Reddit reviews How to Kill a Dragon: Aspects of Indo-European Poetics
We found 3 Reddit comments about How to Kill a Dragon: Aspects of Indo-European Poetics. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
In How To Kill A Dragon, Calvert Watkins managed to reconstruct the poetic formula "imperishable fame" (that exact sequence of words which appears in ancient fables and myths across the globe) back to Proto-Indo-European. He also reconstructs the dragon-killing idiom "[he] slew the serpent" in that book.
Calvert Watkin's book "How to Kill a Dragon" goes into the meaning of this word an it's cognates in other indo-european languages and myths. Great stuff.
https://www.amazon.com/How-Kill-Dragon-Aspects-Indo-European/dp/0195144139
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on Pg435 he comapres the vajra in Iranian, Indian, and Greek, noticing it's often in all three associated with being:
A weapon hand (presumably Hand-held) 1,000-bosed & Yellow Golden Bronze
and that it's "cast" to "slay" a "beast/dragon" by Man.
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He also in this context notes that its clearly connected to Thor's Hammer (and others say Thor's Hammer is a thunderstone, a meteorite)
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And he also talks a bit about how in Iranian there's something that is either new or not preseved in other languages, that the Weapon is associated with Breaking a Contract or perhaps the reverse, that "a Contract Slays".
I have a ton to write back, I'll PM you in a couple of days (currently travelling).
You should definitely do the Middlebury MA. I got my MA in Spanish/linguistics from Middlebury, and it was amazing. I'd be more than happy to go on and on about it when I'm not paying for travel internet, but let me put in a whole-hearted recommendation -- it's language nerd heaven and it's filled with Our People.
Yes, midd is ridiculously, vomit-inducingly expensive. But, but but! They're also one of the best financial aid providers. Basically no one pays sticker price, and they do a ton to keep debt down (grants & fellowships instead of loans, etc) For the summer language schools, it's pretty easy to get a full ride or nearly from them directly (no loans), since they do rolling admission and financial aid. anyway, i'll def PM you more when i'm back home!
edit: i also have a ton of books to recommend re: indoeuropean, historical linguistics, etc. based on what you've said though about your geography studies + language interest, start here: http://www.amazon.com/How-Kill-Dragon-Aspects-Indo-European/dp/0195144139