Adynaton
Encyclopedia
Adynaton (from Greek
: a-: without and dynasthai: to be powerful) is a figure of speech
in the form of hyperbole
taken to such extreme lengths as to suggest a complete impossibility:
al device during the Classical Period
and was known in Latin
as impossibilia. A frequent usage was to refer to one highly unlikely event occurring sooner than another:
However it largely fell into disuse during the Middle Ages
before undergoing a minor revival in the works of romantic poets, who would boast of the power of their love, and how it could never end.
Impossible tasks appears often in legend
s and folklore
, such as the tale of "The Spinning-Woman by the Spring
", and can form elements of ballad
s, riddle
s and proverb
s.
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
: a-: without and dynasthai: to be powerful) is a figure of speech
Figure of speech
A figure of speech is the use of a word or words diverging from its usual meaning. It can also be a special repetition, arrangement or omission of words with literal meaning, or a phrase with a specialized meaning not based on the literal meaning of the words in it, as in idiom, metaphor, simile,...
in the form of hyperbole
Hyperbole
Hyperbole is the use of exaggeration as a rhetorical device or figure of speech. It may be used to evoke strong feelings or to create a strong impression, but is not meant to be taken literally....
taken to such extreme lengths as to suggest a complete impossibility:
- I will sooner have a beard grow in the palm of my hand than he shall get one of his cheek Shakespeare Henry IV, Part 2Henry IV, Part 2Henry IV, Part 2 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed written between 1596 and 1599. It is the third part of a tetralogy, preceded by Richard II and Henry IV, Part 1 and succeeded by Henry V.-Sources:...
Classical and Medieval usage
Adynaton was a widespread literary and rhetoricRhetoric
Rhetoric is the art of discourse, an art that aims to improve the facility of speakers or writers who attempt to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. As a subject of formal study and a productive civic practice, rhetoric has played a central role in the Western...
al device during the Classical Period
Classical antiquity
Classical antiquity is a broad term for a long period of cultural history centered on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of ancient Greece and ancient Rome, collectively known as the Greco-Roman world...
and was known in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
as impossibilia. A frequent usage was to refer to one highly unlikely event occurring sooner than another:
- One can expect an agreement between philosophers sooner than between clocks. SenecaSeneca the YoungerLucius Annaeus Seneca was a Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, dramatist, and in one work humorist, of the Silver Age of Latin literature. He was tutor and later advisor to emperor Nero...
, "The Pumpkinification of ClaudiusThe Pumpkinification of ClaudiusThe Apocolocyntosis Claudii, literally The Pumpkinification of Claudius, is a political satire on the Roman emperor Claudius, probably written by Seneca the Younger. It is the only example of Menippean satire from the classical era that has survived...
".
However it largely fell into disuse during the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
before undergoing a minor revival in the works of romantic poets, who would boast of the power of their love, and how it could never end.
- Together, we shall sooner see, I, & you, The Rhône tarry, & reverse its course, The Saône roil, & return to source, Than this my fire ever die down Maurice ScèveMaurice ScèveMaurice Scève , French poet, was born at Lyon, where his father practised law.He was the centre of the Lyonnese côterie that elaborated the theory of spiritual love, derived partly from Plato and partly from Petrarch...
Fiction, folklore and drama
Adynata are sometimes used within works of fiction or drama:-
- Part heat from fire, then, by that notion,
- Part frost from snow, wet from the ocean!
- Ask less! Henrik IbsenHenrik IbsenHenrik Ibsen was a major 19th-century Norwegian playwright, theatre director, and poet. He is often referred to as "the father of prose drama" and is one of the founders of Modernism in the theatre...
, BrandBrand (play)Brand is a play by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It is a verse tragedy, written in 1865 and first performed in Stockholm on 24 March 1867. Brand was an intellectual play that provoked much original thought....
Impossible tasks appears often in legend
Legend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
s and folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
, such as the tale of "The Spinning-Woman by the Spring
The Spinning-Woman by the Spring
The Spinning-Woman by the Spring or "The Kind and the Unkind Girls" is a widespread, traditional folk tale, known all over Europe, in large parts of Asia, and in Indonesia too. The tale is catalogued as AT 480 in the international Folktale catalogue.-Synopsis:...
", and can form elements of ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
s, riddle
Riddle
A riddle is a statement or question or phrase having a double or veiled meaning, put forth as a puzzle to be solved. Riddles are of two types: enigmas, which are problems generally expressed in metaphorical or allegorical language that require ingenuity and careful thinking for their solution, and...
s and proverb
Proverb
A proverb is a simple and concrete saying popularly known and repeated, which expresses a truth, based on common sense or the practical experience of humanity. They are often metaphorical. A proverb that describes a basic rule of conduct may also be known as a maxim...
s.
Modern usage
Some modern adynata include:- In EnglishEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, "Pigs might fly!Flying pigThe phrase "when will pigs fly" is an adynaton—a figure of speech so hyperbolic that it describes an impossibility. The implication of such a phrase is that the circumstances in question will never occur.Because of the historical importance of the pig industry to the city, prominent in the local...
", and "Not before Hell freezes over!" - In Filipino (Tagalog)Tagalog languageTagalog is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by a third of the population of the Philippines and as a second language by most of the rest. It is the first language of the Philippine region IV and of Metro Manila...
the expression is "pag puti na ang uwak" ("when crows are white"). - In GermanGerman languageGerman is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
the expression "Wenn Schweine fliegen könnten" is identical with the English version. - In ItalianItalian languageItalian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, the expression is "Quando gli asini voleranno" ("when donkeys fly"). - In FrenchFrench languageFrench is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, the expression is "quand les poules auront des dents" ("when hens grow teeth"). - In SpanishSpanish languageSpanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, the expression is "cuando las vacas vuelen" ("when cows fly"). Other less common variations include "cuando las ranas críen pelo" ("when frogs grow hair") and "cuando San Juan baje el dedo" ("when Saint JohnJohn the ApostleJohn the Apostle, John the Apostle, John the Apostle, (Aramaic Yoħanna, (c. 6 - c. 100) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He was the son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother of James, another of the Twelve Apostles...
bends his finger"). The latter is a reference to the iconic depictions of St. John with one or two extended fingers. - In FinnishFinnish languageFinnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
, the expression is "sitten kun lehmät lentävät" ("when cows fly"), or "jos lehmällä olisi siivet, se lentäisi" ("if a cow had wings, it would fly"). - In LatvianLatvian languageLatvian is the official state language of Latvia. It is also sometimes referred to as Lettish. There are about 1.4 million native Latvian speakers in Latvia and about 150,000 abroad. The Latvian language has a relatively large number of non-native speakers, atypical for a small language...
, expressions include "Kad pūcei aste ziedēs" ("when the owl's tail blossoms") and "Kad akmens negrims" ("when rocks don't sink"). - in DutchDutch languageDutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
, the expression is "Als Pasen en Pinksteren op één dag vallen" ("when Easter and Pentecost are the same day"). - In MalayMalay languageMalay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
, the expression is "Tunggu kucing bertanduk" ("when cats grow horns"). - In MalayalamMalayalam languageMalayalam , is one of the four major Dravidian languages of southern India. It is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India with official language status in the state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry. It is spoken by 35.9 million people...
, the expression is "Veluttha Kaakka Malarnnu Parannaal" ("if the crow flies upside down"). - In Sanskrit, the expression is "अम्बुनि मज्जन्त्यलाबूनि" (ambuni majjantyalābūni) short for "अम्बुनि मज्जन्त्यलाबूनि ग्रावाणः प्लवन्ते" (ambuni majjantyalābūni grāvāṇaḥ plavante) which means, ("[when] in water, cucumber drowns and stones float"). It occurs as early as in Mahabharata (महाभारत), in Sabhaa Parva (सभा पर्व), chapter 66, verse 11 as मज्जन्त्यलाबूनि शिलाः प्लवन्ते.
- In some countries in the Persian GulfPersian GulfThe Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
, the Arabic expression "إذا حجت البقرة على قرونها" means "when the cow goes on pilgrimage on its horns". In EgyptEgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, they say "في المشمش", meaning "when apricots bloom". Other Arab people, especially PalestiniansPalestinian peopleThe Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
, use the expression "لما ينور الملح", which roughly translates into "when salt blossoms". - In BulgarianBulgarian languageBulgarian is an Indo-European language, a member of the Slavic linguistic group.Bulgarian, along with the closely related Macedonian language, demonstrates several linguistic characteristics that set it apart from all other Slavic languages such as the elimination of case declension, the...
, the expression is "когато цъфнат налъмите" (kogato cufnat nalumite) ("when shoesPatten-People:*Alice Patten, English actress, daughter of Chris Patten, Baron Patten of Barnes*Arthur B. Patten, American clergyman and author of books, hymn texts and poems*Barry Patten , Australian Olympic alpine skier and architect...
bloom"). - In ChineseChinese languageThe Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
, the expression is "除非天下紅雨" (Chúfēi tiān xià hóng yǔ) - "when the rain is red", or "除非太陽打西邊出來" (Chúfēi tàiyang dǎ xībiān chūlai) - "when the sun rises in the west". - In PersianPersian languagePersian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
, the expression is "وقت گل نی" ("when reedsPhragmitesPhragmites, the Common reed, is a large perennial grass found in wetlands throughout temperate and tropical regions of the world. Phragmites australis is sometimes regarded as the sole species of the genus Phragmites, though some botanists divide Phragmites australis into three or four species...
blossom"). - In RussianRussian languageRussian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, the expression is "когда рак на горе свистнет" (kogdá rak na goré svístnet) - "when the crawfish whistles on the mountain". - In SerbianSerbian languageSerbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
or CroatianCroatian languageCroatian is the collective name for the standard language and dialects spoken by Croats, principally in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Serbian province of Vojvodina and other neighbouring countries...
, the expression is "kad na vrbi rodi grožđe" ("when grapes grow on a willow"). - In TurkishTurkish languageTurkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
, the expression is "balık kavağa çıkınca" ("when fish climb poplar trees"). - In UkrainianUkrainian languageUkrainian is a language of the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages. It is the official state language of Ukraine. Written Ukrainian uses a variant of the Cyrillic alphabet....
, the expression is "коли риба заговоре" (koly ryba zagovoré) - "when fish speak". - In PortuguesePortuguese languagePortuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
, the expression is "quando as galinhas tiverem dentes" ("when chickens grow teeth"). Another expression used in Portugal is "No dia de S. Nunca à tarde" ("On St. Never's Day in the afternoon"), meaning that the event being discussed will never happen. A variation of this is "Na semana dos nove dias" ("on the week with nine days"). - In BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, a common expression is “Dia 31 de Fevereiro”, meaning "(it will happen) on February 31st", a date that does not exist. - In MacedonianMacedonian languageMacedonian is a South Slavic language spoken as a first language by approximately 2–3 million people principally in the region of Macedonia but also in the Macedonian diaspora...
, the expression is "кога ќе прдне квачката" (koga ke prdne kvatchkata) - "when the chicken farts". - Also in Brazil, a common expression was "quando a cobra fumar " ("when snakes smoke"). The phrase was used by Getúlio VargasGetúlio VargasGetúlio Dornelles Vargas served as President of Brazil, first as dictator, from 1930 to 1945, and in a democratically elected term from 1951 until his suicide in 1954. Vargas led Brazil for 18 years, the most for any President, and second in Brazilian history to Emperor Pedro II...
, Brazilian president during World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, to reaffirm BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
's neutrality in the conflict: "Snakes will smoke before Brazil enters the war". When Brazil eventually declared war on Nazi GermanyNazi GermanyNazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
and a contingent of about 25000 BraziliansBrazilian Expeditionary ForceThe Brazilian Expeditionary Force or BEF was a force about 25,700 men and women arranged by the Army and Air Force to fight alongside the Allied forces in the Mediterranean Theatre of World War II...
were sent to join Allied forces in the invasion of Italy, the Brazilian force called themselves Cobras Fumantes (literally, Smoking Snakes). They adopted as their symbol a snake smoking a pipe. Since then, the expression has reversed meaning in Brazil, as "a cobra vai fumar!" ("snakes will smoke!") now implies that something is about to happen in a furious and destructive way - in SwedishSwedish languageSwedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
, the expression is "två torsdagar i veckan" ("two Thursdays in the same week"). It is also said as "two Sundays in the same week", but other weekdays are rarely used. - in HungarianHungarian languageHungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
, the expression is "majd ha piros hó esik" ("when it's snowing red")