Think she was referencing the impossible to pronounce part, though only Ixthiaza makes me stop to think of those three, I think Ptoma is pronounces toe-mah and Rikenfriez is just Rii-ken-freeze.

Could be wrong on both counts, though

Ptoma is probably more pronounced 'Pet-oh-ma', if I were to take a guess. Estarra's probably best fit to answer it, but my logic goes: Kephera use an egyptian naming convention and - while egyptian vowels were not written and so are lost to us - most egyptologists seem to infer an 'eh' sound where a vowel would be needed (so Pt would be pronounced 'pet', like a dog or cat or fish or dinosaur).

I pronounce Ixthiaxa Ick (Ick!) sthee (like a lisp but with a small 's' sound at the beginning) -axe (oh god Estarra has an axe!) -ah (Ah, it's so cold... What is that bright white light...?).

And Rikenfriez I pronounce, Reik (like the Third Reich but with a 'k' sound instead of a ch) en (like en-durance) freeze (oh god it's so cold )

I always get pronunciations wrong! I thought the P in Pt words was always silent. I know I've heard 'Ptolemy' pronounced 'Toll-me' on the History Channel.

Do what I do: Keep adding or taking away letters until you can pronounce it. Like Canadia.

It really helps when you have difficulties stopping a word, words that end in "nana" and "nada."

My reasoning was that I always heard Ptolemy pronounces as 'tol-em-me'.

But we're pretty much the same on Rikenfriez (assuming we're pronouncing Reich the same )

Ptolemy is a greek name (well, Macedonian) - he was one of Alexander's generals at his death, and took control of part of his empire. (Although, allow me to geek out, it's generally accepted that Ptolemy was the bastard son of Philip II, which would make him Alexander's half-brother. He was also one of Alexander's most trusted companions, likely shared Aristotle as a tutor and was a member of Alexander's elite, seven-man bodyguard.)

Nonsense. I'm resisting going into a detailed explanation of how Ptolemy took power, and how Cleopatra was not egyptian but macedonian-greek, however I'm trying to spare everyone.

OMG, Daraius, I almost just choked on a Dorito when I saw that.

Question, do you know off hand who was the invader of Egypt who used cats as a weapon?

I think you're referring to the Battle of Pelusium in.... 525 B.C.E., I believe - they didn't use cats though. Cambyses II knew Egyptian culture very well, and knew that egyptians revered cats (the penalty for harming a cat was death, and you generally saved your cat first in a fire/flood/what have you, even before yourself/property. They were up there with children, possibly above), so they (troops of Cambyses II) painted the symbol of the goddess Bastet (love, beauty, fertility, dance, femininity, secrecy) upon their shields. It's said the egyptians were so distraught to go against those who bore the symbol of Bastet unhindered that they were soundly slaughtered. Herodotus commented on seeing the bones decades later - I only remember that because his comment was on the difference between persian and egyptian skulls, and it had struck me as odd.

Edit: And the more I think on it, I think he actually did use cats (and goats and sheep and ibeses, maybe dogs too - all sacred animals in egyptian theology) in the battle - he ranged them before his front lines, so the egyptians were variously cowed and terrified of attacking through such sacred animals.

Ah. One story I read had Cambyses hitting people with cats, or throwing them. Thank you!

See my edit - and that would have been a poor move - they were revered, sacred animals. Harming them would have only enraged the egyptians into a blood-lusting frenzy! (My, how we hijack).

There was another incident where the invader released cats so that the archers or whatever would be too afraid of hitting one, but I don't recall who or when or... Anything else.

Oh, one of my old history conspirators/cohorts/study mates from college had this to add, since he's a bigger egypt geek than I am:

"Act., CBII threw cats at the faces of the egyptians in scorn after the battle, forcing them to surrender their country & freedom out of fear for the animals' safety."

So, he didn't win the battle throwing them, but it's how he forced them into surrender.

Edit: And he says it's the same battle, Lawliet. They wouldn't charge the animals, nor shoot arrows, for fear of wounding them (thus why they were driven before the troops).

(Interestingly enough, Cambyses II would take control of egypt for Persia until Alexander the Great defeated Persia, took control of Egypt, and then Ptolemy took control of it and solidified it as his base of power, instead of taking the offered regency of Alexander's empire)

...

whut?

Herding cats FTW?

Next time we get raided, I'm going to hold up my Crow doll and try and drive them before me.

JIGAN!! Good to see you back!

If you stick around, maybe I'll consider being more active - which would have the net gain of more Aoife happiness quotas being met.