A to Z BLOG CHALLENGE
Today's Letter....E
Thank you for stopping by! Comments welcome. Happy Reading!
EPITAPHS
The word epitaph comes from the Greek, meaning a short text, phrase, or poem, engraved into the gravestone of a deceased person.
It can be a Biblical scripture, a phrase, a reference to the person's interests, or just about anything you can imagine. One of the most popular inscriptions is "Rest In Peace". "In Loving Memory" is another one. They can be somber and serious, or uplifting and humorous.
Lots of people have their's added, after death, by their loved ones. However, some people write their own, their wishes carried out later. Not all headstones have them...only the person's name, birth and death date. Others mention how they are related to others in their family, such as father, mother, son, daughter of...
Many times, there are hearts, crosses, flowers, or angels, carved into the granite headstone. Some inscriptions refer to the person's interests and hobbies, such as "Gone Fishin'" or "Gardening in Heaven". One famous person's epitaph is simply, "That's All Folks", from Mel Blanc, who voiced many cartoons.
Have you ever tried writing one for yourself? I have, and it's fun, but a bit weird...and trying to say just the right words, your final words to the world, is not as easy as it would seem to be.
In a way, you've probably already had some practice doing this...your Twitter profile statement! It is short, and it says something you want people to know about you. Take a look at yours...what does it say? Would you like these words to be your final communication to the world?
You can find listings and records of epitaphs (famous and not so famous) here... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epitaph
Thanks for reading!
If you'd like to, check out my other entry for the letter E here... http://teleportingweena.wordpress.com
Peace, Love, & Writing
I often ask myself what kind of epitaph I might like on my tombstone. That's probably morbid, but I think it's natural to think about how you'd like to be remembered . . . ~MPL
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting here! Yes, it might be a good idea to make your wishes known, beforehand. Otherwise, who knows what would be inscribed. Some of the ones I've read are really funny, and some even a bit mean. It makes you wonder why they'd put something bad sounding on a person's tombstone. Thanks again for reading!
DeleteI love this post. Although, it does make me a little squeamish to think of my own epitaph. And I have to say that I just laughed at the beginning of this post as I thought of 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding'.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my blog, as well.
Hi, Sheery! Thanks for stopping by here, as well! I'm sorry to say I have never watched "My Big Fat Greek Wedding", but now I'll have to check it out! Epitaphs are so interesting, especially those from long ago.They really did put crazy sayings on them back then. I'm sure the unflattering and sarcastic ones were not penned by the deceased! Glad you liked reading about them! Best wishes for the AtoZ!
DeleteI enjoy visiting historic country cemeteries and checking out the epitaphs. One of my favorites is on the grave of a woman who was considered a hypochondriac while alive. I saw it down in Key West. It reads, "I told you I was sick!"
ReplyDelete~Tui, swinging by from #Mondayblogs to say hi!
Hi, Tui! Thanks for stopping by here and for your comment! That was a good one on the hypochondriac's headstone...wonder if her family thought it up? I like reading all kinds of them, seems like they did more of that a long time ago, rather than now. I also like reading the 'last words' of famous people in history...what was recorded as their final words before they died. Strange interests, I suppose. :)
ReplyDelete