I am considering writing a short story set within the
Cthulhu Mythos, and it is my wish to introduce (*Gasp!*)
a new book (yes, ANOTHER one!).

I would like to give this fictional book a Latin title
meaning, "The Iron Law of the Sacrifice."

Some notes:

1. Since this tome will guide religious practice within
a Cult, this title should be written in ecclesiastical
Latin;

2. By "Iron Law," I mean a body of rules which are
absolutely inviolable under penalty of displeasure
and sanction of a God or Gods; and

3. By "the Sacrifice" I mean some extremely valuable
item -- perhaps a living creature, and perhaps even
a human being (!) -- which is yielded up to a God or
Gods via death or physical destruction (e.g., by
burning, or otherwise) as part of an act of worship
and adulation.

Would anyone here care to offer a translation the
title, "The Iron Law of the Sacrifice"?

All suggestions would be most gratefully welcomed;
and if so desired, I will credit the particular
translator before the story itself begins.

-- %%%%%%%%% "Glenn P.," <C128UserDELETE-THIS@FVI.Net> %%%%%%%%%%%%
===================================================================
"All of the scenes in this program, whether actual or created,
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Glenn P., wrote:
> I am considering writing a short story set within the
> Cthulhu Mythos, and it is my wish to introduce (*Gasp!*)
> a new book (yes, ANOTHER one!).
>
> I would like to give this fictional book a Latin title
> meaning, "The Iron Law of the Sacrifice."
>
> Some notes:
>
> 1. Since this tome will guide religious practice within
> a Cult, this title should be written in ecclesiastical
> Latin;
>
> 2. By "Iron Law," I mean a body of rules which are
> absolutely inviolable under penalty of displeasure
> and sanction of a God or Gods; and
>
> 3. By "the Sacrifice" I mean some extremely valuable
> item -- perhaps a living creature, and perhaps even
> a human being (!) -- which is yielded up to a God or
> Gods via death or physical destruction (e.g., by
> burning, or otherwise) as part of an act of worship
> and adulation.
>
> Would anyone here care to offer a translation the
> title, "The Iron Law of the Sacrifice"?
>
> All suggestions would be most gratefully welcomed;
> and if so desired, I will credit the particular
> translator before the story itself begins.
>
> -- %%%%%%%%% "Glenn P.," <C128UserDELETE-THIS@FVI.Net> %%%%%%%%%%%%
> ===================================================================
> "All of the scenes in this program, whether actual or created,
> depict authenticated facts." ------------------------------------
> --"Mutual of Omaha's 'Wild Kingdom'"
>
> :: Take Note Of The Spam Block On My E-Mail Address! ::

What do you want? Some terminology that will surpass the changes and
mutations of language? Something in Latin (a dead language) that will be
understood the same throughout space and time?
Well, I doubt you'll get that. So I'll give you something that would
have been generally understood at the time of Christ. Incidentally, I
call it Ciceronian Latin, but you'll find it survived into the
Renaissance, ie. beyond the fallen Latin of the Vulgate and subsequent
monkish usages. Educated people such as Erasmus and Thomas More
resurrected it.

"The Iron Law of the Sacrifice"
Lex ferrea sacrificii.

Ed

On 06-Mar-22 at 1:37pm -0000, <ed@somewhere.in.the.uk> wrote:

> "The Iron Law of the Sacrifice"
> Lex ferrea sacrificii.

I say, are you sure of that? Google Translate suggests that that's
"Law of the Iron Sacrifice," which isn't what I want. (I'm not even
quite sure I know what an "iron sacrifice" IS.)

Google Translate suggests, "Ferrum Lex de Sacrificium." How correct
is that? (And could it be rendered as "Lex Ferrum" instead of "Ferrum
Lex" without changing the meaning any?)

-- %%%%%%%%% "Glenn P.," <C128UserDELETE-THIS@FVI.Net> %%%%%%%%%%%%
===================================================================
"All of the scenes in this program, whether actual or created,
depict authenticated facts." ------------------------------------
--"Mutual of Omaha's 'Wild Kingdom'"

:: Take Note Of The Spam Block On My E-Mail Address! ::

Glenn P., wrote:
> On 06-Mar-22 at 1:37pm -0000, <ed@somewhere.in.the.uk> wrote:
>
> > "The Iron Law of the Sacrifice"
> > Lex ferrea sacrificii.
>
> I say, are you sure of that? Google Translate suggests that that's
> "Law of the Iron Sacrifice," which isn't what I want. (I'm not even
> quite sure I know what an "iron sacrifice" IS.)
>
> Google Translate suggests, "Ferrum Lex de Sacrificium." How correct
> is that? (And could it be rendered as "Lex Ferrum" instead of "Ferrum
> Lex" without changing the meaning any?)
>

Don't take any notice of what Google says; it's notoriously feeble with
Latin.
Both "lex" and "ferrum" are nouns. "Ferreus/a/um" is an adjective.
There are other howlers in the Google versions.

Lex ferrea sacrificii
or
Lex ferrea de sacrificio
The former for mention in a book or scroll; the latter for the law
incscribed on a statute book.

What are you doing, anyway; playing fast and loose with metaphors?
I can't imagine any papal scroll or bull carrying that motto; not even
for a Borgia or Medici pope.
It's more suitable for Torquemada; or maybe a plaque on the gate into
Auschwitz, replacing the cynical "Arbeit Macht Frei".

Ed

On 07-Mar-22 at 7:19am -0000, <ed@somewhere.in.the.uk> wrote:

> Don't take any notice of what Google says; it's notoriously feeble with
> Latin.

> Both "lex" and "ferrum" are nouns. "Ferreus/a/um" is an adjective.
> There are other howlers in the Google versions.

> Lex ferrea sacrificii
> or
> Lex ferrea de sacrificio

> The former for mention in a book or scroll; the latter for the law incscribed
> on a statute book.

> What are you doing, anyway; playing fast and loose with metaphors?

> I can't imagine any papal scroll or bull carrying that motto; not even for
> a Borgia or Medici pope.

> It's more suitable for Torquemada; or maybe a plaque on the gate into
> Auschwitz, replacing the cynical "Arbeit Macht Frei".

Like I said originally, it's to be the title of a sinister (fictional) book
guiding the activities of an equally fictional sacrificial cult in a short
story set within the Cthulhu mythos.

What do you mean by "mention in" a book or scroll? Is it suitable for a book
title?

Also, a thought occurs -- since my story will concern a highly important
sacrifice, would using "Ille" be appropriate? As in "Lex Ferrea de Ille
Sacrificio"?

Again, thanks for all the information!

-- %%%%%%%%% "Glenn P.," <C128UserDELETE-THIS@FVI.Net> %%%%%%%%%%%%
===================================================================
"All of the scenes in this program, whether actual or created,
depict authenticated facts." ------------------------------------
--"Mutual of Omaha's 'Wild Kingdom'"

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