Sobhan
inspiration and breathed upon meaning?
Her mother sipped, then pointed with a finger. “Are you familiar with the word inspiration? The
meaning of it? Where it comes from?”
Elizabeth shook her head.
“In the Dark Ages, no one understood the things that made some people special, things like
imagination or creativity or vision. People lived and died in the same small village. They had no idea
why the sun rose or set or why winter came. They grubbed in the dirt and died young of disease.
Every soul in that dark, difficult time faced the same limitations, every soul except a precious few
who came rarely to the world and saw things differently, the poets and inventors, the artists and
stonemasons. Regular folks didn’t understand people like that; they didn’t understand how a person
could wake up one day and see the world differently. They thought it was a gift from God. Thus, the
word inspiration. It means ‘breathed upon.’”
meaning of it? Where it comes from?”
Elizabeth shook her head.
“In the Dark Ages, no one understood the things that made some people special, things like
imagination or creativity or vision. People lived and died in the same small village. They had no idea
why the sun rose or set or why winter came. They grubbed in the dirt and died young of disease.
Every soul in that dark, difficult time faced the same limitations, every soul except a precious few
who came rarely to the world and saw things differently, the poets and inventors, the artists and
stonemasons. Regular folks didn’t understand people like that; they didn’t understand how a person
could wake up one day and see the world differently. They thought it was a gift from God. Thus, the
word inspiration. It means ‘breathed upon.’”
May 10, 2018 4:55 AM
Comments · 1
1
Does inspiration mean breathed upon?
No, not any more. The speaker is talking about the origin of the word inspiration when used to refer to sudden mental stimulation and creativity. The connection between (divine) breath and creativity no longer exists in modern English.
May 10, 2018
Sobhan
Language Skills
English, Persian (Farsi), Spanish
Learning Language
English, Spanish
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