A quick note on mules in Rome

[lesbiassparrow]

(Other post coming soon, but mules weren't getting enough love.)

Pliny the Elder thought you could break mules by feedng them a lot of wine. I guess that's one way of doing it.

Also he has a hilarious recipe for a love charm that involves plucking three hairs from a female mule's tail. While she is, um, having sex. I suspect that one didn't do this more than once.

ETA: As hyenas and Cicero are currently even, the next post will be on hyenas. With possibly crocodile dung tossed in for good measure. No word on whether Cicero ever used it, but as it was used in rouge and Cicero doesn't strike me as a man to use rouge (though as there is a little evidence that some orators used to paint their faces for court, perhaps he did).

Comments

[nutmeg3.livejournal.com]

I think a drunken mule would be relatively easy to control, at least as long as it was still standing.

And yay! Upcoming hyena (and croc) info!

[lage-nom-ai.livejournal.com]

Drunken mules FTW! That would be great.

And for reasons that don't need explaining at this juncture, I discovered that there are tons of videos on Youtube of horses (and donkeys) having sex with MILLIONS OF HITS. Millions. So maybe people are still researching how to best pluck some tail hairs.

[oxymoron67.livejournal.com]

Drunken mules... I just imagine them stumbling around.

[wistfulmemory.livejournal.com]

Would the breaking be permanent once the mule got over its hangover?

Well, by doing that, you would definitely be showing your determination in making sure your love charm actually worked.

Yeah for hyenas and crocodile dung! (And I'm looking forward to hearing about Cicero, too.)