so fickle that they bestow every moment their affection on a new object. One eye needs not two pupils and one scabbard cannot contain two swords. Let no one be thirsty in a river,

Armchair Classicist (Ryan Schaller) @armchairclassicist.bsky.social · 14d

5/11
to repose for a while.”
So she laid her head in my lap and fell asleep, while I pondered my good fortune and future enjoyment. Meantime another and still more beautiful dove settled on a branch of the tree, and presently turned into a heart-ravishing maiden.

Armchair Classicist (Ryan Schaller) @armchairclassicist.bsky.social · 14d

4/11
"What happiness has fallen to my lot! O most beauteous lady, I am ready to sacrifice my life to you, and to make you the companion of my joys and sorrows.” But the damsel replied: “Young man, this is not a fitting time for jesting. I have come a long way, and feeling very weary I wish

Armchair Classicist (Ryan Schaller) @armchairclassicist.bsky.social · 14d

3/11
After a while it shook its wings, its skin opened, and a húrí-like damsel was revealed to my sight. She descended from the tree and seated herself in my lap. I rubbed the sleeve of astonishment over my eyes and exclaimed:

Armchair Classicist (Ryan Schaller) @armchairclassicist.bsky.social · 14d

2/11
"The Washerman's Story"

I have followed the business of a washerman for many years. My occupation brought me every day to this place, and once, when I was here as usual, I observed a dove alighting on a tree. The bird was so beautiful that I left off my work to admire it.

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Armchair Classicist (Ryan Schaller) @armchairclassicist.bsky.social · 14d

1/11
This brief tale, "The Washerman's Story," is an episode in a longer folktale called the "History of Nassar". An English translation of the entire tale is available in a 19th century book edited by William Alexander Clouston, titled "A Group of Eastern Romances and Stories":

#Folktale 📚💙

A photo of the title page of the book where the tale comes from:
""A Group of Eastern Romances and Stories" introduced and annotated by W.A. Clouston.

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Armchair Classicist (Ryan Schaller) @armchairclassicist.bsky.social · 15d

More photos of our fluffy cat-snake, Zora
🐈‍⬛📷
#CatsOfBlueSky